Boeing_Case_Study

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Boeing Case Study
It is apparent that the SBInet project largely failed due to managerial problems. One such problem was the inability of the US government to create a concrete strategy for securing the US-Mexico border coupled with poor monitoring of the entire project. Equally, the project could have failed due to the absence of a prior successfully implemented high-tech border control system. Some experts argue that this has been the case due to technology limitations and sociocultural constraints which make the information management systems increasingly complex for government officials to handle (Boyles 1). Due to these challenges, the government seems to be operating on a popular but defective assumption that technology offered by private firms such as Boeing could solve the border issue only to end up with failed projects.
The government’s decision to allow Boeing to determine the scope and manage other contractors was problematic. First, it meant that the company had to devise what they thought the department of homeland security (DHS) wanted based on imagination since the government was not supplying any information. The lack of any coordination between DHS and Boeing meant that the project was primarily driven by guesswork and hence the failure of the project. Overall, it appears that the SBInet project failed due to poor scope management. In this regard, some crucial steps in the conceptual development stage seem to have been overlooked.

Whereas the need for such a project is unquestionable owing to the problems and security threats that illegal immigrants present to the country, the government failed to gather relevant information, consider constraints and possible alternatives. As rightly argued by management experts, a project can be successfully implemented only when the contractor or the manager in charge clearly understands the prevailing circumstances such as project timeline, supplier options, level of support by executives and much more. The process of information gathering should be a continuous process throughout the implementation process.
Also, it is crucial to analyze all constraints with regards to the goals of the project. The constraints include financial limitations, time constraints and client requirements. These factors could derail a project if not well addressed. Each problem also presents an opportunity for exploring alternative ways of solving it. For instance, the problem of illegal immigrants crossing over the border from Mexico to the US could be solved by deploying more patrol officers instead of using the SBInet technology. Since failed projects are synonymous which lack of critical analysis and considerations of the factors above, it only means that the government must have ignored these issues hence leading to the failure of the project.
One key lesson from this case study is that proper scope management of any project is crucial to the success of the project. Additionally, project managers must be innovative even as they implement a plan to counter challenges that may arise along the way. It is equally important to understand the expectations and demands of a client rather than assuming that they will like something. I also learned that technology could be difficult and costly to use and apply. In this respect, using technology cost-effectively and sustainably may require negotiating different sophisticated technology frameworks, aligning technology with project requirements and adopting industry best practices (Boyles 16). Indeed, the technology can be a double-edged sword depending on how it is utilized.
Work Cited
Boyles, Kyle D. “Exploring Critical Success Factors for Managing Complex Information Technology Projects in Federal Agencies.” ScholarWorks | Walden University Research, 2015, scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2434&context=dissertations.