Will time constraints be a significant issue? If so, what are the time constraints and what would a realistic schedule look like?.
Will cost be an issue? If so, who is responsible in determining budgets?.
What types of resources and technology will be utilized throughout the research process?.
What would a realistic contingency plan consist of and who would be responsible in determining the appropriate contingency plan?.
Who will evaluate the final results and what will be the basis for distinguishing correct versus incorrect results of the research?.
Subsequent to listing the apparent questions, they were analyzed and sorted by cost, time restraints, significance and urgency, in that respective but flexible order. Upon answering the questions, the best method of researching restructure and standardization of the bank was to form an internal group of nine employees, working full-time, who encompass one to three years of experience with the bank, have previously worked as an authority figure within the retail system of a larger and more established bank, have a network of resources to depend upon for research guidance, and have proved themselves to be highly independently motivated. The monitoring, budgeting and evaluating was decided to be the responsibility of the Executive Vice President of Operations and the Executive Vice President of Retail Administration, with the final approval to be completed by the Board of Directors. .
To begin the actual research, the project group was split into three separate teams (three people to each team) with the initial goal of constructing a project list of noticeable issues demanding more immediate correction and the reasoning behind the chosen issues thought to require correction. The team members were encouraged to use all logical means necessary in finding specified operational issues within two primary zones: the policy and procedures within each retail branch and the policy and procedures within the backroom operations area.