Acme Medical Imaging Comapny

Acme Medical Imaging Comapny

Recommendation #3

Root Cause #2

• Acme’s objectives for the WiMAX design were not explicitly given to the engineers and technicians; there was no “overarching project plan” (4).
• The lack of cohesive, company-wide goals made it difficult to produce a cohesive product in a short amount of time, leading the company to fall behind on its deadlines.

Acme should host monthly meetings with representatives from all areas of company activities (short term)

consider consolidating in one location for all their teams (long term)

clarify product specifications

Collectively discuss all activities of company

Diffuse all misunderstandings

Grounds:

The CEO preferred the role of Chief Engineer.

He has often been inconsistent in clarifying goals and often changes the project in the middle.

Because all major decisions had to pass through the CEO, decision-making was stifled in the self-directed work team environment.

Root Cause # 1

• If hiring a more consistent, goal oriented, and passionate CEO would not allow Acme to produce the WiMAX devices more efficiently than it should not be done
• because bringing in a new leader can cause major upheaval in a company
• especially if the switch is from a free reign leader to a democratic or autocratic leader.

Recommendations #1

There is a lack of horizontal and diagonal communication.

A central location would help with the misscommunication on a global scale.

Acme has a variety of locations, including Arizona, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Italy.

• The CEO of Acme should step into the role of chief engineer and a new person who is willing to do the work of a CEO should be hired to fill the position.

• Assumption:

This is based off the assumption that under a more consistent, goal oriented, and passionate CEO Acme would be better able to produce the WiMAX devices more efficiently.

Root Cause #3

Executive Summary

• Major company decisions had to be approved by the CEO and others had limited decision-making power (4).
• Employees had to repeatedly wait for the CEO’s approval to continue.
• The CEO constantly changed goals on the production so the production team would have to adjust (5).
• With constant changes to plans the production will slow as they unable to complete a design.

If multiple and widespread locations do not slow or complicate production, Acme should continue current operations to avoid wasting time and effort through consolidation.

Recommendation #2

• CEO should hold a meeting covering all the company’s goals in regards to WiMAX
• short term targets
• long term goals

• Management should immediately make notice of changes to these objectives

Acme Medical Imaging is attempting to manufacture a new line of WiMAX enabled medical imaging devices. Acme is not able to be competitive in their market and might lose customers due to its inefficient manufacturing process. Because Acme’s former major revenue generators are becoming obsolete its WiMAX product must be developed with maximum cost and time efficiency to prevent major revenue losses. This problem is caused primarily by internal issues such as an ineffective leader, a lack of clarified goals, and a poor organizational structure.

• There are two different production teams, one in Italy and one in Arizona, their software team is in Minnesota, and their operations team is in Connecticut (3).
• With the current set up they cannot work efficiently or effectively.
• They only report to each other via the phone, email, or video chat.
• Some crucial details can get lost with this communication style.

• Assumption:

a failure to explicitly convey goals will result in work performed by employees that does not compliment the said goals

Ground:

• Acme did not provide, “clear product specifications with revenue, volume and cost targets” (4) to its employees
• the first designed product did not satisfy the CEO’s desirable low-cost production goal

• Functional departmentalization
• requires more coordination for management
• management must organize and direct activities

Global company

• physical distance requires more coordination to promote unified work effort

If no deviation from company goals without explicitly reviewing goals, meeting should be canceled.

time lost reduces employee productivity

waste of company resources and time.