Mid-sized technology company
You are the project manager for a new product launch at a mid-sized technology company. Your team has been working on developing a new smartphone app aimed at enhancing customer engagement. After several months of development, the project started to face delays due to unforeseen technical issues. Despite these setbacks, the company leadership remained highly invested in the app, believing it was a crucial part of the company’s growth strategy.
The Situation: As the launch date approached, it became clear that the app was still not functioning as expected, with numerous bugs and integration issues. During a project review meeting, the senior executives insisted on pushing the app forward despite the ongoing technical challenges. You, as the project manager, were encouraged to allocate more resources and time to fix the app, which resulted in additional overtime for your team and an increase in the project budget.
Despite the growing evidence that the app was unlikely to meet the market expectations and the increasing costs, you felt pressured to continue pursuing the original timeline. You began to convince your team that a few more weeks of hard work could resolve the issues, although deep down, you were unsure if the app would deliver the intended value.
Escalation of Commitment: Over the next several weeks, the technical issues remained unresolved, but you continued to allocate more resources to the project. As the pressure from senior management increased, you became more committed to completing the project, believing that discontinuing it would reflect poorly on your leadership and decision-making abilities. You felt trapped, as you feared the repercussions of admitting failure, both personally and for the team.
Outcome: The app was eventually launched, but it was poorly received by customers. The bugs and performance issues led to negative reviews, and the company faced a backlash from its user base. The project went significantly over budget, and the launch had little impact on the company\\\\\\\’s growth strategy.
Reflection: As you reflect on the situation, you realize that the escalation of commitment caused you to persist with a failing course of action despite clear signs that it was no longer viable. You recognize that continuing to push forward, rather than pivoting or reevaluating the situation earlier, led to a poor outcome for the company and for your reputation as a leader.
Questions for Reflection:
- How did you experience escalation of commitment in this situation?
- What actions did you take in response to the pressure to continue with the project, and how did those actions impact the outcome?
- Do you wish you had handled the situation differently? Why or why not? What could you have done to avoid the escalation of commitment?
Requirements:
- There is no minimum or maximum required number of pages. Your analysis will be considered complete, if it addresses each of the 3 components outlined above.
- Use of proper APA formatting and citations. If supporting evidence from outside resources is used those must be properly cited. A minimum of 3 – 5 sources (excluding the course textbook) from scholarly articles or business periodicals is required.
- Include your best critical thinking and analysis to arrive at your justification.
Requirements: whatever you think is best
Answer preview to mid-sized technology company
APA
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