As you begin your investigation, you find that Tony Faultier has left very little in the way of
reliable records of the project. As you interview other staff and stakeholders, you are able to
build up the following picture:
The Project
The total fitout budget is $1.2M.
The original schedule was for completion in a total of four months, commencing on 1
March, and completing on 30 June. It is now 1 May. At this point, the schedule states
that work on the ground floor should be completed, the first floor 50% completed and
the second floor 50% completed. Work on the top floor is not yet due to commence.
On investigation, it is found that the work on the ground floor is only 75% complete, the
first floor is 25% complete and the second floor is 25% complete. Also, the top floor is
50% complete, ahead of schedule.
So far, $675K has been spent on the fitout.
The People
You are told that Tony Faultier was seen as a belligerent, even bullying, project
manager; but the team also saw him as being somewhat lazy in his own work, while
being impatient and intolerant of others.
Tony’s style was quite autocratic, and he was unwilling to listen to advice from
members of the team.
Vella Office Fitouts have a strict policy of performance-based salary for all staff, where
bonuses are paid for performing beyond work targets.
Some of the team members were aware that work should not have commenced on the
top floor, and attempted to tell Tony that this was causing problems, with one case of
accidental leakage from the plumbing causing damage to the first-floor fitout, delaying
work; however, Tony advised them to continue with the work. It was found that he was
being paid a commission by a former senior manager at Vella for completing the Board
Room on the top floor early for a personal celebration.
A number of the Vella Office Fitouts staff complained that some of the contract staff
did not seem to have received adequate training on the specialised data cabling required
for this fitout, leading to costly rework in the cable terminations.
Your Presentation and Report
You and your team are to produce a full report, which you will present to the Board of Vella
Office Fitouts. Your report should include the following details:
A brief summary of the current status of the project, including the Cost Variance and
the Schedule Variance. This should also include an overview scorecard or chart of
the project, comparing the scheduled tasks to the actual.
A list of any additional information the new Project Manager will need to source in
order to produce regular, detailed status reports on the project.
An overview of the leadership behaviour on the project. This should use the
Organizational Zoo model to represent Tony Faultier’s observed behaviour, and should
also make recommendations for the preferred leadership behaviour to be targeted in the
recruitment of a new Project Manager, including support and justification.
3
An overview of the existing team environment, with recommendations for changes to
work processes and policies to establish a more cooperative environment, where team
members will feel more able to share their knowledge of project risks or problems,
and contribute to improvements in project performance. This should also be supported
with some analysis.
Report
The written report should be 1,500 to 2,000 words, and include relevant diagrams, charts and
images. You also need to plan your student group’s work on the overall assignment (report
and presentation) and include this plan as an appendix to your report. You should also include
a brief reflection as an appendix (maximum 200 words), commenting on the performance of
the student group in completing the assignment. The report should include the following
items:
An Executive Summary (half page)
A Table of Contents
An introduction outlining the contents of the Report
Discussion of the four key elements to be presented, with relevant citations
A summary of recommendations and a conclusion summarising the report
A reference list, using Harvard referencing style
Student Group Assignment Project Plan
Reflection
Presentation
Your group will present in the role of a team from ProCon Services Australia, reporting on
the findings of your investigation to the Board of Vella Office Fitouts. The presentation
should be in PowerPoint or similar format. This should not exceed eight slides. Your group
will have 15 minutes to present your report, including time for questions and answers. Each
member of your group should take part in the presentation. (The presentation is not to
include the Student Group Project Plan and Reflection.)
Assessment criteria
The Report will be assessed using the following criteria:
Accurate presentation of current project position and reporting requirements
Understanding of individual and team behaviour and interpersonal dynamics
Writing mechanics (structure and flow)
Layout and writing quality
Effective use of images and multimedia
Recommendations and conclusions
Referencing
Team planning and reflection
The Presentation will be assessed on:
Quality of presentation, presentation skills and audience engagement
Effective use and quality of visual aids
Preparation of the technical content of the presentation and accuracy of findings
Handling of discussion with audience