National Hall of Fame Case Study

NATIONAL JAZZ HALL OF FAME CASE STUDY

1. What are the objectives of the project?

The project aimed to establish and maintain a museum, archives and concert center in Charlottesville. They also wanted to sponsor Jazz festivals, workshop and scholarships, as well as to promote activities that honour and remember great Jazz artists. More importantly, they were dedicated to serving Jazz enthusiasts and educating the public on the importance of Jazz in American culture and history.

2. What is the rationale for the project?
The National Jazz Hall of Fame was originally a local landmark of Charlottesville, the city’s historic district, the Paramount theatre. The Paramount was constructed in the1930’s and had been used as a performance center and movie theatre. In the 1970’s it was downgraded and at risk of falling apart. In order to save the Paramount, Mr. Rutland established the Jazz Hall of fame, a place  that would be used as a museum and performance center, and to serve Jazz in general.

3.Identify the various stakeholders in the project, including the competition.

Stakeholders: Mr. Rutland, Board of Director, NJHF advisory board, residents of Charlottesville, goverment of Charlottesville, west virginia tourists, national association of jazz educations, philanthropic organizations, consultant, jazz artist/composers, respondents, smithonian institure. Competitors: Harlem YMCA jazz of fame, international jazz of fame

 4. What are the skills necessary for a successful project manager in this project?

The first essential skill of a project manager for this particular project would be acquiring adequate resources. This is an especially applicable one because the organization is starting with such a small amount of money to work with, and they need at least ten times what they have on hand to really get the organization off to a good start. Another PM skill needed is dealing with obstacles. Not having enough money on-hand to complete the next step that you need to take is another good example of dealing with obstacles. Another skill highlighted in the story is making project goal trade-offs. Mr. Rutland originally set out to save a historic building and create the NJHF at the same time, but learned that was not going to be possible. He made the decision that it was better to create and build the organization rather than letting the overambitious project cause the organization to fail. He did not get everything that he wanted, but he was still able to achieve part of his original plan. Breadth of Communication is the final skill required, as Mr. Rutland would have to communicate all of the information he had with his board of directors so that they could make the decision on the proper course of action for the organization.