Implementing the Changes in Product Placement Throughout the Store

Amber wrote:

What are some reasons project scheduling is not done well?

Some of the reasons project scheduling is not done well is that there are times when managers ignore a project schedule which could be because of their schedule, not correctly prioritizing, failure to delegate, etc. Another reason is there are unrealistic expectations set. It is important when setting a schedule that the timeline and the expectation of completion is realistic. The last reason is for the project manager to understand their tools and the limits they are able to go to and what they are able to achieve based on those tools. An example of this would be over-promising to accomplish a certain task that is not attainable based on the tools they have.

Christal Wrote:

Consider the most complex project you have been involved in. Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• Briefly describe the project. Give examples of the following as they pertain to the project:
• the work breakdown structure
• tasks
• subtasks
• work package
• Were you on the critical path?
• Explain the role the project manager played in managing the project’s success or failure. Include an example.

I previously worked for Target Corporation as a Planogram (POG) Team Member. In short, this team was responsible for implementing the changes in product placement throughout the store. The company would provide store management with a detailed guideline as to how each aisle should look; every detail was included such as how many inches from the ground each shelf should be, how far apart each hanging item should be, and the exact product placement. During a major transition of the store, the store would be allotted a set number of hours as to how long the project should take. Depending on the department, the hours would range from 40 to 400 to completed in one calendar week and would be divided among 4-10 employees.

The project manager would begin by assigning team members to specific POGS to take down and which ones he or she would be responsible for setting. The breakdown of work would be 4-5 people “setting” the POGs. Once the POG was set, another set of team members (Flow Team) would unload the new products from a staging area after being received from the various distribution centers. The remaining team members from the original 4-10 would unload the products and stock the new products in their new location in the area. In my role as a POG team member, I was on the critical path because the next step of stocking new products could not be completed until the POG was set. The project manager would oversee the various team members each day to see if there was additional help needed to ensure that the project could be completed on time. If the project seemed to be behind on completion times, the manager would reach out to another manager to get additional help from more team members. Some of the bigger projects would often result in getting a team to take down an aisle, the manager setting the aisle, and the flow team stocking it. This was useful skill by the project manager because he was able to manage changes that may not have been accounted for during the preparation by the company for the upcoming changes.