TECHNOLOGY-INTENSIVE WORK

How Do Managers Control Technology-Intensive Work?

Abstract

Technology pervades every aspect of the up to date business enterprise and demands new strategies for work management. Advances in internet and computing technologies, the emergence of the “knowledge worker”, globalization, resource scarcity, and intense affray have directed corporations to accomplish their strategic goals and objectives through the implementation of projects. Project success is assured by the productive use of financial and human resources, the task management (PM) framework backed by senior management, and controls spanning the PM spectrum of initiation; planning; implementation; supervising, measurement, and control; and closing. As an essential function of management, 'control' may be accomplished through the PM Plan, the project-matrix organization, competent and motivated persons, and appropriate management tools and techniques. The PM Plan conforming to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) framework incorporates controls for the key PM elements and, applied correctly, can assure task success.

Rapid technological change, increasing technological complexity and shortening merchandise life cycles increasingly force companies to source technologies externally. One means of construction up competencies and fostering innovation based on external resources such as information is through the acquisition of technology-based companies. However as literature and practice have shown, technologically motivated and intensive acquisitions are highly vulnerable to failure. One of the main reasons for this value destruction lies in the miscarried and inappropriate integration of the technology-based company after the acquisition.

Based on eight in-depth case studies on expertise intensive acquisitions in multi-national technology-based companies this paper aims to recognize the main causes of failure in internalizing external information throughout the integration of expertise intensive acquisitions. It was drawn from that a lack of integrative decision-making, of systemic processes and of a holistic change of both companies throughout the integration hinders successful information sourcing through acquisitions. Based on these findings, a notion for integration planning which is tailored towards the specific characteristics of expertise intensive acquisitions is proposed.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION5

Managerial Control in Project Organizations6

Project Management Framework7

Figure 19

Table 19

People11

Organizational Design14

Figure 315

Project Control Tools and Techniques18

Earned Value Analysis (EVA)20

Quality Function Deployment (QFD)21

Pre-job Planning/Project Risk Assessment (PRA)21

Action Item Report24

CONCLUSION25

REFERENCES26

Introduction

Control is an essential function of management and it facilitates the accomplishment of the organization's goals and objectives. Managers in technology-intensive organizations use controls to accomplish strategic goals and objectives amid rapidly changing expertise, globalization, and scarcity of resources, end-date propelled schedules, increasing regulations, disruption, and risk. Managers also shoulder responsibility for orchestrating and optimizing the use of expertise, human and financial resources, systems, and the natural environment in which the work will be performed. Research shows that both large corporations and Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) that use expertise to leverage work outcomes have the greater prospect of success when the work is managed as projects.(Zander,2005) However, projects can fail if not correctly planned, controlled and managed.(Roberts,2001) The reasons for failure encompass but are not restricted to: multi-nodality, where PM focuses on centre areas to the detriment of outlying areas in spatially distributed organizations; organizational slack, where the lack of resources in the particular area affects ...