...Project Management Orion Shield Project Case Study Helen Turner UMUC Executive Summary: The basic concepts of project management calls for proper planning, organization and the management of a variety of resources in order to successfully achieve a certain goal. The most important job of a project management is to deliver results within time constraints as well as according to a budget. Effective project managers strategically facilitate the entire project management process to ensure the project’s success. To do this the project manager must adequately meet the specific requirements (i.e., time, scope, quality, and cost) set forth by the project and its stakeholders. Project control is essential but if implemented incorrectly it can have devastating effects on the outcome of a project. Incorrect implementation of project control was the ultimate downfall for Gary Allison. The technical, ethical, legal, contractual and communication issues of project management will be discussed as they pertain to the Orion Shield Project. A thorough analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of Gary Allison will also be discussed. Technical Issues . Gary recognized the presence of technical issues during the initiating stage of the project. According to the request for proposal (RFP) released by Space Technologies Industries (STI), the technical specification required that the design should be able to operate at temperatures ranging...
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...successful engineer. His boss, Henry Larsen promoted Gary as the project manager of the Orion Shield Project. Little did Gary know that this promotion that would significantly change his career at SEC and not for the better. Because of the Orion project Gary went from a star engineer at SEC, to almost losing his position with the company. This was all due to Gary’s lack of project management skills and Henry Larsen’s, lack of support and unethical guidance. Gary Allison did not have the tools or project manager experience to successfully meet the expectations of the company or the requirements of the project. Unfortunately project managers get picked based on availability and not necessarily because they possess project management skills. However, an inadequately trained and/or inexperienced project manager can doom a project as was the case with Gary and the Orion Shield Project. Gary encountered many technical, ethical, legal, contractual and project management issues. Gary’s lack of project management experience was obvious from the very beginning of the project. Many factors contributed to Gary’s failure as a project manager. Gary’s inexperience in project management, his bad communication with the customer and his not being honest with the customer contributed to the failure of the Orion Shield Project. Gary should have informed his counterparts of his missed deadlines and poor test results. Project Management, when effectively employed has produced many advantages...
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...Executive Summary Projects have many facets to them, each of which can lead to either the success or the failure of the project, and all facets are dependent on how each situation is handled. In the case of the Orion Shield Project, which is an R&D, 10 Month, Fixed Price Incentive Fee (FPIP), 2.2 Million contract most of those facets ended up resulting in failures completed not only by the sub-contractor, Scientific Engineering Corporation (SEC), but by the prime contractor, Space Technology Industries (STI), as well. Primarily the Orion Shield Project case follows that of Gary Allison, an inexperienced project manager with SEC who follows the corrupt advice of Henry Larson, an SEC executive. With an inexperienced project manager, and a corrupt advisor the Orion Shield Project has multiple problems to include those of technical, ethical, legal, contractual, and managerial. Introduction In order to be a well-rounded project manager one must not only have the technical, but administrative and organizational background. Another imperative characteristic a project manager, especially those in the research and development (R&D), is that they “work well under pressure and are comfortable with Change and complexity in dynamic environments (Who are Project Managers, pmi.org).” A good outline to follow in project management is known as the project management triangle, consisting of scope, cost, and time, and in the instance of the Orion Shield Project, all three areas were botched...
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...The Orion Shield Project Robert E. King University of Maryland, University College DMBA 620 - Effective Financial and Operational Decision Making Professor Daniel Sersland 29 March, 2015 Orion Shield Project Robert King 2 Executive Summary Inside the Orion Shield project case study, varying degrees of issues are seen during every aspect of its existence. These include technical, ethical, contractual, as well as legal issues which ultimately limited the success of this project from the beginning. Gary Allison was the incorrect choice as a project manager for this project. His inexperience in this type of management jeopardized the contract, and has placed SEC under possible litigation by his actions throughout the project. Gary wasted valuable time and resources during his tenure as a project manager, and failed to provide himself with enough time to properly manage the technical design and development of the components for STI. As such, Gary was even blindsided when it was discovered that Henry Larson was testing new materials with Paula Arnold without Gary having approved or even known about the changes. This led to more scheduling, resting, and development issues down the road, and ultimately was the catalyst for going over budget on this product. Ethical issues persisted throughout this project, from Gary’s selection as an engineer which Henry could manipulate in order to allow Henry to run the project as his “Baby”, while leaving all liability...
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...The Orion Shield Project Analysis Shruti Patel University of Maryland University College AMBA640 Executive Summary Any and every project or program requires a plan to be implemented and documented to ensure its success. The Orion Shield Project is an example of a project without such a plan in place, and an inexperience manager as lead. Gary Allison was impulsively appointed to the position of Project Manager for the Orion Shield Project by Henry Larsen, the Director of Operations. This paper will analyze the the technical, ethical, contractual/legal, and program management related issues that Gary Allison encountered while managing the Orion Shield project. The paper will outline the history and specifics of the project but it will mainly focus on the actions and reactions of Mr. Allison, and what steps he could have taken to result in a different outcome for the project. Gary’s lack of management experience and lack of ethical judgement led to a failed project mission, which could have been easily avoided. Introduction The Orion Shield Project has the mission to improve the structural capabilities of NASA’s Shuttle Launch booster by 3 years. Research found that the Booster showed signs of fatigue failure after six years in the field, where as the desired and originally specified time was nine years. This project was by NASA to find/create new materials that can support a longer life in the field for the Shuttle Launch Booster. Since the DoD/NASA contracting criteria...
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...engineer in which he got his Ph. D in working for Scientiic Engineering Corporation (SEC). He worked as a project engineer for the last 14 years but was given the opportunity to become a project manager from his boss Henry Larsen. The project name was Orion Shield which Gary’s boss was very excited about, as he believed the project would “take him to the top”. Gary soon would find out that even though he was a very good engineer, he was a horrible project manager almost costing the success of the project and the company as a whole. Gary could have avoided this by improving his communication and by following the five project management groups. I believe that he would have been more successful as a project manager and might have enjoyed it much more than he did. Technical In the Orion Shield Project Gary faced a lot of technical issues that was one of the causes of him not being a good project manager. He has a technical background, as he was a very successful project engineer doing mechanical work for Scientific Engineering Corporation (SEC). With a lot of effort and his excellent communication skills Gary was offered a promotion, which he accepted but later regretted his decision. I believe that one of the many mistakes he made was that he was relying too much on his previous knowledge of being an engineer. For example, the case states “Gary decided to let the other project office personnel handle the administrative work and run weekly team meetings. He asked Paula to work...
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...Executive Summary “Projects account for about one fourth of the U.S. and the world’s gross domestic product” (Schwalbe 2012). With that said, there are many challenges and issues that hinder the ultimate success or completion of a project. So is evident in the case of the Orion Shield Project, whose execution faced issues of technical, ethical, legal, contractual and interpersonal natures. Taking on a role that assumes responsibilities in stark contrast to newly appointed project manager Gary Allison’s professional background and experience doomed the project from the start. Not only did Gary not have the experience, he failed to research and prepare himself, prior to the project’s inception, with the proper project management tools and techniques that are pertinent to the success of a project. The ethical issue of false promise, regarding the maximum temperature at which the shield could operate successfully, was apparent before planning had begun and the role of project manager was officially accepted by Gary Allison. This dishonest proclamation was unsettling to Mr. Allison but he failed to voice his concerns, therefore perpetuating his anxiety and lack of confidence of the projects success. Technical issues, straying from strictly scientific measures which were Mr. Allison’s sole forte, existed in the execution (or lack thereof) of project milestones. Contractual issues arise when Gary and is team failed to follow contract protocol and policy, regarding problems with communication...
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...The Orion Shield Case Analysis: Introduction: The Orion Shield Project of NASA was awarded to Scientific Engineering Company (SEC) on a contract basis. The project duration was termed as ten months and the project was signed for 2.2 million US dollars. The Scientific Engineering Company was directed by Mr. Henry Larson and was overlooking the project himself. Henry appointed Allison Gary, who was a Project Engineer in SEC and has wide experience in handling many other projects of SEC before. Henry believed in Gary’s knowledge and expertise to work for the Orion Shield Project. Gary was promoted as a Project Manager to handle the Orion Shield project. A close look in to the Orion Shield Project: For every project to be successful, a few major startups have to be done and they are as below a. Project Planning b. Resources / Manpower Management c. Time Management d. Cost Management e. Integration Management f. Communication Management The project was already on and when Gary took over as the Project Manager, he came to know the product worked only up to 130F, but the customers were promised that it will work in conditions between 65F – 145F. Gary highlighted the issue to Larsen and Larsen asked Gary to lie and hype to the customers regarding the performance of the product that it will work at high temperatures up to 155F which was a lie. This is the beginning of the problems and this was ethically wrong as per the Project Management rules. A project Manager must have...
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...The Orion Shield Project Case Study An Analysis of What Went Wrong University of Maryland University College Author Note This paper was prepared for AMBA 640, Section 113, taught by Professor Executive Summary Project management is the application of knowledge, skills and techniques to execute projects effectively and efficiently as defined from the Project Management Institute (PMI, 2008). It is a calculated proficiency for organizations enabling them to tie project results to business goals and improve chances to compete in their respective markets. Project management processes fall into five competency groups which are initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling and closing that ensures a project’s success. The Project Manager must possess certain skills to manage a process. A Project manager must also be able to manage time, quality and scope resourcefully. This paper will analyze the performance of Gary Allison, an engineer whose first project as a Project manager was to head up the Orion Shield Project. There were many issues that made this project a near failure. I will address the technical, ethical, legal, and contractual issues that affect his performance and critique his reactions to these matters. I will conclude my analysis with a reasonable deduction of what competencies Gary lacks that would make him a more effective project manager. Introduction The Orion Shield Project is the creation of tiles that are part of...
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...Executive Summary: The Orion Shield Project is a practical story of a newly appointed project manager whose poor leadership, unbalanced actions and unethical decision resulted in almost failing a project of manufacturing a Shuttle Launch Booster component for NASA. While the project was originally subcontracted by another company, it eventually produced a product that met most of the requirements, but the project was overwhelmed by many technical, ethical, legal, contractual and other project management challenges that caused cost overruns, strained internal relationships and customer distrust and dissatisfaction. These serious issues could be properly addressed with adequate management support, effective training, timely communication, and proper software tools which are vital for any project success. Thus the project could meet all its requirements as well as the internal and external stakeholder satisfaction. Introduction: The Orion Shield Project is a practical story of a newly appointed project manager whose poor leadership, unbalanced actions and unethical decision resulted in almost failing a project of manufacturing a Shuttle Launch Booster component for NASA. While the project was originally subcontracted by another company, it eventually produced a product that met most of the requirements, but the project was overwhelmed by many technical, ethical, legal, contractual and other project management challenges that could have resulted to fail it. However, it did result...
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...Assignment The Orion Shield Project Case Study Executive Summary: A good project management plan takes some preparation. In the case study of The Orion Shield Project that preparation never seemed to occur. From the beginning, the project was plagued with the subcontractor, Scientific Engineering Corporation (SEC), bidding for a project that they knew their current product would not be able to do. The case study shows the actions of an inexperienced professional, his poor planning methods, unethical decision skills and inability to manage a project to completion. While the project was looked at as a success, ultimately it was doomed from the start. There was specification issues that initially concerned Gary Allison, SEC’s project manager, but he was told by the Director of Engineering, Henry Larsen, that this wasn’t a big issue. By the project manager lying to the primary contractor, Space Technology Institute (STI), this created an unethical work environment from the start. There are various issues throughout the project such as contractual, legal, technical and ethical issues. A project manager should be concerned with time and cost, however, Gary was concerned mainly about his new career and promotion. With the stakeholders waiting for a complete project and funding on the line, the project team continuously upset STI until the primary contractor made a decision to work more closely with SEC to ensure accuracy. With good project management skills, a project manager uses...
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...Orion Shield Project Case Study Executive Summary Scientific Engineering Corporation (SEC) is competing for the contract of the Orion Shield Project, funded by Space Technology Industries (STI). Henry Larsen, the director of engineering at SEC has insisted on having Gary, an engineer with no previous managerial skills, be the program manager. Over the last 14 years Gary had established a reputation as a respected and talented project engineer; he has never managed a project before. Henry Larsen chose Gary to be the project manager, because he thought Gary could be easily manipulated and would not challenge Larsen’s unethical ways. This case study explores the ethical, technical, legal, contractual and other project management issues faced by Gary in the execution of the project. Gary spent more time working directly on the project rather than managing the project, ignoring his new job description. There were many oversights and failures by the two of them that lead to a delay in project timelines and created cost over-runs. Trust issues between the client and SEC began to arise when Gary failed to divulge the necessary information to his stakeholders. The project was mishandled by SEC and the client is very unhappy. Gary’s first attempt at project managing isn’t what he expected. 1.) Are there any valid reasons for Henry Larsen to suggest that SEC’s proposal should state that it expected to be able to meet the specified performance standard? Yes, there are valid...
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...The Orion Shield Case had many problems from the beginning. The case demonstrates that technical expertise isn’t enough to be an effective project manager. Gary was a great engineer and proficient at Research & Development (R&D), but the lack leadership skills needed to run this project effectively. There where some ethical issues that Gary didn’t handle well and he allowed Henry Larsen, the senior executive to make up his mind. Gary should have use the public disclosure test to help guide him with his ethical dilemmas. The public disclosure test states that to image what would happen if the action you chose were made public (Browne et.al, 2004). If he is concern how others viewed him and his company then he shouldn’t have deceived the client. Part of being a great leader is standing up for yourself when conflicts arise. I suspect that is why Henry chose Gary for this project because he would be easier to manipulate. Gary went along with several deceptive practices such as falsify the upper temperature limits of the components for the booster, this false info won them the R&D bid ; which could lead to criminal charges of fraud. Gary did not establish himself as a confident leader, and his lack of management experience showed at every stage of the project. Schwalbe (20006) list nine knowledge areas that project mangers must have—which are scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communication, risk, procurement, and integration management. Gary was lacking in several of...
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...Orion Shield Project Analysis Emoke de Kun AMBA 640 Professor Larry Williams July 16, 2013 Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 Contractual Issues 4-5 Technical Issues 5-6 Ethical and Legal Issues 6-7 Project Management Issues 8 Conclusion 9 References 10 Executive Summary The purpose of this paper is to analyze the implications that Gary Larsen was faced with as project manager in the Orion Shield Project Case Study. Gary Larsen, who was chosen as project manager was faced with many hurdles and his inexperience as the project manager definitely had negative implications on the triple constraints of the project: scope, time and cost. In this paper, I will address the problems Gary Allison faced: contractual, legal, ethical, technical and project management. Henry Larsen chose Gary Allison to be project manager, knowing full well he did not have the knowledge, nor the know-how to be a project manager, especially of such a big project. I will address Henry Larsen’s unethical behavior and poor leadership skills as well. Henry Larsen tried to put all the blame on his project manager, but he as a sponsor was practically absent and let the project get totally out of control. My recommendation would be to have a project manager with experience and proper leadership skills who...
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...44: February 2006 Sports, Youth and Character: A Critical Survey TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION....................................... 3 a. methodological limitations..................... 4 b. conceptual and theoretical infelicities...... 5 II. THE LESSONS OF SPORT......................... 5 III. BASICS................................................ 6 a. too much too early?.............................. 8 b. competition’s role understood ............... 11 c. competition, participation, and fun......... 12 d. not enough?........................................ 14 IV. WHAT CAN WE CONCLUDE?.................... 15 V. THE MICROWORLD OF PARTICIPATION...... 17 VI. APPENDIX A......................................... 19 a. Shields and Bredemeier...................... 19 a.1. moral maturity: what are psychologists looking for?............ 22 a.2. game thinking............................. 24 a.3. moral confusion........................... 25 b. Stoll, Lumpkin, Beller, and Hahm.............. 27 It has been recognized for centuries that sport can contribute to education values that make for the development of character and right social relations . . . . [Within this contribution] there are many intertwined and interwoven threads of influences, subtle and not always easy to analyze. But sportsmen who year by year have contact with the playing of amateur games do not need to be convinced by argument of the validity of . . . [sport’s contribution]. Kennedy...
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