Project procurement management

The project manager, Gus, made some mistakes, which would have been avoided if he had taken careful consideration in monitoring the software development by Bob. For instance, Gus personally developed the in-house database and he is fully aware of the application, which is compatible with the required software, Windows XP and not Windows 7. A critical analysis of the case study shows that the incompatibility of the OCR software with the database is not Bob’s fault.
Project Procurement Management principles posit to the effect that the buyer of materials or resources required for the execution of a particular project should clearly outline his or her requirements in order to ensure that they meet the standard expectations. According to Fleming (2003), the project manager has a responsibility to ensure that all project activities are coordinated according to schedule and are in compliance with the desired outcomes. In this particular case, it can be seen that Gus reneged his responsibility of ensuring that Bob develops software that is compatible with the in-house database which he developed. Whilst he is happy about the software, he assumed that Bob will guess the correct application that is compatible with the database, which is not the case. Therefore, Bob has no problem and he is entitled to all his payment for the development of the software.
In this case, Gus should have acted responsibly for the betterment of the organization and the following measures could have been taken. According to Burke (2007), the success of the project is mainly determined by the commitment of the project manager to ensure that all steps involved in the project are carefully implemented.
There was need to give clear instructions such as the desired application to the software developer in order to avoid confusion.
Gus should have made an effort to follow up on the development of the software in order to make sure that it is correct.
Areas for improvement (Orr, 2003):
The buyer must make sure that he or she is buying the correct product
The buyer must understand the terms of the contract
The buyer must clearly state what he or she wants to buy
In order to avoid this situation, both the buyer and the seller must clearly understand the terms of the contract, which is legally binding. According to Gibson (1988), there should be the agreement based on mutual understanding in any given contract, and this principle should always be upheld so as to avoid a situation like the one presented in the case study given above. In brief, it can be noted that there is a need for the project manager to constantly monitor all the developments in a project. Another effective way of doing this is to ensure that there is constant feedback from all parties involved in order to create mutual understanding among them.
References
Burke, R. (2007). Introduction to project management: one small step for the project
manager. London: Burke Publishing.
Fleming, Q. W. (2003). Project Procurement Management: Contracting, Subcontracting,
Teaming. California: FMC Press.
Gibson G. T. R. (1988). Mercantile and company law. Cape Town. JUTA & Co
LTD.
Orr, I. (2003). Advanced project management: A complete guide to the key processes, models
and techniques. London: Kogan Page.