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A Rush to Failure Essay

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MBA 523 A Rush to Failure Case The Canadian Aeronautics Administration (CAA) has commissioned two contracting companies, Hollenbeck Aircraft and Eskina Software Systems, to build a set of giant robotic arms known as Retractable Extended-Arms Compatible Holder, or REACH, for the International Space Station. The REACH project has a deadline of six years. It has been noted that under normal circumstances the project would take around 10 years but there are time constraints due to political pressure in the form of threats to cut funding to the CAA and deadlines for construction on the space station itself. The time constraints have been of the utmost importance to the project. But, while the contractors have maintained the deadlines, …show more content…

“There is absolutely no reason why the contractors shouldn’t be able to give us rapid product development and flawless products—speed and quality both,” said MacDonagle. MacDonagle says this while he is in a frantic state. He is getting ready to give yet another press conference about the $1.2 billion project and is unsure whether or not he will be able to show them any results. The media has been focusing on the project as a disaster because there have been numerous glitches with the software, motors and circuits. While the contractors have achieved getting the arms attached to the space station there is much uncertainty as to whether they will function due to these previous glitches. Due to MacDonagle’s high pressure situation, it is possible that he is overlooking numerous reasons why the contractors may not be able to produce both speed and quality in the project. It has not been completely established if the time frame is actually feasible for the contractors since it is noted that this typically takes 10 years not six. Additionally, the contractors are working in an unorthodox way that is called parallel development for the REACH project. Parallel development means that many of the projects phases were working simultaneously. Sometimes the next step would start before the previous one was even 50% of the way complete. This method helps to speed up the development by reducing bottlenecks in production lines

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