Vasa Case
1/22/13
Vasa Recommendations: 1. Create a project management plan with a designated project leader
Construction of the Vasa suffered from a lack of organization and leadership. We recommend that the building of the Vasa should have been led by a project leader who developed and implemented a project plan. This leader would have managed the project timeline and scheduling. This manager would have also delegated tasks between ship builders, contractors, suppliers, and the crew, ensuring that all parties were on the same page. The leader would also be responsible for managing communication between the different invested parties. This includes providing the King with feedback regarding the ship’s progress, in an effort to deter last minute ship dimension modifications. The case indicates these last minute dimension changes negatively impacted the ship building process. Lastly, a project leader would be responsible for incremental knowledge building surrounding best ship-building practices. The project leader would need to collect this knowledge of best practices in a way that could be easily passed onto future leaders. 2. Conduct an independent safety/sea-worthy audit for quality assurance
The personal interests of Admiral Fleming likely influenced his decision to not report the Vasa’s failed stability test. Therefore, we recommend periodically bringing in independent auditors to review the ship building process. This auditor would review a ship’s schematics before construction, be present for or conduct safety testing, and do a final inspection before launch. Ideally, this independent auditor would conduct safety testing based upon industry defined safety regulations and be able to quantify the test results. An independent safety inspector would help combat group think and the pressures of personal interests that may sometimes compromise a team’s final
Vasa Recommendations: 1. Create a project management plan with a designated project leader
Construction of the Vasa suffered from a lack of organization and leadership. We recommend that the building of the Vasa should have been led by a project leader who developed and implemented a project plan. This leader would have managed the project timeline and scheduling. This manager would have also delegated tasks between ship builders, contractors, suppliers, and the crew, ensuring that all parties were on the same page. The leader would also be responsible for managing communication between the different invested parties. This includes providing the King with feedback regarding the ship’s progress, in an effort to deter last minute ship dimension modifications. The case indicates these last minute dimension changes negatively impacted the ship building process. Lastly, a project leader would be responsible for incremental knowledge building surrounding best ship-building practices. The project leader would need to collect this knowledge of best practices in a way that could be easily passed onto future leaders. 2. Conduct an independent safety/sea-worthy audit for quality assurance
The personal interests of Admiral Fleming likely influenced his decision to not report the Vasa’s failed stability test. Therefore, we recommend periodically bringing in independent auditors to review the ship building process. This auditor would review a ship’s schematics before construction, be present for or conduct safety testing, and do a final inspection before launch. Ideally, this independent auditor would conduct safety testing based upon industry defined safety regulations and be able to quantify the test results. An independent safety inspector would help combat group think and the pressures of personal interests that may sometimes compromise a team’s final