Case Analysis: Overcommunication is Fine

Brenda Galaway, a supervisor in the Audit Department, was agitated by the report submitted to her by Bill Stanley. While Bill completed the report on time, it was not satisfactory to Brenda. This is a rush priority project from the company’s Executive Management Committee to implement an automated auditing system. The project was handed by Brenda’s manager, John Rockland, unfortunately, upon review, the report received was unsatisfactory.

The Executive Management Committee is getting ready to launch an automation project. It must have a plan for implementation. Brenda was given the project by John, and she delegated it to Bill.

Bill Stanley is a newly hired auditor with minimal computer experience. Because of the department’s dynamic nature, he does not go through the proper onboarding process. In three weeks, he was tasked with developing an implementation plan for the automation of the company’s auditing process. Bill was happy to have been chosen to complete the project and eager to get started. He works hard to complete tasks on time. He is always looking for Brenda’s opinions and feedback.

He was not Brenda’s first choice, the company was not able to afford someone who has a background in both accounting and computers.

Brenda is in the middle management position. She supervised a well-performing team that usually receives urgent tasks. She works directly with John Rockland. Her department may have less experience with automation projects, which explains why she could only provide vague answers to Bill and had almost no time to discuss the project. She is mostly in meetings and does little to assist Bill’s onboarding process.

Brenda became irritated by Bill’s multiple questions, so he stopped asking them. Bill relied on his own knowledge and work on his own. Brenda would occasionally stop at his door and ask how things were going, and Bill would always say “Fine.”

Brenda’s team may be skilled at troubleshooting and quick to provide a solution. That is why their unit was dubbed “Mod Squad.” Brenda, despite having earned such a persona, was in a difficult situation and barely assist Bill during the implementation plan of the automation project.

How can the company delegate a project effectively?

Areas For Consideration:

1. Leadership. Giving urgent tasks or poor time management is one of the signs of poor management.
2. Project Planning Process. An important project should have thorough planning, especially projects that have a large-scale impact on the company. A realistic timeline must be set and the right person or group must be picked. An automation implementation plan is a collective effort and must be supervised by a person with experience.
3. Company Selection and Training Process. The company could invest in picking the right person or training to become a qualified person to carry out the special tasks.
4. Company Budget Constraints. This is one of the reasons why Brenda ended up with Bill instead of that applicant who has computer and auditing skills and experience.

Courses of Action

1. Assign a qualified person to complete the implementation plan. It is clear that IT project implementation is new to the company, to avoid wasting time and other resources, an IT expert could be hired to oversee the project.
2. Train someone to become qualified to oversee the implementation plan. Billy could be exposed to another department to benchmark or observe how their automation processes are carried out.
3. Review Project Planning Processes. A thorough review of the timeline and recommendations from experts are important to consider, especially for a project that has a wide and permanent impact on the department.
4. Communicate Company Goals and Initiative. The department has suffered from a lack of planning, which has resulted in unscheduled meetings, misaligned resources, and time loss.

Recommendation

Fixing the immediate problem: Extend the timeline of the plan and train Bill to become a qualified person to oversee the implementation plan.

None of them has the sufficient computer expertise to complete the implementation plan. By extending the project, Bill will have more time to train and prepare for the plan’s completion. If hiring an expert is not an option due to budget constraints, Bill could benefit from benchmarking or exposure to other departments’ automation processes, or by pairing him with an IT expert to gain the necessary insights.

Fixing the company system of delegating an innovation project: Select a Project Methodology and the right person

There is weak project planning in the company — an unqualified person chosen, no dedicated and periodic time to discuss the project, and no established structure for support. Innovative projects should be thoroughly planned because they have a broad and long-term impact on the company. The agile methodology is one of the most famous project management method that divides a project into phases. Once the work begins, teams go through a cycle of planning, execution, and evaluation.

The case illustrates how the communication gap ruined the company's investments in time, effort, and expectation.

It is acceptable to say “I don’t know” or “I need help.” This is one of the characteristics of intelligent people. “The more you know, the more you realize you don’t know,” said Aristotle, and “the only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing,” said Socrates. You know you don’t know everything, and you also know that some of what you think you do know is incorrect, but you don’t know which part.

Bill and Brenda are victims of businesses that place output above process optimization. A good process breeds good results. A work environment that promotes better conversations and process feedback fosters a Learning Culture in which everyone is aware of their personal development areas, resulting in continuous gains.

A copy of the case can be accessed here 50 Case Studies for Management and Supervisory Training — CASE 13 It Was Really So Simple.