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Case Study

Adecco: Project management masterclass (B)

By Carlos Cordon and Edwin Wellian

7 pages

May 2020

Reference: IMD-7-2183

The B case starts in June 2019 – at the project deadline – and looks back at the challenges and actions taken during the previous 18 months. The outgoing provider did not make it easy for Adecco, and the new provider had a different style of working, which Adecco’s IT organization found hard to get used to. Keeping the project on track and the momentum going was the main challenge for the project manager. He had to keep around 250 internal Adecco resources engaged and motivated during this period and keep them focused on completing all tasks on time. In addition to this, he had to control his €46 million budget and ensure that the countries did not experience any unplanned outages during the migration. After reading and discussing the A and B cases, participants will discover that the project manager applied some unconventional methods on top of the “standard” project management steps, something that is seldom seen in IT projects of a similar size and scope. The realization that this is not a typical IT project after all makes this case series all the more interesting for project management lectures and class discussion.

Learning Objective

To demonstrate the importance of leading with purpose when an organization has to execute a large transformation project.
To illustrate what actions can be taken to keep the momentum going for a long-term project and how to create a winning team spirit.
To highlight the different options that can be applied to secure a successful outcome of a complex international project.

Keywords

Operations, Project Management, Leadership Competence, Business Partnering, Project, Project Planning, Supplier Relationship, Change Management, Team, Outsourcing, Contract, Digital Transformation, Information Technology Infrastructure, Cloud Computing

Settings

World/global, Switzerland
Adecco, Business Management Services, Human Resources
2016 - 2019

Available Languages

English

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This case study is part of a series

Adecco: Project management masterclass (A)
Adecco: Project management masterclass (B)

This case study is part of a series

Adecco: Project management masterclass (A)
Adecco: Project management masterclass (B)

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