A change in a social system such as semi-autonomous work team can be conducted in both ways - change management and
project management - according to literature. This work developed a simplified project management methodology to
implement self-management cells that are a type of organization in which employee groups are in charge of a complete
sequence of work in the production process of goods for internal or external clients. The objective is to adapt a methodology
used in project management as a way of organizing change to allow the empowerment of the workers in the manufacturing
cells, through identifying the requirements for implementation and assessment of the self-directed concept. This work is a
result of nine years of research-action methodology applied to a self-management cell in an auto parts manufacturing company
and accomplished the implementation of semi-autonomous work teams. Improvements were achieved in logistics and
inventory reduction, both for parts and for machining tools. The financial consequences of these improvements showed a
break-even of the invested amount within 8 months.