Boeing Project Oversight

Introduction

Boeing is an American aerospace company that specializes in manufacturing commercial jets. The company is the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer and has maintained a top position in manufacturing military planes, missiles, space vehicles, and helicopters. The company operates business units divided into space and communications, missiles and military aircraft, and commercial airplanes. The company assembles its commercial aircraft in the Everett and Renton facilities, where quality checks on all aircraft are done. The company has also embarked on many projects to improve its production, including a construction project for the Everett assembly facility. Project management at Boeing is a technical process that requires proper planning. The company outsources experts to offer the best project management services in areas such as construction management and manufacturing. Contracted experts are vetted based on their years of experience in project management.

Project Oversight in Boeing

According to Marshall (2022), project oversight is the process by which project shareholders, owners, and agents oversee a project performed by a contractor. It occurs after a project starts and is used to determine the project’s progress and processes to ensure that everything aligns with the project goals. Hill (2013) argues that project oversight is also a tool for adjusting and troubleshooting various functions within the project that could be improved along the project implementation process. Boeing uses project oversight for its construction projects. For instance, in 2014, the company contracted Jacobs Company to offer construction management and project management services to support the construction and design of the Everett fabrication facility. According to Jones (2014), the contract terms indicated that Jacobs Company would offer preliminary project management, planning support, project controls, and construction management for the Boeing 777x Composite Wing Center. The project was successful and was completed with Boeing’s timeline specifications.

Impact of Project Oversight on Boeing

Project oversight could play a significant role in enhancing the success of Boeing’s projects. The project success rate increases because the project oversight team’s primary responsibility is ensuring a project is successful. Therefore, Boeing can initiate a project and outline the objectives the oversight team should meet the project’s budget, and the expected completion date. For example, in a construction project, Boeing may outline the activities that will be conducted in the facility and the anticipated aircraft capacity that the facility should use. The oversight team can use these guidelines to plan the project and ensure that it is successful. Project oversight also improves a project’s success rate by eliminating bias and assumptions. According to Kubba (2010), a project oversight team considers all scenarios by applying their experience. Therefore, they can predict project outcomes and eliminate any barriers that could hinder project success. Another impact of project oversight on Boeing is faster completion of projects. The aircraft manufacturing industry is highly competitive, thus putting pressure on Boeing to manufacture and release aircraft before competitors to create a competitive advantage.

According to Marshall (2022), project oversight results in faster project completion because the project oversight manager can make decisions independently without needing to follow a chain of command to get approval on what should be done. The project oversight team does not have to work through organisational politics and management layers. They do not require management’s support to convince employees to reconsider the changes suggested during the project implementation process. Project oversight also uncovers impending dangers that an organization may face and the most effective strategies to resolve and eliminate them before negatively impacting the project’s success. For instance, in projects relating to aircraft manufacturing, project oversight may reveal issues in the aircraft that could have a disastrous outcome, thus protecting Boeing from issues such as negligence claims and aircraft grounding. Project oversight also helps monitor project schedules and budgets effectively, thus preventing mismanagement of funds during the project implementation process.

Impact of project oversight on the project manager

Project oversight enables project managers to formulate relevant project management processes, policies, and methods to guarantee that the project is moving in the right direction. A project manager can collaborate with the project oversight manager to determine project needs and the roles and responsibilities of every team member so that the project is completed faster. Project oversight also helps project managers effectively coordinate the distribution of resources required to complete the project within the required timeline. Project oversight also impacts a project manager’s risk management process by enabling the project manager to ensure that the issues that could impact project success are resolved on time. Project oversight also allows the project manager to effectively monitor the project’s success by giving the project manager immediate feedback, especially when there are issues within the project.

Importance of project oversight to the future of project management in Boeing

Project oversight will be vital in enhancing Boeing’s project management efficiency. The company can use project oversight to ensure that future projects and their components align with the project objectives. It will also help in altering the mechanisms of processes that could be improved to enhance the project’s success. Project management will also improve future project management by improving scheduling by providing a clear project timeline based on project specifications. Project oversight will also improve future project management in Boeing by helping the project team manage the funds set aside for a project. It will also improve discipline among project teams by ensuring that projects are completed within the required timeline and in line with project specifications and budget. Boeing could also use project oversight to reduce project delays. Project delays in large organizations like Boeing may be caused by organization politics interfering with project funding and specifications agreements. Project oversight ensures that organization politics do not affect the project because the oversight team does not require top management’s approval to implement decisions within the project. Future project management in Boeing can also be improved by using project oversight to monitor the project’s progress and ensure it is completed on time. The company may create milestones for the oversight team and require the team to provide weekly updates on the project’s progress to ensure it is headed in the right direction.

Conclusion

Project management is essential in every organization because it supports its growth by guaranteeing that projects are completed successfully. Organizations are recognizing the need to involve third parties with expertise in project management to complete projects hence the prevalence of project oversight. Organizations can benefit from project oversight through faster completion of projects and high project success rates. Project oversight also improves the performance of project managers and makes their work easier in project monitoring and management of the project team. Project oversight is also anticipated to improve future project management by improving risk management and scheduling. It will also play a significant role in enabling Boeing to reduce delays and ensure that project budgets are met.

References

Hill, G. M. (2013). The complete project management office handbook (3rd ed.). CRC Press.

Kubba, S. (2010). Project cost breakdown. Green Construction Project Management and Cost Oversight, 267-303. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-1-85617-676-7.00007-5

Marshall, H. (2022). The project oversight guide: An owner’s guide to oversight of capital projects, project teams, and general contractors for delivering the expected return on your investment. Universal-Publishers.

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Question

Write a 700- to 1,050-word executive summary to the leadership team of a specific organization that you select answering the following:
What is project oversight in your selected organization?

Boeing Project Oversight

How will project oversight impact the organization that you selected?
How will project oversight impact the project manager in your selected organization?
What is the importance of project oversight to the future of project management in your selected organization?
Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:
Applying a project retrospective ensures the organization learns from each project.
Discuss the process to ensure future projects are conducted and implemented in an increasingly efficient manner. What are some of the effective practices in project oversight?

Boeing Project Oversight