Memo 1: “Is the Rookie Ready? ” This dilemma Tim has put himself in was a mistake for many reasons. When Hybara called back to become a client of Driscoll, Tim should had let them know of a more reasonable time frame. If they resisted, just let Hybara know that it takes time to set up a proper system that will not fail. Also Tim should have taken some time to check with the companies executives to see if this is a project worth taking on and if it is achievable in the time frame available.
Of course they would approve it because Hybara was and probably will be their largest client again. With that in mind I think it is clear that the project should be led by Alessandra. The cost may be high for her consulting services but defiantly worth it in the end. Alessandra does speak Spanish, is available in the time period, and has previous experience with the client and their systems. The only down side to this decision would be the high cost and Tim’s reputation for being seen crawling back to an ex-employee as soon as the company hits a problem.
For Alessandria’s cost, it is defiantly worth it in the long run with a new huge client for Driscoll. Kristen on other hand would not be a great fit for this project as a manager; she’s still new to the game. This can be seen when she addressed her team and could not be firm and clear – in that she could not keep eye contact when stating the bad news. As said at the end of the memo, “do you think your team members still consider you as, you know, one of them? Or are they starting to see you as someone they need to listen to? ” (Green, 2009, pg. 4).
I understand this problem: when you make friends at a certain level in a business and you move on to manage them its difficult to change from working together to working above someone; it takes time to change and I don’t think there has been enough time to make that transition in Kristen’s case. Another scenario possible is to use Kristen as the lead project manager for the Hybara project. I believe the only way this could work is if Tim was involved to help when necessary. This would allow Tim to know exactly how much potential Kristen has by how well she completes this task.
Also this could show upper management that even though we have lost a great manager, we have other well qualified employees that can step up and do just as well. Another thing to think about is that if needed Alessandra could be called in to help when the work load gets to be too much or there is a problem that is over their heads. This is not the solution I would choose unless Tim knew that Kristen had it in her and Tim is willing to become a part of this project in order to make sure everything goes smoothly. Moving on, I think the better choice is to have Alessandra as the project manager.
As stated earlier, she is more than qualified for this position (at least on this task/client). With her should be Kristen and the other programmers willing to work over the planned vacation time. The time Kristen spends with Alessandra could teach her how to be successful on the future projects. Also they can learn from Alessandra the ins and outs of Hybara and their systems. A definite plus when time is crucial to have a successful project completion on schedule. ? References Green, S. (2009). Is the Rookie Ready? : HBR Case Study. Harvard Business Review.
