Week 8 Individual Assignment

Orion Shield Project

Ronnell Leggett

Table of content

Executive Summary.3
Introduction .5
Technical issues...5
Ethical and legal Issues6
Contractual issues....7
Project Management issues..8
Conclusion...8
Reference Page.....9

Executive Summary
A choice was made to enter the bidding to start the Orion Shield Project was by
the Scientific Engineering Corporation (SEC). Mr. Larsen, who is the hiring Director of
Engineering, made a bad choice to employ an engineer as the Project Manager that was
not qualified and inexperienced. The Project Manager role was assigned to the engineer
Gary Allison as a result of Henry Larsen bad decision. Gary Allison had over a 10 years
of Project Engineering experience but had no prior experience as a project manager at the
time he was hired. During the duration of the bidding process, it became apparent that
Henry Larsen had an hidden agenda for choosing Gray Allison as the project manager.
Mr. Larsen wanted someone he could persuade because Allison didnt have the

knowledge and also be easily managed which is a very unethical business decisions that
he seem accustomed to making.
This evaluation pinpoints and discusses the legal, ethical, technical, and
contractual and project management problems that Gary Allison faces on the Orion
Shield Project as the Project Manger. Allison sent most of his time doing research rather
than properly managing his resources and it became evident that he was inexperienced.
With the hiring by Mr. Larsen it resulted to delays with project milestones and cost
overruns by the inability to effectively manage the project by Mr. Allison. Mr. larsen
decisions caused damaged to Customer relations.
A qualified and skilled Project Manager should have been hired to ensure the
triple constraints (cost, scope and schedule) were effectively managed for a project of this
importance.
Furthermore, if Mr. Larsen would have choose someone experienced, they could
have understood the benefits of a fixed-price contracts vs. cost-reimbursable contracts.

Introduction
Scientific Engineering Corporations choose to change the companys strategy so
that is could follow the requirements for NASA. Mr. Larsen had a vested furthermore
personal interest in the Project. He was in charge of hiring the project manger for the
project and wanted to be I full control the Project manger. Because of this he choose Gray
Allison with no experience and bypass everyone that was fully qualified just so could be
in control. As a consequence, numerous ethical, technical, legal, contractual and project
management problems occurred that damagingly effected the execution of the Project.

A project manager job is overseeing a project to guarantee it meets its target goals,
budget and time line. Project Managers should be skilled in Initiating, Executing,
Monitoring, and Controlling, Planning and Closing of assigned project. When Mr. Larsen
choose Mr. Allison he was aware that he didnt have any these traits, so he was indirectly
setting both of them up to fail.
Technical
There were numerous technical complications plaguing Mr. Allison from the
beginning concerning the improvement of the product. Scientific Engineering
Corporation proposal was made up when submitted to Space Technology Industries
(STI). During the early phases of testing there were signs that the design wouldnt be
able to operate above 130F. This was a big issue because the RFPs technical mandates
that all components must be able to operate normally and successfully through a
temperature range of -65 degrees F to 145 degrees F (The Orion Shield). Mr. Allison had
a good understand of technical aspect but fail to tackle the issue due to his lack of project
management skills. Instead a new material recommendation was made to NASA and was
not well received which caused damaged to there customer relations. The reason believed
the message wasnt well received was because he lacked knowledge and seemed
unprepared at his first meeting which Mr. Larsen should have known based on his
experience.
Ethical and Legal
Schwalbe stated, ethics is a set of principles that guide decision- making based
on personal values of what is right versus what is wrong (Schwalbe, 2010). An Ethics
and professional code was implemented by the company so it should have been followed
by all program managers. Because Mr. Allison did not follow the Code of Ethics and
4

Professional Conduct he made many and key mistakes. Mr. Allison was wrong for lying
when he allowed Mr. Larsen to influence his good judgment about the temperature that
the design can operate. Mr. Allison should have informed the customer about what the
design could actual do rather than lie to the company on the final proposal. His choice
jeopardized Mr. Allisons reputation with the customer. Also he should have never
accepted the position knowing he never had exercised as a project manger and lack the
desired skills (No formal training, certifications,) to lead any project. Thus he chose to
risk his current position and his good status with the company for an opportunity he was
ill equipped for.
The Project was too critical and important for Mr. Larsen to have chosen an
unskilled Project Manager. Mr. Larsen had a hidden agenda for choosing Gray Allison as
the project manager, which led to many unhelpful implications to the complete project.
Mr. Larsen thought that choosing Mr. Gray would allow him to make unethical decisions
that would go unchallenged. When Mr. Allison saw that the design couldnt operate
above 130F it was unethical of Mr. Larsen to demand Mr. Allison manipulate the
specifications and it was also illegal. Sec could be sued by SPI for breaching their
contract. There should be some in SEC department that employees and report any issues
that they feel are illegal and any unethical practices without being exposed.
All of the stocker holders lost respect for Mr. Allison as well as the company.
Even though he was instructed by upper management to lie he still took the fall for the
decision he chose to make. Im sure Mr. Allison will think twice next time before making
such decisions that could jeopardized his job.
Contractual

SEC was awarded a fixed firm price contract of $2.2 million dollars for the tenth
month period. SEC would bear all the associated risks and costs under this contract and
should have never been accepted by SEC because they were already aware that they
didnt have a design that met STI requirements. SEC didnt foresee the Project having
any short of risk during the pre award stage and wasnt aware of the additional cost to
have a design that works properly.
A fixed firm price contract should only be used when the risk is minimal and in
this insist a cost-reimbursable contract should have been used so when they do more
testing and order new material they could be reimbursed. Due to an doubt in the project
amount budget, both parties should have anticipated to take some of the risk, making the
risk amount minimum for both parties.
Project Management
At Orion Shield Project the project managers decides what duties need to be done
and when they will be done, but the functional managers control which people and
technologies are used which is consider a balanced matrix. While the balanced matrix
organization recognizes the need for a project manager, it does not provide the project
manager with full authority over the project and project funding (PMBOK, 2008, p. 30).
One of the main reasons Mr. Allison unsuccessful was because he failed in three
key areas. He didnt deliver within budget, didnt have on-time deliveries, and failed to
deliver specifications and quality. He had no skills to be a project manager and was not
given the tools to succeed so he failed altogether. He failed to understand the significance
of his responsibility as a project manager.

Another issue was that he should have developed a strong staff for staffing
management plans. A strong staff would have helped him if he didnt have the knowledge
in a particular area. Therefore, someone on his staff could have consulted with him before
the things he did or did not do. Mr. Allison didnt have the support of senior leadership.
They should have recognized that he was struggling and hired someone new or gave him
support. Mr. Elliot was extremely furious when Mr. Allison approved 75% of the goal
profit.
Conclusion
SEC should have selected someone with more experience the Mr. Allison that
could have help them achieve their goals. Mr. Allison should have not let his judgment be
compromised by someone and he has to take the fall for it. SEC should have never sign
for the FFP contract and should have gone in another direction. Ethical conduct during
business practices should not be an option, but a requirement.
Reference Page
A guide to the project management body of knowledge, 5th ed (2013). Newtown Square,
PA: Project Management Institute. (eReserves) Scan excerpts posted
Martin, P. K., & Tate, K. (2001, May). Not everything is a project. PM Network, 15(5).
(eReserves)
Schwalbe, K. (2010). An introduction to project management (2nd ed.). Boston: Course
Technology. Chapter 1 (eReserves)
Singer, C. A. (2001, April). Leveraging a worldwide project team. PM Network, 15(4).
(eReserves)

Choudhury, S. R. (2008); Project Management: Concepts of Project Management. New

Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited.
Field, M & Keller, S. L. (2007); Project Management,London: Thompson Learning.
Kloppenborg, T (2012); Contemporary Project Management, South Western: Cengage
Learning.