7-2 Final Project Milestone Four Project Team

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Southern New Hampshire University *

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Electrical Engineering

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Feb 20, 2024

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1 Milestone Four Southern New Hampshire University EMA-600-X3299 Intro to Engineer-Engineer Mgr 21TW3 Professor Jim Girouard April 16, 2021

2 Milestone Four This report will discuss and identify the communication causes of the project failure for Valid, Inc. I will address corrective actions for the project that will create success. Currently, the existing teams exist as two groups: the electrical and chemical engineering groups and the group's mechanical engineering and materials scientists. Dr. Carolyn Energy, Ph.D., heads up the electrical and chemical engineering group, and Dr. Harold Janu, Ph.D., P.E., heads up the mechanical engineering and materials scientists' group. Margaret Overtop is the Marketing and Communications Division Manager overseeing advertising, web presence, and e-commerce sales. David Richie is the Chief Financial Officer overseeing I.T., facilities, and financial services. Engineer Mindset The engineers at Valid, Inc. are interested and focused on solving problems and creating a great product. Carolyn Energy and Harold Janu both have excellent backgrounds and have Ph.D. in their respective areas. The engineers that work under them are well trained. They are developing a Lithium-Ion battery that produces more power, which will be the star product for Valid, Inc. The engineers know this product is critical for its success, and they know time is of the essence. Motivations, Dispositions, and Assumptions Everyone working at Valid, Inc. wants the company to be successful, and they know that the Lithium-Ion battery product is their way to that success. However, the motivations,

3 dispositions, and assumptions of the various divisions and departments are different. Margaret Overtop, head of marketing, wants to announce the new product to the marketplace and potential buyers and users. She knows that this new product will be the path to success for Valid, Inc. She doesn't understand the technical issues behind the product and only looks to the product release. David Richie is the CFO, and he is responsible for overseeing I.T., facilities, and financial services. David understands the financial needs of the company. He doesn't understand the technical aspects of the new product. He knows that the new product will increase sales, make Valid, Inc. a market leader again, and provide its financial stability. Carolyn Energy and Harold Janu manage the technical development of the new product. They have little contact with Margaret Overtop or David Richie. Peter communicated with David, and he understood the company's financial needs because David told him about it. Peter was conflicted, being caught between the technical and upper management sides of the company. When David responded with a firm 'no' and refused to consider adding resources and providing more time, Peter was in decisive. His indecisiveness and willingness to go along with David's stance was the principal cause of this dilemma. Peter may not have appreciated what his group was telling him. I believe he was aware of the technical issues, and he understood them. Peter abdicated to David's firm stand on the issue. This indecision led to Margaret and David overruling him and allowing the premature announcement to stand while providing no additional test capability. In defense of David Richie and Margaret Overtop, there was an original budget and schedule set for the project. The completion date and release were timed to be before the holiday season. Carolyn Energy and Peter Robin mention the budget in the emails below. This budget and schedule lead David and Margaret to assume the product will be ready by the holiday season. The schedule and budget were a factor in their unwillingness to allow for delays in

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4 completing the product. All of the issues described above also stem from a lack of regular communication between departments and divisions within the company. From: Carolyn.D.Energy < CDE@VALID.com > Director of the Lithium-Ion Electronics Team Date: Wednesday, October 7, 2015 at 1:55 PM To: Peter.Q.Robin < PQR@VALID.com > Manager of the Lithium-Ion Development Division Subject: RE: Battery Volt Limits Hi Pete, Harold did some tests. He wants to do several more and also wants some physical prototypes before giving the green light. However, his earlier simulations do show that the new Li-Ion composition did give the voltage and temperature that we predicted based on our electronic measurements. If we are to generate some preliminary physical prototypes for the mechanical group, then I need a separate charge number for it. My budget doesn't allow for such a request. It will also take us a week if we're going to run tests at 110% maximum load conditions, and I need another technician at minimum to replace some of my missing staff if you want the results by then. Carolyn From: Peter.Q.Robin < PQR@VALID.com > Manager of the Lithium-Ion Development Division Date: Friday, October 9, 2015 at 11:12 AM To: Carolyn.D.Energy < CDE@VALID.com > Director of the Lithium-Ion Electronics Team Subject: Re:: Battery Volt Limits Thanks Carolyn, At the basic level, Harold did corroborate your findings. We don't have the budget to make multiple physical models. I'll talk with Harold to see what other options exist for him. Keep your team focused on this new line. Appreciate it, Pete

5 Work Performance The work performance of the engineering and technical teams suffered because of the communication issues and differing mindsets within the company. Carolyn Energy was short- staffed from the beginning of the project, with one of her engineers out for long-term jury duty. The departments within the company did not communicate effectively. Communication was by email, which is fine for some discussions, but regular in-person meets are necessary to have everyone voice their opinions. The development of the new product had a defined schedule and budget, as evidenced by several emails. Still, when problems became known, the engineering group did not immediately make this known to David Richie and Margaret Overtop. An in- person meeting between all stakeholders would be crucial in discussing all the issues. The engineers were not looking at their accomplished work in light of the time left in the schedule. Peter Robin finally told David Richie about the need for more time and more people, but it was late in the development cycle. No one wants to hear last-minute announcements like this, and the options are very limited if the product is to reach the customers before the holiday season. “Failure to hold one another accountable creates an environment where the fifth dysfunction can thrive. Inattention to results occurs when team members put their individual needs (such as ego, career development, or recognition) or even the needs of their divisions above the collective goals of the team.” (Lencioni, P., p. 189). David Richie certainly was inattentive in this manner. The engineers and the engineering department did not take a holistic view of the project when they were inattentive to the product release schedule.