Ford Motor Company Portfolio Management Plan
PROJ587 Advanced Program Management
Professor Janet Durgin
Prepared by Jennifer Mitchell
February 23, 2013
Table of Contents
Introduction 3 Strategic Plan 3 Strategic Capacity Plan 4 Portfolio Management Process 5 Portfolio Management Process Flow Chart 7 Project Selection 7 Program Management Plan 8 TGW Trend Chart 9 Area/Sources of Conflict 10 Change Management Plan 10 Resource Utilization Plan 12 References 13
Introduction
Ford Motor Company is considered a global automotive industry leader. Ford was able to reinvent themselves to be able to stay ahead of the economic downturns. Ford has continually improved their overall profit and recently started paying
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In order for Ford to be able to move forward and be successful they have had to make decisions that may have been difficult but also allowed them to become more efficient and more competitive in the automotive industry. We all remember when the economy started a downturn that affected many businesses including the automotive industry. Ford had already begun to make changes to ensure that they would be able to remain successful and it set Ford apart from other automakers.
With this new plan Ford made the decision to close some operations and add to others. They had to look at the areas that were continuing to succeed and also areas that were starting to decline allowing them to make the best possible decisions to make sure that Ford would continue to be successful. Ford made changes to their as manufacturing capacity by making it possible to use the same assembly line to manufacture different models of vehicles (Capacity Utilization, n.d.). This made them more flexible and able to adjust to the different needs of customers as they change over the years. Strategic capacity planning doesn’t end here though. For Ford to remain successful they may have to continually make changes to ensure that they are utilizing their resources in the best way possible with the least amount of waste.
Portfolio Management Process
The portfolio management process has several steps or parts to the process. The idea behind portfolio management is to choose
Ford change the way United States was paying their workers. Henry was spending 100 dollars to train each new worker but many only stayed no more than two months then quit. “not only did he put America on wheels he changes the way businessman price their products and paid their workers” (Folsom 6). With everybody getting cuts more and more workers were able to afford his car that they were making. Absenteeism and turnover almost disappeared over night. This method worked that ford was able to organize money to make roads.
Ford Motor Company has been and till the date is known as the king of innovations in the automobile industry. Their research & development department and innovation of interchangeable parts in moving assembly lines resulted in extraordinary global extension for them. They are an old heritage who ruled and still doing impressive jobs in the global automobile market. Some prestigious motor brands are also owned by Ford.
Alan Mulally’s Restructuring of Ford Motor Company Case Study Alan Mulally received an opportunity to turn around one of the most famous brand names in the United States. Ford was struggling; losing more than 12.7 million in 2006 (Nelson p558) and desperately needed a change. Alan Mulally took the challenge, and stated he would do what many thought was impossible at the time – make Ford profitable. He did just that.
Monopolies were on the rise, with the assembly line raising production rates, Ford and Chrysler were able to out-produce their competition, essentially forcing them
Portfolio and project management are similar and sometimes thought of as being one another. Between the project and portfolio management the goals and the intended strategic action is similar. The process between the portfolio management includes and involves the resources that list a process, which includes the evaluation, selection, and prioritization. Portfolio management and strategic management assist with the organizations missions and goals. These lay out the objective in the continuous planning and monitoring that assist with reaching the goals.
The Ford Motor Company, founded in 1903 by Henry Ford, is synonymous with American innovation and capitalism. With iconic branding and revolutionary
Profitability (performance) ratios are used to assess a company’s ability to create equity as compared to its debt and other appropriate expenses created during a particular time frame. A favorable analysis of profitability ratios will reveal that a company’s value is higher than a competitor’s value.
Ford in 2011 is on the rebound, having recovered from the darkest hours in the late 2000s. The company for the company is that many of its competitors are also rebounding, and there are significant long-run changes in the automobile industry. Ford needs to determine a strategy that will take the company through the next decade, and improve the company's competitive position. The company has four of the top fifteen best-selling cars in America, but also needs to set strategy globally, as many of the best automobile growth markets are overseas. Another strategic consideration is that CEO Alan Mulally remains in the process of changing the organizational culture at Ford, which had become stagnant and unresponsive to the changes in the industry environment.
Ford was created in 1903 by Henry Ford in Detroit, MI. He quickly revolutionize the development of the automobile as a product and he also was the visionary behind the assembly line for mass production, and in turn made it possible for automobiles to become more affordable for the average household. Ford had a strong belief in his mission statement, which defines the kind of actions that are needed to fulfill organizational goal. However, Ford also had a vision statement that helped drive its global organization to reach its higher performance levels. Both areas assist in the overall foundation that Ford’s strong beliefs stand on. Both mission and vision statement are factors that solidify the success and strategic direction in the automotive industry.
Ford decided to expand internationally to increase sales, spread production sites, and to increase their research and development. The company believed that economies of scale and supplier flexibility would improve cost efficiency and supplier efficiency. Ford felt that these factors
One of the biggest name brand car dealers that took a hit due to models being behind the new and current models was Pontiac and Saturn which in turn created decrease in sales. The models needed to be removed from the factory assembly lines. This had a huge effect on economy that laid off American civilians and contributed to the unemployment numbers. Toyota and Honda started to take the market by storm, and surpassing some of the American competitors. Once Ford and GMC realized this they knew they had to try a different strategy to overcome the growing market. Ford started to reduce emissions and save on fuel economy with smaller engines with the same amount of speed.
The success of project portfolio management is determined by three key factors. The factors include: flexible structure and freedom of communication, low-cost environmental scanning, and time-paced transition. Projects that involve difficult channels of communication can be very difficult to develop. The projects that involve lots of “red tape” and other levels of administration can hinder them from meeting milestones and can be doomed to fail from the beginning. One of the main keys to a projects success is communication. Pinto writes, “Successful portfolios emerge from environments that foster flexibility and open communication. When project teams are allowed to improvise and experiment on existing product lines, innovative new product ideas are more likely to emerge.” (p. 95). This open communication and flexibility allows team members to voice their concerns when issues arise and allow them to come up with alternatives freely with having to get approval from project leaders or management. The next key to success is low-cost
Ford has improved overall quality and enhanced their brand reputation/recognition. In a 2011 Consumer Reports Survey, Ford scored 144 points, taking 2nd to Toyota with 147 points, which analysts call a “dead heat” score. The survey was based on “safety, quality, value, performance, design/style, technology/innovation, and environmentally friendly/green” (Associated Press 2011). Ford is on the right track and is gaining customer loyalty while increasing market share, which is a winning economic equation.
Ideas introduced in the article assist in understanding Ford’s current situation. Ford reported sharp falls in U.S. auto sales in May 2008. Sales of its most profitable pickups and SUVs suffered the most (“US Auto Sales Slide”). Some of the main
On January 23, 2006, Ford announced its new business strategy, "The Way Forward", which includes resizing the company , dropping some unprofitable and inefficient models, consolidating production lines, shutting factories and eliminating over 30,000 jobs. These cutbacks are in alignment with Ford's approximate 25% decline in U.S. automotive market share since the 1990s.