Moss and McAdams Accounting Firm

Introduction

The effective execution of any project can often be a tedious task. Organizational culture must be such that breeds teamwork and communication so that all involved in a prospective project are on the same page. This work will uncover what went wrong at the Moss and McAdams Accounting Firm and also look at some viable solutions or options that could have been undertaken by the parties involved.

Explain how you would respond if you were Palmer at the end of the case.

The trouble with this project did not start at the end of the case when Crosby informed Palmer that Olds would be working solely on his particular project. The conflict started with the arrangement that Olds would permitted to work under both managers going back and forth between both the auditing and consulting projects. There is no denying that Olds skills were high demand and that he was one of the most talented individuals in the entire organizations, experienced and skilled in multiple things. However, due to the weak matrix set up, this caused conflict within the organization. If I was Palmer I would cut my losses and let Olds go for the overall good of the organization. Not wanting to create un-needed tension that could hinder the completion of both projects. I would also however, address my concerns with Crosby and discuss his lack of team work and unwillingness to cooperate to a previously established agreement with upper management. A clear cut sense of communication could have made for a much more pleasing outcome for all parties involved.

Discuss what Palmer could do, if anything, to avoid losing Olds.

This conflict could have been avoided. Project managers are responsible that the appropriate trade-offs are made between the time, cost and performance requirements of the project. The project manager is also responsible for cultural aspects of the organization, such as, problem solving, teamwork and customer expectations to name a few (Gray & Lawson, 2009). With that said, Palmer should have addressed the problems encountered in the beginning. At this point Palmer