Development and training program IKEA
Institution
Name Development and training program IKEA
Given that IKEA Company has 50,000 employees and intents to increase workers productivity by setting up some internal software application to aid a training program, the program would do a number of tasks. The tasks would include teaching employees how to make use of Microsoft software programs that include Microsoft windows 7, Microsoft Word 2007, Microsoft Excel 2007, Microsoft PowerPoint 2007, Microsoft Access 2007, and Microsoft Project 2007 (Boivie, 1999). All courses would be made available for offer in the evenings as well as during Saturdays. The courses are supposed to be taught by qualified persons who are volunteer employees. Each instructor will receive a compensation of $40 for every hour worked. This paper is about operations management. The paper will show the way task allocation is done through a project scope management.
Unlike the modern days, employees in the past were being sent to take courses that were being offered locally by various vendors. This activity was done during company time and made it impossible for employees to take their course outside their working areas. The internal training program was disadvantageous since workers did not have the freedom to have the training elsewhere or have it during their free time. The program also took a significant part of an organization’s time thereby reducing the total time set for work. The aspired program is in contrast meant to save the organization’s time. It will save the IKEA Company a lot of money specifically on training (Boivie, 1999). The program is meant to increase employees’ productivity. Increased productivity will come about from the increased skills. The human resource department typically manages skills development. All employees are given the chance to take part in the skill development program by scheduling their time into the training program. After completion, certification would be done as a way of distinguishing those employees having gone through the program from those who have not (Boivie, 1999). Certification would mean each of the people going through the training program being issued with a certificate to indicate his or her course completion (Boivie, 1999). The human resource department in the employee’s files would keep a copy of each certificate from all employees going through the program.
The biggest issue is the materials of which to make use. Various vendors can offer off-the-shelf training material and it is the work of the management to know which of the various vendors offer the best training materials. Besides, a classroom is needed. Employees also need to be surveyed on their desired courses since not all of the employees would be willing to take the same courses (Boivie, 1999). There would be the need to find qualified instructors who would be willing to work as volunteers. Once the program starts, the company will start offering the course whereby the first one would be offered within a period of six months.
Project Scope Management
The task activities can best be placed using Microsoft Project, which is a software program used in project management. The program is sold Microsoft and is designed to help in assisting project managers in their task of developing plans. The program is also used in assigning resources to various tasks, managing organization’s budget, tracking progress within an organization as well as analyzing workloads (Buckler, 2004). The software program is an application that is Microsoft Windows-based and had largely became dominant as a PC program that is based on project management.
The training on how to use the Microsoft Project starts with an understanding of its features and its importance to an organization. Project scope management is done to ensure that the delivery of projects is done on time. The project has to lie within the planned budget while ensuring the existence of all features required in the project (Kraus, 2008). Competence is also a key aspect to be considered in project scope management. The main aim in this case to avoid costing the IKEA organization unnecessary costs resulting from incompetence (Kraus, 2008). The best way to get rid of incompetence is through initiating training programs especially in computer or IT based training programs.
In the process of ensuring good project management, the management has to consider the four major elements considered in any project management program. The organization has resources that need to be utilized effectively (Kraus, 2008). Resources could range from human resources to capital or financial resources. In this case, resource may be grouped as people, who are the workers, the organization’s equipment, as well as hardware and software resources. Another element of consideration is time. Time is key aspect since it would always lead to the determination of task duration, management scheduling, and the project’s critical path (Kraus, 2008). The third element of consideration is money. Money stands to be the units of measuring the project in terms of cost, contingencies, and the level of profits to be obtained from the project. Scope is a very critical element, which determines the project size, the various goals and objectives, as well as the requirements of the project (Kraus, 2008).
The project manager has an obligation of managing all elements successfully throughout the life of the project. Good management of all project elements helps in achieving project success. One has to ensure that the required resources are available and in place for the training project. The resources need to be managed effectively by the selected team consisting of qualified personnel. Since IKEA Company wishes to improve the computer and IT capabilities of its employees, the company need to get enough programmers who have adequate experience in various computers applications especially those belonging to Microsoft Corporation (Boivie, 1999). Experience in Microsoft Office programs as well as Microsoft Program would be the major requirement.
The WBS would be as follows:
fSoftware Training Program
Trainers
Employees
Finance Department
Human Resource
Computers Owners
Class administrtors
Program to assist in Time Management
The materials for training would include computers that are fully installed with the required software programs for the training project. The program would include an installed network system in which employees can exchange ideas through social communication. Employees would be expected to determine their best time at which they can join the training program (Kraus, 2008). The program is based on a timetable to aid the organization in time management by assisting employees in choosing between work and training. IKEA Company has 500,000 employees, which gives an implication that much time would be required to complete the training program to all these employees (Kraus, 2008).
The project to be accomplished is providing the training program to the entire half million employees with the use of the available resources, which are limited. The company has to specify the number of computers to be used for the program and the number of hours to be set aside for the training program. at the same time, there is the need to specify the number of trainers to be hired given the time constraint and the financial constrain (Boivie, 1999). Every trainer is entitled to $40 per hour and this brings to the fact that the workers have to be grouped in a way that they can go through the training adequately while conserving the companies time and finances. Given that the trainers are paid in accordance with the number of hours worked but hardly on the number of employees attending every lesson, the company may structure the program in a way that it maximizes on the benefits while minimizing the costs in terms of time and money (Boivie, 1999).
Program to assist in Cost Management
In doing the selection between minimizing on cost and time spent as well as maximizing on the benefits from the training program, the company would be faced by deciding to group the employees into various groups. The size of each group would be affected by various factors such as the efficiency involved in offering the training program to a smaller group versus a large group. The level of efficiency in offering the training program would increase, as the group being trained gets smaller (Boivie, 1999). Larger groups of employees would be hard to incorporate personal relationships with the trainers, as aspect that is highly required in technical training. Employees grouped in large groups would be difficult to manage implying that the trainers would require working on smaller groups in order to portray their efficiencies and competencies (Boivie, 1999). Contrary to this, the company management would try as much as possible to make it fast and effective as a way of utilizing the company’s resources.
From the 500,000 employees, the company can group them into 500 groups each consisting five shifts. Grouping the employees into 50 groups would narrow the employees into 10000 in each group. Taking further the 1000 employees in each group and placing them into five different shifts would narrow the groups down into 2000 employees per group (Buckler, 2004). The problem would now be the way to allocate the training time and other resources. This aspect means that the trainers would now be five in the company, each having a training class of 2000 employees every day (Buckler, 2004). To ensure efficiency and proper allocation of resources, it would mean that each employee in a given group would be trained for a period of two hours. The company may decide to do this by offering the training for two hours between 5.00PM and & 7.00PM.
Program to assist in Resource Management
The company would have to set aside five halls to use for the training, each having at least 2000 computers. Each computer would need to have all software programs installed. There would be the need to include five extra computers that have training programs for all courses. Each group would be based on specialization in which case the workers interested in gaining knowledge in each of the five Microsoft Office programs would get training accordingly (Kraus, 2008). Employees willing to gain skills in Microsoft Word 2007 would be trained in hall one and would consist of group 1 members. Group 2 employees would be those employees willing to gain skills in Microsoft Excel 2007. Group 2 employees would be trained in hall 2 of the IKEA Company (Kraus, 2008).
For the third group, which is titles as group 3, their training would consist of knowledge acquisition in Microsoft Access 2007. Their training would be offered in hall 3, while group 4’s training would be offered in hall 4. The training would only consist of knowledge acquisition in Microsoft PowerPoint. For the group 5 employees, training would be on windows 7 in general (Buckler, 2004). Employees willing to get training in Windows 7 would be given special training since the course is wider in scope as compared to the other four courses. All employees would be required to gain training in Microsoft Program since it is a new and very critical aspect of Microsoft programs (Buckler, 2004).
Program to assist in Communications Management
The trend will go on until the entire team of employees gain training adequately through a well-communicated arrangement. From the training, the company may decide to initiate specialization based on the training provided to each group of employees. All the employees would need to incorporate skills on Microsoft Project as a compulsory course in a way that is clear to help them exchange between courses. Given the trend and the grouping of employees, it would possible for the company to determine the duration of the project and the time needed to accomplish each activity (Boivie, 1999). The project is faced with a problem of having to ensure that all the 50 groups each consisting of 10,000 employees get the skills respectively. Given that each course would take one month, it would take the company about 50 months to complete the project (Boivie, 1999). To make it possible to offer training on Microsoft Project 2007, the course would be provided alongside each training program based on the course selection by employees.
Every employee would take only thirty days of training each day having to involve two hours for each training session per employee. This means that the company would incur a cost of 40 hours every month plus 20 hours covering Saturday training programs (Buckler, 2004). This calculation is based on the assumption that each typical month has four weeks and four Saturdays. In a year, the company would lose (12 * 60 =720) hours in the program. In a period of 50 months, the company would lose an amount of time equivalent to (50 * 60) hours, which is equivalent to 300 hours. Since the company would have hired five trainers who would take the entire team of employees through the training program, the monitory cost of training the employees would calculate (Buckler, 2004).
The calculation can be taken as the amount of money paid to each trainer in an hour multiplies by the number of trainers and number of hours that the entire team of employees would take for the company to have the project completed. The direct cost to the organization would therefore be $40 * 5* 300 = $60, 000. $60,000 would be the cost of labor in offering training on the six courses (Buckler, 2004). The company would have save an extra cost in the sixth course by incorporating it in other training groups since the course was seen as compulsory. As a compulsory course, it means that every employee would have to take it, an aspect that can hardly allow specialized training given the limited resources for the company.
To maximize on the company’s benefits, the company may decide to take the trainers from within the company as volunteers but be willing to pay them the hourly amount that would otherwise be given to a trainer from outside the company. This aspect would be an act of motivating the company’s employees since the trainer would find it as an additional source of income. However, the selection of qualified candidates for the training would be done based on their resumes. This means that the internal employees may not be considered if they are not adequately qualified (Boivie, 1999). The most qualified candidates would be considered although employees from the IKEA Company may be giving the first priority. Taking 2 classrooms and 20 personal computers may not be enough since it would take the project longer time than it has been stated. Taking 20 personal computer rather than 2000 would increase number of hours by 100 times. Again, two classes would not be enough to offer all the courses within a viable time. The cost to the company would be higher as well and therefore the company’s human resource department needs to reconsider its decision to of choosing to offer the training in two classes and making use of forty computers (Boivie, 1999). There should be a consideration that every additional computer would reduce the number of employees queuing to get the training skills being offered by the organization. Since the computers used in the training could be reused in other company’s activities, it would be wise if the company uses more computers and fewer trainers to reduce the time spend in accomplishing the project.
References
Boivie, C. A. (1999). We Want Usability, Not Just Features. Canadian Computer Reseller. Vol. 12, Iss. 10 , 22.
Buckler, G. (2004). Staking One for the Team. Computing Canada. Vol. 30, Iss. 15 , 16-17 .
Kraus, W. E. (2008). Cost Estimating and Analysis. Cost Engineering Vol. 50, Iss. 4 , 3-4 .
