Case Study of Real-life Projects
Author
Two types of problems plague the world we live in; digital and physical issues. Digital problems manifest from the rise in advancements in technology. Physical problems manifest from natural causes or humanmade situations. Regardless of the source of the problem, effective management requires an adequate risk assessment to mitigate the effects of the issues. A case study of risk management of the Covid-19 pandemic and cybersecurity in major firms creates an overview of the differences and uniqueness of risk management in the two firms.
Analysis of the two articles shows that in the modern world we live in, most pandemics require digital intervention. Cybersecurity has stopped being a human problem with the introduction of different software. The software aims at improving security from the point of development to avoid future issues of cyberattacks. The surge in the coronavirus has also digitalized various business aspects introducing innovative ways of utilizing technology. Simple mundane tasks require digital intervention to avoid the spread of the virus. Both articles show that the application of digital systems in the world we live in and in business need innovative ideas that will deal with digital problems using technology.
Johnson Controls Case Study
The article talks about the steps that the company has taken to ensure that it has digitalized its activities. The article talks about the novel ways through which Johnson Control has reinvented its sales practice. S Sales executive Lisa Roy talks about the different ways the company has included digital systems such as Skype and video conferencing to projects miles away. The company has developed systems far more efficient and straightforward in supervision and coordination of projects. Consequently, the company has reached a broader market and increased its efficiency in terms of delivery of service. However, the company’s response team to Covid-19 largely attributes its success to the leadership of their project manager and risk assessment.
The company used the lessons learned in China as a template for developing innovative ways of administering, designing, and delivering projects in the United States. Lisa Roy leaned a lot from the events that took place in Wuhan, China. Assessment of the situation and response required swift action. Consequently, the company found it easy to respond to the needs of the medical community. The company received the project of securing medical spaces that accommodate corona patients. The company had to develop innovative ways of assessing and mitigating risks associated with the corona outbreak. Lisa Roy was in charge of multiple teams all over the country that took part in setting up corona stations. She had to oversee the design and development of various projects all over the country.
The project had importance to the government, which had sanctioned the development of the makeshift hospitals. Government officials had to ensure that the hospitals were created and secured on time. Furthermore, the project also had to ensure that health workers were protected from the virus. The security doors had to ensure that the virus did not spread to the outside whenever the health practitioners entered or left the room. Overall, the project had to ensure that everyone involved in the project was protected. The stakeholders were the managers who had to ensure that the company delivered on its deadlines, the employees that worked to meet company goals and objectives, and customers that wanted the best quality product from the company.
The project risked two primary factors. First, the failure of the designs developed by the company would lead to eth employees contracting the virus. The employees risked infection from the disease when working on the plans. The risk also spread to the other individuals that were exposed to the specific hospitals. Such persons included nurses, healthcare practitioners, and workers in charge of general services and cleanliness in the particular facilities. The second front of risk was targeted towards the administration and the management. The administration had to ensure that the company upheld its reputation to the public as well as the government. All the set deadlines had to be met; the company also had to ensure that the company delivered quality projects in all the geographical areas that it worked on. The company has to convert areas into hospital space that is inclusive of a digital monitoring surveillance system. The company has to ensure that each area fits the criteria and has all the facilities of a hospital. The biggest challenge the company faces is the conversion of certain areas into hospital spaces. Some of the areas that the company works on have no typical outlay or infrastructure of a clinic or hospital.
ACM organizational “Cyber defenders” Case Study
The article talks about cybersecurity by dispelling the notion that cybersecurity is a human problem. ACM organization lists some of the various ways in which cybersecurity is affected. Recent innovations and digitalization have entirely transformed the range of attacks and the level to which cyberattacks affect organizations. Many schools that teach computer science do not necessitate on the importance of cybersecurity. Assessment of the top four-computer science degree curriculum showed that the students did not receive any knowledge of cybersecurity. The first step towards dealing with cybersecurity threats requires sufficient understanding of the various avenues that attackers might use when targeting a company, software, or organization.
Analysis of current cybersecurity trends shows that many companies do not know about the attack avenues of cybercrime. Penetration testing and vulnerability assessment do not cover all aspects of cybersecurity. Sometimes, the tools produce irrelevant information and do not serve the purpose of detecting cyber threats before they happen. Consequently, many tools and techniques that companies use serve the purpose of reacting to cyber threats after they happen. Many companies lack a viable proactive strategy that analyzes the effects and various avenues that threats use. Companies focus their time and energy on the development of security operation centers (SOC) and security information and event management systems (SIEMS). The systems develop alerts and logs that the company uses to analyze the threats to the company. However, the systems can have false-positives and allow hackers complete access to company information. Sometimes, the attackers stay undetected for up to 200 days.
Cybersecurity checklists present a practical way that companies use in the assessment of risks. The assessments should focus on company assets to assess the possible causes of cybersecurity threats, the items that the company owns. However, the approach is challenging for companies that do not have the capability of expertise in dealing with cumbersome numbers. Furthermore, the arithmetic involved makes it difficult to apply to changing software in a dynamic environment. Therefore, companies should treat cybersecurity threats as a probability risk optimization problem.
Critical stakeholders in the case study are developers, company employees, and the administration. Developers take part n developing the software that serves the purpose of continuous risk assessment. Employees also require sufficient training on the handling of the software and require knowledge of the various attack areas by attackers to minimize the possibility of an attack. Lastly, the administration requires knowledge of cybersecurity to help them in decision making with regards to cybersecurity. Any company that wants to avoid attacks should be willing to make necessary changes to avoid falling prey to attackers. The best way to deal with cybersecurity problems is by avoiding the obstacles at all cost.
The case study advocates companies to view cybersecurity as a probability risk optimization problem. ACM has developed a system that continuously assesses the cybersecurity of the company by analyzing various points of attack that criminals might use. The software analyzes logs, configurations, and endpoints using an ensemble-learning machine. The machine analyzes the risk entry points and flags any potential risks to the company. However, more research has to be done on the innovative method of cybersecurity risk assessment. The tool produces both positives, negatives hence, more research, and testing is required.
Management Methodology Applied in Johnson Controls case study
Johnson Control Applies a Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) methodology in the case. The company focuses on innovation on the go; the employees do not follow a specific channel of operation when completing their tasks. The methodology aims at continuous improvement of products and services and fast delivery. Since the company is taking on novel projects of similar magnitude, the best way for the company to outdo itself is to polish its services continuously (Ghaffari, 2017). Initially, jobs that would take a month to be completed are taking only 20 days. The company wishes to streamline its services by focusing on the speed of delivery and effectiveness of service. Lisa Roy manages up to 20 teams a day and relies on her experience to ensure that all projects are effective.
The company aims at stripping off unnecessary time in the production and delivery of services. The methodology analyzes individual parts of the production process and ensures that the processes are efficient. The primary advantages of the methodology are that the projects are delivered ahead of schedule (Ghaffari, 2017). The company also reduces the time spent after receiving an order and starting the actual project. The company also improves its processes since it challenges itself to multitasking projects. Lisa Roy manages more than 12 projects in different parts of the United States using digital systems. Consequently, the company improves its overall processing time, lead-time, overall capacity, and reduces inventory.
The core principles that the company focuses on is increasing productivity and improving the predictability of outcomes. Since the company is focused on services in a new environment, the best way to deliver services is by eliminating the risks and time wastage (Ghaffari, 2017). The company focuses on the overall time of productivity since the Covid-19 pandemic requires a swift and timely response to avoid an increase in casualties. Overall, the methodology has helped Johnson control achieve fetes that it thought were impossible. The company has started and delivered multiple projects in an insane amount of time. The project manager has also shared in the success by using digital methods to supervise and coordinate the design and implementation of various projects.
Management Methodology Recommended in ACM Case Study
The company suggest the use of a six-sigma management methodology. Six Sigma methodology focuses on continuous improvement of its services by streamlining all aspects of productivity. The company looks at all stages of production as crucial elements to the final product. By focusing on continuous improvement of the services, the final project becomes efficient (Montella et al., 2017). The six sigma uses a variation between the first outcome and the expected outcome. The company strives to minimize the deviation between the two points by working to improve its productivity.
In ACM’s case, the company has to create a distinction between the initial security threat and the final cybersecurity threat level that the company wants to have. The company has to act on all resources t ensure that the deviation is minimized. The methodology best serves the purpose of reducing cybersecurity threats using probability risk optimization (Montella et al., 2017). The methodology strips down all the component of the organization from management to the final production of the service, customizing the methodology will ensure that the company strips down all the various services of the company. The methodology will analyze the various points and scrutinize the point of attack for various cybersecurity threats.
Primary advantages associated with the methodology are the effectiveness of delivery of services. The methodology ensures that all the production components of the company are evaluated and streamlined. Additionally, the methodology is proactive and does not react to situations. The success of the methodology is hinged on the ability of the chosen path to predict and act on future problems (Montella et al., 2017). In ACM’S case, this is the type of methodology that will work best with the suggested cybersecurity approach recommended in the case study. Finally, the methodology significantly reduces the cost of production and predicts defects in the supply chain before the product reaches the computer. The major focus of the methodology is the customer’s satisfaction.
Expected Obstacles
Johnson control is likely to face challenges in multitasking of its projects. Lack of allocation of downtime in the projects increases the risk of not meeting the deadlines. Focusing on multitasking also derails the company from focusing on the quality of its services (Saxena, 2016). The Covid-19 pandemic requires quality service and not just a swift response. The methodology also requires a manger that has the capability of multitasking and working under pressure to avoid the management contributing to the slow response of the company. On the other hand, ACM faces the obstacles of lack of creativity and application of expensive measures. The rigid and strict process involved in critical assessment of the company’s systems makes it hard to apply any creativity (Saxena, 2016). The methodology focuses on the assessment of all company procedures, thus making it hard to develop innovative ways of dealing with the situation. The company will also require a lot of funding for the training and implementation of the methodology to the company (Saxena, 2016). The company needs to train all its employees on the methodology to ensure that everyone is integrated. The assessment also consumes a lot of time and money.
Conclusion
Working in ACM’s environment would work best for any individual. Despite the strain on the company’s resources and lack of creativity, the methodology offers the best advantages. The methodology ensures that the company assesses all its process and predicts future outcomes. CCPM does not promote such kind of service. Risk management in a company that uses a six-sigma control methodology would be easy compared to a company that uses CCPM.
References
Ghaffari, M. (2017). The Impact of Multitasking on Critical Chain Portfolios (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Manchester (United Kingdom)).
Montella, E., Di Cicco, M. V., Ferraro, A., Centobelli, P., Raiola, E., Triassi, M., & Improta, G. (2017). The application of Lean Six Sigma methodology to reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections in surgery departments. Journal of evaluation in clinical practice, 23(3), 530-539.
Saxena, A. (2016). Avoiding project failure by using project management methodologies (Doctoral dissertation, Dublin Business School).