Society for Human Resource Management.|My course tutor

Posted: March 7th, 2023

Final Exam Case Study

Please read ALL directions below before starting your final assignment.

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Read the entire case study carefully and then respond to all

questions in each of the four scenarios.

• Develop each answer to the fullest extent possible,

including in-text citations from course resources in

weeks 1 – 7, where applicable, to support your arguments.

• Submit your assignment as a separate MS Word document

in your assignments folder. Do not type your answers

into the case study document. o Include a Cover Page

with Name, Date, and Title of Assignment.

o Do not include the original question. Use the

following format: Scenario 1: question 1, etc. o

Each response should be written in complete

sentences, double-spaced and spell-checked. Use

12-point Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins

on all sides.

o Include page numbers according to APA formatting

guidelines.

o Include references in APA format at the end of each

answer.

• You must submit to the assignment link by the due date

(final day of class). A missing assignment will be assigned

a grade of 0.

2 © 2008 Society for Human Resource Management. Marcia R. Gibson, Ed.D.

Introduction and Organization

Overview DRA Performance Solutions (DRA PS) was founded in 1992 with the goal to improve human performance

using multiple technology avenues.

To improve human performance, DRA PS makes recommendations about how to change

work environments to improve employee performance, motivation and morale; and develops

courseware for skill improvement.

The Training Solutions Division of DRA PS develops the courseware products.

Revenue for past year: $25 million.

Revenue for the Training Solutions Division for the past year: $10 million.

DRA PS total workforce: 650 employees, 260 of whom are employed in the Training Solutions

Division.

Case Study Background The Training Solutions Division (TSD) of DRA PS was recently awarded a $6 million contract

to develop a training academy for BTA, a United States government organization with highly

educated personnel. The contract is for 36 months. The academy must be up and running in

three months and the first classroom course offered at the start of the fourth month.

TSD must develop the following before the first classroom course is offered:

a. A project plan and timeline for the academy’s development, including web site design and launch,

course development and repeat course cycles.

b. Paper-based training and educational products.

c. Web-based training and educational products.

d. Digitized video training and educational products.

© 2008 Society for Human Resource Management. Marcia R. Gibson, Ed.D. 3

e. Marketing brochures, posters and e-mail announcements.

f. Event logistics plans.

g. Delivery schedules for 15 courses.

h. Training analyses for the first and second courses.

i. Instructional design plans.

j. An instructor’s guide, participant manual and PowerPoint presentation with a variety of multimedia

components such as graphics, animations and videos for the first course.

k. An examination for the first course.

The training academy will be completely virtual. All academy marketing, courses and

attendee registration will occur online. In addition, the academy web site will house course

materials and records for attendee access, and an interactive forum for academy member

collaboration.

The contract requires TSD to develop 15 classroom-based courses that are highly

interactive and use innovative multimedia approaches. After all the courses are developed

and delivered one time, they will be repeated during the last year of the three-year project.

Project Phases Project development will occur in two phases:

Phase 1: Create the training academy (3 months). Implement

organizational structure.

Develop and launch web site.

Develop and implement branding for the academy.

Develop and distribute marketing materials.

Develop the first course.

Deliver the first course.

Begin development of the second course through the analysis phase.

4 © 2008 Society for Human Resource Management. Marcia R. Gibson, Ed.D.

Phase 2: Maintain academy operations, develop and implement remaining courses, and offer

repeat sessions (2 years and 9 months). Complete development of the second course.

Deliver the second course.

Implement development schedule for the next 13 courses.

Offer repeat courses during last year of the contract. Continue to manage the

academy, maintain the web site and market the courses.

Organizational Structure DRA PS’s current organizational structure:

© 2008 Society for Human Resource Management. Marcia R. Gibson, Ed.D. 5

The Training Solutions Division is a matrix organization* divided into the following branches:

Project Management

6 © 2008 Society for Human Resource Management. Marcia R. Gibson, Ed.D.

Instructional Design

Graphic Design

Programming

Document Production

Logistics

Multimedia

* A matrix organization uses a multiple chain‐of‐command system. In a matrix organization, employees typically report to

a manager with profit or overall project responsibility and to their functional manager who is responsible for maintaining

product quality and functional performance.

Current TSD Staffing All 260 employees in the Training Solutions Division are already assigned to projects. The new

contract will require TSD to determine how many employees they will need for each division

branch and for each project. They will need to take into account when current

projects are ending; who can be moved from those projects to the new project; and how many

new employees will be needed.

Scenario 1: Increasing Staff to

Complete the First Phase

Read the Introduction of DRA PS.

© 2008 Society for Human Resource Management. Marcia R. Gibson, Ed.D. 7

Additional Scenario Information MRG HPI Policies and Guidelines for Assigning Employees to

Projects

DRA PS is committed to maintaining a highly qualified talent pool. Therefore, all DRA PS

employees must be considered for new work opportunities before being terminated due to lack

of an available, relevant assignment.

New employees must be hired to support existing workloads. Full-time position requests must

include verification of the project assignment; a budget to support the position; and the

duration of the assignment. If project will be short in duration, term hires must be considered

or even the use of a consultant or subcontractor.

The addition of a new position requires written approval from the project manager, branch

chief, the vice president of the Training Solutions Division, the chief operating officer, the chief

financial officer and the vice president of Human Resources.

Subcontractor hiring requires written approval from the project manager, branch chief, of the

vice president of the Training Solutions Division, the vice president of Contracts, the chief

operating officer, the chief financial officer and the vice president of Human Resources.

Staff reassignments require written approval from the branch chief, the vice president of

the Training Solutions Division, the chief operating officer, the chief financial officer, the

vice president of Human Resources and the chief executive officer.

Answer the following:

1. What are some of the positions you may need to recruit? Why?

2. What are the existing recruitment policies and guidelines and what challenges may they cause?

3. How will you meet those challenges?

4. What is your recruitment strategy?

8 © 2008 Society for Human Resource Management. Marcia R. Gibson, Ed.D.

Scenario 2: The Effect of Firing the

Program Manager on Staffing for the

Second Phase of the Project

Read the Introduction of DRA PS.

Additional Scenario Information

Work is well underway. A Task Management Educational Plan is being written to

articulate the scope, work breakdown, processes, schedules and assignments at each project

phase. This plan must be done within the first month of the project start date. DRA PS

hired a new program manager from outside the organization to oversee the new project.

DRA PS hired her based on her college degree and years of experience in the field and

needs her to get up to speed quickly. An existing program manager who worked on the

project proposal and who has met the client is assigned the project’s principal instructional

designer.

SOLUTION

Answer 1: The new contract with BTA may result in various staffing issues for the Training Solutions Division of DRA PS. As the contract requires the academy to be up and running within nine months, the Training Solutions Division may face a shortage of staff with the required skills and expertise to develop and deliver the necessary training courses. The division may also need to hire additional staff to ensure that the academy is fully operational within the deadline.