Chapter 4 - Opening Case

Nick Carson recently became project manager of a critical biotech enterprise at his

Silicon Valley company. This project involved creating the hardware and software for a

DNA-sequencing instrument used in assembling and analyzing the human genome. The

biotech project was the companys largest endeavor, and it had tremendous potential for

future growth and revenues. Unfortunately, there were problems managing this large

project. It had been under way for three years and had already gone through three different

project managers. Nick had been the lead software developer on the project before

top management made him the project manager. The CEO told him to do whatever it

took to deliver the first version of the DNA-sequencing software in four months and a

production version in nine months. Negotiations for a potential corporate buyout with a

larger company influenced top managements sense of urgency to complete the project.

Highly energetic and intelligent, Nick had the technical background to make the

project a success. He delved into the technical problems and found some critical flaws

that kept the DNA-sequencing instrument from working. Nevertheless, he was having difficulty

in his new role as project manager. Although Nick and his team got the product

out on time, top management was upset because Nick did not focus on managing all

aspects of the project. He never provided them with accurate schedules or detailed plans

of what was happening on the project. Instead of performing the work of project manager,

Nick had taken on the role of software integrator and troubleshooter. Nick, however,

did not understand top managements complaintshe delivered the product, didnt

he? Didnt they realize how valuable he was?

Review the opening case and reply to the thread by answering the following questions:

What was the real problem in this case?

Was Nick a good project manager? Why or why not?

What could he have done to improve the situation, and what should senior management have done?