CanGo Management and Communication Problem Resolution Planning a Technological Solution

Nick has been handed a project where he has to implement Online Gaming, requiring significant technological integration. What factors does he need to consider and manage for the project to be a success?

As Warren tried to explain to Nick, the successful implementation of the project will require the purchase of hardware, the testing and selection of the right software, the securing of sufficient bandwidth to support all of the users expected to use the system if it becomes popular and successful, licensing negotiation and procurement and the payment of the fees associated with licensing. Warren also explained that there is an inherent risk in this type of venture that the initial popularity of the site could fizzle out and die if the site crashes or malfunctions in any way because it turns out to be incapable of supporting the first wave of new customers in the event that the launch is a success. Therefore, Nick has to consider the critical importance of making sure that there is sufficient testing and system backup to avoid any downtime caused by system failures after the live launch. To do this, Nick must allow enough time for each component part of the system to be tested and to allow system designers to test backup systems and procedures in the event of any problems after the initial launch.

b. Class, let' shift our attention to the planning meeting. I am a little concerned re the casual nature of the planning meeting called by Warren. If you were asked to give Warren advice on how to improve the planning session, what would be your suggestions?

I would advise Warren that planning meetings should be conducted on such an ad hoc basis and without any preparation from the members of the team. At a minimum, the planning meeting should have...

Warren did not have anything written down and that is definitely weak point. Besides assigning who should do what I think it would be beneficial to verify numbers from previous holiday season and see what were the biggest issues. Warren mentioned and his team added many important tasks but notes and reports from previous year would help to verify if they did not forget anything important.
On one hand, Warren told Nick that he expected "pure offense" and "no defense on this." On the other hand, by not bringing anything more specific to his meeting with Nick, Warren already failed to lead by example in that regard. He wants Nick to be proactive and to anticipate all possible issues and problems before they happen and to come up with backup systems and plans and troubleshooting approaches; that is what he means by "all offense." Warren does not want any explanations (or even solutions) only after the fact once something goes wrong with the project for reasons already explained to Nick in connection with his concern about losing customers like rats off a sinking ship in the event the systems fail after the initial launch. At a minimum, Warren should have provided Nick with at least a rough outline of Gantt-type layout of exactly what elements of the project he expects Nick to have completed in what order and according to a projected timeline.

II. Cost/Benefit Analysis

a. What are the costs of the new systems that may be implemented? How do we justify their implementation at CanGo?

The…