In The Situation...
Raghav, you seem to have lost all appetite, said Suhasini. Is something wrong at work?
Raghav tried to avoid the conversation, but could not hide the tension that writ large on his face.
He was a senior IT manager at RapCorpone of Indias largest real estate companies. But the last few weeks at work had been difficult for him because of the repeated delays in the ERP project that he was handling. And this had a direct bearing on a number of new projects that RapCorp was betting its future on.
Im being made the scapegoat, said Raghav wiping the beads of sweat off his worried forehead. I came into the project only after the SLAsthe contractual obligationswere frozen and the price determined, he said. Mr Awasthi, our CFO, then negotiated the price on behalf of RapCorp after the SLAs were determined, Raghav sounded exasperated.
Its like saying to Nirmala, your domestic help, that you will do all this but I will pay you only as much, added Raghav. Suhasini immediately understood what Raghav was going through.
The vendor was cutting corners to ensure the deal was not loss making and Raghav was bearing the rap. Why dont you tell Mr Awasthi and your MD, said Suhasini sounding like an enthusiastic fifth grader.
No Suha, it doesnt work like that. I am responsible for the smooth delivery of the project, and the vendor is using our project as a training ground. All new recruits are being tested at RapCorp by the vendor, added Raghav.
The management does not understand and every morning, I dread the thought of picking up the phone when it rings.
Its either the MD or the sales head, and all they do is stop short of yelling.
How do I explain?
Raghavs predicament is rather genuine. He is being held responsible for the delivery of a project that he has not negotiated. He has not negotiated the SLAs, the deliverables or the price. He has no say on the resources being deployed too.
The big questions...
- What should Raghav do to ensure that the project is delivered smoothly, without any further delays?
- What should RapCorp do to institutionalise the process of deploying big ticket it projects in the future?
Check out the answers...
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