Why Firefighting Is Never Enough: Preserving High-Quality Product
Name
BlackandRep_doc.pdf
Size
243.15 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
a185bd11c32272f4d5403aee32f38bec
Author(s)
Black, Laura
Repenning, Nelson
Date Issued
2001
Abstract
In this paper, we add to insights already developed in single-project models about insufficient resource allocation and the "firefighting" and last-minute rework that often result by asking why dysfunctional resource allocation persists from project to project. We draw on data collected from a field site concerned about its new product development process and its quality of output to construct a simple model that portrays resource allocation in a multi-project development environment. The main insight of the analysis is that under-allocating resources to the early phases of a given project in a multi-project environment can create a vicious cycle of increasing error rates, overworked engineers, and declining performance in all future projects. Policy analysis begins with those that were under consideration by the organization described in our data set. Those policies turn out to offer relatively low leverage in offsetting the problem. We then test a sequence of new policies, each designed to reveal a different feature of the system's structure and conclude with a strategy that we believe can significantly offset the dysfunctional dynamics we discuss. The paper concludes with a discussion of the challenges managers may face in implementing the strategy that can prevent persistent under-allocation of resources to projects.
Subjects
system dynamics
resource allocation
firefighting
rework
error rates
dysfunctional dynamics
Persistent DSpace Link
