Please see the attached rubric, previous completed milestone, and grading rubric. My company is Coca-Cola and my product is Ready to drink tea and coffee.
Using your learning from MBA 635 and MBA 690, propose a clear and comprehensive plan for implementing and managing the concept from inception to completion. Although the details of your plan will necessarily depend upon your concept, at a minimum your plan should consider:
- Physical and technological resources needed for the concept, including where these will come from and how they will be used to reduce cost or improve operations. Be sure to discuss why one resource option is better than another where appropriate.
- A detailed implementation schedule covering what needs to be done, by when, and by whom. The schedule should identify the critical path to success and outline the dependencies between tasks.
- Project review processes and indicators of success to ensure that the project stays on target.
- An explanation of how intrapreneurship or entrepreneurship factors in to the implementation of the plan and how to protect intangible assets, such as intellectual property or brand.
Information on the module is below.
This module addresses your implementation plan through four perspectives: the physical and technological resources required for your concept or idea, the implementation schedule for your concept or idea, a method to review the process and indicators of success, and the link between the implementation of your plan and entrepreneurship or intrapreneurship. These perspectives are not the only framework for implementation, but rather one of many suitable frameworks.
As an example of one such implementation framework, Nystrom (2012) outlines a two-step framework that combines resources and knowledge for successful implementation. In this conception, resources include “physical assets, financial assets, and human assets” that leaders then combine with knowledge to implement concepts or ideas (p. 175). In contrast, Ciabuschi, Perna, and Snehota (2012) stratify resources into “tangible, intangible, human, technological, and financial” (p. 221). In the former framework, implementation planning moves according to the type of asset. In the latter conception, implementation planning also captures both tangible and intangible elements.
Regardless of the implementation framework, it is vital to capture all of the resources necessary to succeed with an implementation plan or concept. The physical and technological resources for implementing plans are those things that the plan or concept requires in order for organizational members to successfully implement it. It is important to think through what is required, because without careful and thorough thinking in this area, leaders often miss one or more important elements for project success.
In addition to physical and technological resources, effective implementation planning requires appropriately scheduling the implementation plan. This activity divides into two fundamental skill sets. The first skill set is to think through the entire plan and to anticipate how much each of the major elements will take to complete. With this first element of implementation scheduling, effective project leaders recognize that change often involves building consensus and bringing key stakeholders along.
The second element of implementation planning involves identifying the critical path for project success. Of the many activities involved in implementation scheduling, some of them are absolutely essential for project success and must be done in a certain sequence. In contrast, some project elements are less important for the project success and can be done in a less defined sequence. To succeed with an implementation schedule, project planners must identify the critical path.
Effective implementation scheduling improves the probability of the success of implementing concepts or ideas. Bryson and Bromiley (1993) propose that implementation scheduling, when done effectively, speeds projects along and enhances the overall probability of project success. In particular, Bryson and Bromiley (1993) indicate that ineffective implementation scheduling often leads to undesirable organizational behaviors including “forcing [and] compromise” (p. 325).
Within the context of forcing, Bryson and Bromiley (1993) propose that scheduling shortcomings lead to organizational managers forcing a project through the organization and this, by itself, creates an atmosphere in which the project is less likely to succeed. Compromise, rather than collaborative problem-solving, can also stem from ineffective project scheduling (Bryson & Bromiley, 1993). Implementation scheduling, when done properly, offers a greater probability of success with concepts or ideas.
The next step in implementation planning in this module is to establish a process to review the project and also to determine the key indicators of project success. From a review process perspective, leaders create a method whereby they discover where the project is off-track to determine appropriate approaches to solve project difficulties (Laufer, Hoffman, Russell, & Cameron, 2010). A key element of the project review process is to diagnose, as specifically as possible, the underlying dynamics that led to the project difficulties. Additionally, the project review process should also include a specific approach to understand and to resolve the project difficulty.
Like Module One, Module Two also links new plans or concepts with entrepreneurship or intrapreneurship in the context of new ideas and change. Battilana, Gilmartin, Segul, Pache, and Alexander (2010) outline three key activities associated with successfully implementing change with respect to new ideas or concepts: “communicating the need for change, mobilizing others to support the change, and evaluating the change implementation” (p. 422). This module helps explicate the link between new concepts or ideas in entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship. The implementation planning in Module Two provides the basis for the topics in Module Three: company and key personnel for your idea or concept.
References
Battilana, J., Gilmartin, M., Segul, M., Pache, A. C., & Alexander, J. A. (2010). Leadership competencies for implementing planned organizational change. The Leadership Quarterly, 21(3), 422–438. doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2010.03.007
Bryson, J., & Bromiley, P. (1993). Critical factors affecting the planning and implementation of major projects. Strategic Management Journal, 14(5), 319–337. doi:10.1002/smj.4250140502
Ciabuschi, F., Perna, A., & Snehota, I. (2012, June). Assembling resources when forming a new business. Journal of Business Research, 65(2), 220–229. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2010.11.029
Laufer, A., Hoffman, E., Russell, J., & Cameron, W. (2015, April). What successful project managers do. MIT Sloan Management Review, 56(3), 42–52.
Nystrom, A. (2012, February). A commentary essay on “Resources prospectively: How actors mobilize resources in business settings.” Journal of Business Research, 65(2), 175–176. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.05.018
