Each student is required to submit an essay (no longer than 1,500 words, excluding a list of references) analysing the case of X: The Foghorn Decision.
Case: X: The Foghorn Decision
The case describes a project at X, Alphabet Inc.’s so-called ‘moonshot factory’. The project – codenamed Foghorn – aimed to develop a carbon-neutral process for converting sea water into fuel. Despite the technical feasibility of the Foghorn process, its expected cost per gallon of fuel produced was significantly higher than the established ‘kill metric’ – the maximum unit cost that the project leader Kathy Hannun and her colleagues had set for continuing the project. Your task is to critically assess project management at X and make recommendations as to the future of Foghorn.
Your answer should cover the following points:
1. What ideas guide the management of projects at X? Drawing on models/theories covered in the module, explicate key principles of project management at X.
2. Regarding the future of Foghorn, what recommendations would you make to X’s senior management if you were the project leader of Foghorn? Critically evaluate the recommendations’ merits and potential issues.
