In: Operations Management
Explain the Quality Management of the Manhattan Project?
The Manhattan Project was born in 1940 in a difficult situation. Driven by the fear of a German atom bomb, the scientists and soldiers of America were working on this project intending to end the war. The Manhattan project was only sustained due to its unique and outstanding project management and strategic implementations.
• The first management aspect of the Manhattan project was its new organizational structure. The project created an unprecedented alliance that brought the resources and brilliancy of leadership together. The way it created the organizational structure at that time has become the functional model for many years. It is considered as the role model for the public-private research development projects even now.
• The unconventional practice was another unique aspect of the Manhattan project of conducting research and development functions. It conducted both the research and production simultaneously because, at that time, the shortage of supply occurred. The compartmentalization of the whole project simplified the project complexity into several parts.
• The human resource department had considerable efforts to make the project work smoother during that tough time. The Manhattan project employed more than two lakh people in the mobilized form of recruitment to maintain the secrecy of the project.
• Project leaders are the gem of any project. An effective leader may have the ability to get the top-notch success in any project, and in the Manhattan project, extraordinary leaders played this role. These leaders had optimistic personalities and had the skill to motivate their employees to get the ultimate results.