Managing a project in the US marines

During amphibious operations, the United States Marine Corps is one of the armed units that collaborates with the navy. Depending on the roles involved, conducting such activities may take place on land or at sea. The duties of marines include maintaining order and discipline onboard ships and providing troops to support naval objectives (Green 1998). Delivering high-quality services is required because the nature of the marines' work is hard and occasionally dangerous. Therefore, cancellation occurs each month to aid those who are impacted and provide encouragement for promotions. As a result, the website designed for the US Marines to facilitate counseling is included in this project plan. A website comprises of several related web pages that are identifiable by a common domain name. The website dictated in this project plan is a private site and thus, online proprietary tools are the builder in its creation. The web pages will hold updated information regarding promotions, to reduce the number of shallow counseling cases that the available counselors handle. The fewer the cases, the better the focus on most challenging cases, which will help the forces retain quality personnel. Therefore, the website must be easy. Easier accessibility to these career resources is time-saving. Information should be accessible on laptops and mobile phones as well for convenience; the software used should be supported by mobile operating systems. These demands require outsourcing the website builders from international web hosting firms from several countries to attain perfection.

Countries Selected

The inputs for this project include new laptops, a new server and the website. The project team is considering outsourcing these inputs from Japan, China, and Germany. The selection of these three countries is based on their reputation in matters concerning technology. Moreover, they are among the United States’ competitors globally in technological innovations, which suggests that their products are worth trying. Germany was among the first countries to indulge in the industrial revolution. Therefore, one of its strengths is authenticity. Among the electronics that Germany produces, smartphones production has increased as the 21st-century proceeds. Manufacture of these devices is dependent upon the world’s best designers and engineers that the country employs. Therefore, products are durable and quality assured. Manufacture of these phones involves installation of operating systems that support a majority of softwares. Hence, employment of website developers from Germany guarantees that the website will be accessible through mobile phones. Similarly, Japan is known for the production of good quality and affordable laptops. Therefore, it is possible to get the required number, at the price indicated in the budget. Moreover, the laptops’ software is updated as new technology emerges in and around Japan; hence there is a high possibility of getting the devices in great shape. China’s technological innovation has proven to produce computers with great storage and speed capacity. Therefore, the project team is depending on it for the provision of a server with a high speed. The project team is confident in China, Germany, and Japan based on their earnings from high technology exports globally; 560, 193 and 105 trillion U.S dollars, respectively.

Elements to Learn

Before making the necessary steps in acquiring the inputs, the project team needs to study these nations and learn several things. China, Germany, and Japan are U.S competitors. So it is important to know their willingness to commit to the United States in the delivery of these variables. Commitment encompasses reliability, availability, and punctuality. Reliability entails the countries’ ability to adhere to instructions provided regarding product quality. Availability and punctuality are priorities because the project has a specific timeline. The nations’ availability to make corrections in case errors arise in the testing phase should be determined as well. A budget is in place and therefore, consideration of costs is relevant. The most important element to learn is confidentiality. The United States does not wish to share its plan to better its marines. Hence, confidentiality should be assured. The project team understands that guarding national security secrets is one of U. S priorities because of the many enemies it has. A mutual understanding of these elements is crucial to the success of the project.

Repairing Suppler-Customer Relationship

During the outsourcing process, misunderstandings may take place between the project team members and the supplier company. Unfortunately, exchange of insulting words may take place in the process. In a such a scenario, it is a priority to salvage the business relationship for the sake of the project. Therefore, necessary steps include acknowledgment of past mistakes, identification of the problem cause, taking corrective actions and monitoring the results (Sheth, Parvatiyar & Shainesh 2001). If both sides are wrong, apologies should be exchanged; an outsider mediator may help achieve this goal. The root of the problem presents itself in the acknowledgment of mistakes. Corrective measures are fundamental in ensuring that the same problem causes do not recur. The positive results of reconciliation and adhering to corrective measures require monitoring as well. Additionally, maintenance of the business relationship is crucial because of an unpredictable future. The project team may require more services in the future. Therefore, a healthy business relationship after reconciliation guarantees better successful business deals later.

References

Green, M. (1998). The United States Marine Corps. Mankato, Minn: Capstone High/Low Books.
Sheth, J. N., Parvatiyar, A., & Shainesh, G. (2001). Customer relationship management: Emerging concepts, tools, and applications. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Pub. Co.