Project Management at Volkswagen

Introduction

In 2015, Volkswagen was caught cheating on emissions tests, sparking a worldwide scandal. The company was found to have installed software on its diesel cars that would alter the engine's performance during emissions testing, making the cars appear to be more environmentally friendly than they actually were. In the wake of the scandal, Volkswagen faced enormous fines and intense public scrutiny. So, what could the company have done to prevent this crisis?

A good project manager at Volkswagen (VW) might have changed the outcome of the crisis that contributed to VWs emissions scandal had certain internal and external changes been made. Because every product had to have been a project, it stands to reason that every crisis might have had a different outcome with the right project management. This paper will describe those changes, particularly as they relate to leadership, communications, and stakeholder expectations. It will conclude with suggestions to the CEO about what I think should be changed, added, reworked and created to prevent this type of crisis from happening again.

Starting with Culture

It all starts with culture. As Larson and Gray (2017) point out, it is the organizational culture that defines the context in which project management will be applied; yet project managers can have a big impact on culture, tooindeed, they must: Project managers must shape a project culture that stimulates teamwork and high levels of personal motivation as well as a capacity to quickly identify and resolve problems that threaten project work (p. 17). The culture of arrogance at Volkswagen (VW) was a major contributing factor to the emissions scandal that erupted in 2015 (Levin, 2015). As VW Group CEO Martin Winterkorn admitted in a public apology, the company had broken the trust of its customers and the public and needed to make a fresh start (McLeod, 2015).

In order to tackle this problem of culture, project management needs to take a hard look at its organizational and corporate culture and make some necessary changes. First and foremost, the company needs to instill a greater sense of accountability among its employees. Indeed, one of the most important roles of a project manager is to ensure that all workers are held accountable for their actions. This can be a challenge, as workers may be reluctant to take responsibility for their mistakes or may be resistant to being micromanaged. However, there are a few steps that a project manager can take to instill a sense of accountability among workers. Thus, it is important to set clear expectations and provide detailed instructions for each task. This will help workers to understand what is expected of them and will minimize the chance for confusion or misunderstanding. It is also essential to keep track of each worker's progress and to provide regular feedback. This will help workers to see where they need to improve and will give them a sense of ownership over their work. The project manager should also be sure to enforce strict deadlines and follow up with consequences if those deadlines are not met. This is what it means to prioritize, and it will help workers to understand that their performance has real implications for the success of the project (Larson & Gray, 2017). By taking these steps, a project manager can instill a sense of accountability among workers and ensure that the project is completed successfully.

Furthermore, the project manager at VW must create a more open and transparent work environment where new ideas are encouraged and dissenting voices are heard. A work environment that is both transparent and encouraging of new ideas is essential for any organization hoping to foster innovation and creativity. There are a number of steps a project manager can take to create such an environment. The first one is to be clear and concise in all communications with team members (Larson & Gray, 2017). This will help to ensure that everyone is on the same page and reduce the chances of any possible miscommunication. Additionally, the project manager should encourage team members to share their ideas openly and freely without fear of ridicule or blowback. The way to create a great workplace culture is to encourage dissent and debate; for it is only through these conversations that truly innovative solutions can be found. VW could...

…In VWs case it was most likely that these departments thought they were operating according to gray areas within the standard protocolsi.e., industry standardswhich is to say they believed bending the roles was acceptable.

But in order to ensure compliance with standards, the project manager must first become familiar with all relevant standards and then develop a plan for ensuring that all departments are compliant (Larson & Gray, 2017). The plan should include measures for communicating standards to all relevant parties, enforcing compliance, and monitoring compliance over time. By taking these steps, the project manager can help to ensure that all departments on a project are complying with the relevant standards.

Recommendations to the CEO

Volkswagen could have been more transparent with regulators and consumers about its emissions testing procedures. By being open and honest about its testing methods, the company could have avoided suspicion and prevented the scandal from erupting in the first place. Yes, it is simple to say these things in retrospect, but the fact of the matter is that a project manager must be aware of what is going on relevant departments and whether or not aderence to the code of ethics is present. It should not be something that is done after a scandal has already occurred. In reality, preventing such a crisis is often easier said than done. However, by taking steps to improve internal oversight and increase transparency, VW can reduce the chances of similar scandals happening in the future.

For these reasons, it is my belief that the internal workplace culture needs to be changed so that workers in all departments are more serious about conforming to the companys code of ethics. And while on that topic, I would say that certain principles need to be added to the code of ethics so that it reflects the absolute need for honesty, transparency, and accountability on all projects at all times. I would then suggest that stakeholder communications policies and procedures be reworked so that all information is more forthcoming. Finally, I would recommend that a compliance team be created that will oversee departments as they work on projects in the future. With these recommendations,…