Missing Person-Peter Leung
Missing Person-Peter Leung - Case Study #2
Excel Consulting, a globally recognized provider of management and technology services and solutions, has offices in over twenty countries including Toronto, Canada. Excel Consulting earned its’ good reputation by delivering innovative solutions to clients and by providing “exceptional” client service. Their organizational structure was designed to promote teamwork and a collaborative work environment. To foster employee satisfaction, Excel Consulting conducted routine satisfaction surveys and instituted corporate policies to ensure a proper work-life balance (i.e. flexible working hours, assigning professionals to offices in their home city to reduce travel time). Although partners and managers had the flexibility to institute policies at their own discretion, most projects required such a tight schedule and budget that it was difficult to provide both exceptional client service and employee satisfaction. Most client teams consisted of professionals with a similar industry focus, but with different service function specialties.
Excel’s latest client, Nayacom, was a subsidiary of their largest, most prominent, long-term client in Canada (Vextel telecommunications). In October 2000, Nayacom and Excel had partnered to work on a developing a new process and technology solution to increase operational efficiencies in Nayacom’s order management process. This long-term project (4 to 6 years) was organized into several smaller-phased business requirement-driven projects. Phase I was scheduled for completion on May 1, 2001. This case focuses on the activities of the development team and the testing team members of the project. Mark Armstrong, project manager, was responsible for managing all development efforts of the project; a team of five professionals; meeting project deadlines and deliverables; communicating with all team managers; and ensuring the dissemination of project information across all teams. He spent the
Excel Consulting, a globally recognized provider of management and technology services and solutions, has offices in over twenty countries including Toronto, Canada. Excel Consulting earned its’ good reputation by delivering innovative solutions to clients and by providing “exceptional” client service. Their organizational structure was designed to promote teamwork and a collaborative work environment. To foster employee satisfaction, Excel Consulting conducted routine satisfaction surveys and instituted corporate policies to ensure a proper work-life balance (i.e. flexible working hours, assigning professionals to offices in their home city to reduce travel time). Although partners and managers had the flexibility to institute policies at their own discretion, most projects required such a tight schedule and budget that it was difficult to provide both exceptional client service and employee satisfaction. Most client teams consisted of professionals with a similar industry focus, but with different service function specialties.
Excel’s latest client, Nayacom, was a subsidiary of their largest, most prominent, long-term client in Canada (Vextel telecommunications). In October 2000, Nayacom and Excel had partnered to work on a developing a new process and technology solution to increase operational efficiencies in Nayacom’s order management process. This long-term project (4 to 6 years) was organized into several smaller-phased business requirement-driven projects. Phase I was scheduled for completion on May 1, 2001. This case focuses on the activities of the development team and the testing team members of the project. Mark Armstrong, project manager, was responsible for managing all development efforts of the project; a team of five professionals; meeting project deadlines and deliverables; communicating with all team managers; and ensuring the dissemination of project information across all teams. He spent the