Foundation Schools Program Management Plan

Problem Solution: Foundation Schools

Effective project managers are skilled at acquiring and exercising a wide range of influence. They use this influence and a highly interactive management style to monitor project performance and initiate appropriate changes in project plans and direction. One way to successfully manage a project is to build a cooperative network among divergent allies in which ideas and services are exchanged one for another. In the Foundation Schools scenario, the organization has created an aggressive campaign for creating growth but an integral part of the organization’s effort revolves around the need to analyze data against project goals and determine if those goals have been met. The entire operational structure of Foundation Schools is built upon direct interaction (teacher to student, teacher to teacher, management to teacher, board to management, etc.); inherent in this type of organization is the struggle to control or influence the behavior of others. The program management plan presented in this paper will detail a simple, yet thorough, process for project implementation which satisfies the Foundation Schools mission and its strategic growth plan.

Describe the Situation

Issue and Opportunity Identification

As mentioned in the scenario, Foundation Schools is the largest provider of special needs education in the United States and has managed to meet its financial targets in the last two years. To remain competitive and provide low cost education options for its member communities, Foundation Schools must determine additional ways to increase funding without a major increase in tuition. This can be accomplished through the use of a strategic management process. Strategic management is the process of assessing what we are and deciding and implementing "what we intend to be and how we are going to get there.” Strategy describes how an organization intends to compete with the resources available in the existing and perceived...