Project Management: Case Studies
Added on 2021-05-31
13 Pages4146 Words374 Views
Leadership Management
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Construction Management: Case StudiesNameDate
Question OneIntroductionThe need to have a well thought out and crafted project management plan cannot be stressed further; the concept appears academic but is very crucial for the successful execution and completion of any project. The process of project planning and management constitutes several aspects and stages that must be handled well and professionally, starting with the project plan, budgeting, and project handover upon completion. It projects, for instance, are rated as having the highest rates of failure across all industries (Gupta, 2018), and many projects are generally completed late and over budget, for a variety of reasons. The issue with projects as compared to normal operational activities is that operational activities are repetitive in nature andso the processes can be systemized easily, with expected deliverables achieved. Projects, on the other hand, have start and end dates that are finite, involved mixed teams, are generally unique, and are therefore, more difficult to develop sound processes and methodologies for; they are alsovery difficult to systematize (West, 2018). In this context, this paper discusses the case of the green Company which was developing a new production plant to be used for the production of recycled structural wood elements. To undertake the project, Margo International was hired to supply Polyutherane adhesives as part of the required raw materials for the project. Upon project completion, the Green Company’s new production line was behind schedule by three months andhad a budget overrun of 60%. After a short discussion, the reasons advanced include the project not having a fixed schedule for delivery as well as budget, but the scope was not well understood. This paper discusses why it is important to adequately plan for projects before undertaking them, coupled with a detailed and well defined project scope. The paper also discusses how the project scope should have been handled before work started and after completing the work. Further, the scope change management system is discussed and how it should have been handled to ensure successful project success. Finally, the paper evaluates if the project had a well written project plan.Importance of Proper Project Planning and Scope Statement DevelopmentThe reasons why projects such as the green production project fail are many, varied, and complex; however, getting the project planning phase right before the project commences is one
way to ensure a higher chance of the project being successfully completed within time, scope, and budget. A lack of planning will guarantee the failure of a project; likewise, poor planning will result in the project not being delivered as per its objectives and within the triple constraints of time, scope, and budget. Proper project planning will result in the objectives of the project being achieved (Pheng, 2018, p. 60). The project plan is akin to the blue print for building a house; it must be highly detailed and define exactly how the building will look; when this is followed, the final product will be the envisaged building. All projects have aims and objectives which must be very well written and defined. Well written project aims and objectives is the foundation for a successful project (Avison & Torkzadeh, 2009, p. 92). Every project has its milestones; significant events during the execution of the project. Milestones help in project progress monitoring and allow deadlines to be reevaluated, as well as the project deliverables and the scope. A well written project plan must have milestones that give confidence that the project is on track and within scope (Gollapudi, 2014). A good project plan with milestones is able to compare the current progress with the original aims and objectives; it is almost inevitable that a project will experience or need some changes; a good initial project plan with defined milestones will ensure transition to a new or adjusted plan and scope is smooth, and not adversely affect the overall project aims and objectives or go outside the set time and budget (Andersen, 2006). Good project planning identifies stakeholders, their influence and impact on the project, and helps establish an effective communication plan to keep them involved and ensure continued support for the project. Without this, the chances for a project succeeding reduce significantly. Effective project planning is also important as it creates a contingency plan as well as a risk management plan to deal with unexpected changes and events (Walker & Shelley, 2008, p. 656). Successful projects require the project manager and the project team to clearly understand exactly what needs to be done so the project objectives are achieved; with a clear understanding of what needs to be done, it is easier to map out (plan) how to get there. A project must always stay on track and the easiestway to ensure this is through a detailed and well defined scope for the project. The initial phase of planning a project entails developing the scope and involves drawing a list of all things required to create the project framework. The project framework usually includes project goals, features, deliverables, tasks, functions, costs, and deadlines. Clearly, in the Green Company production line project, the important aspects of costs, deadlines, functions, features, and tasks
were not clearly defined. The scope of a project defines the project objectives, the expected outcomes, any limitations, assumptions, and dependencies; these are crucial for successful execution of projects. After defining the scope, it must be managed effectively, with tight controls on how changes can be made to the project scope. The proper management of a project scope ensures an accurate definition of the project scope and its proper mapping; this makes it possible for the project manager to allocate the requisite resources (labor, costs) to successfully complete the project. This ensures resources are allocated to what forms part of the project scope as originally defined during the initial planning phase. Effective management of a project scope entails planning to capture and define the work that has to be done, controlling which is a crucial step in managing the project scope as it focuses on handling scope creep, documentation, tracking and approvals/ disapprovals of changes; and closing, which entails auditing the deliverables for the project and assessing the original plan outcomes. The scope statement is a document that outlinesand defines the project goals, outcomes, deadlines, and relationships that shape its delivery. The scope should have specific elements that include the business case, a description of the project, and criteria for success, limitations, and assumptions. In the Green Company project, the project was not clearly described, and too many assumptions were made with success criteria not being clearly defined. Inevitably, the project failed because planning and scope management were not done as well as should have been done. The preceding discussions highlight the importance of proper project planning and scope management practices to successfully complete projects. Feasibility Study and the Green Company ProjectA feasibility study is an assessment of a proposed method, plan, or activity; the Green Company had a proposal to build a new production plant for manufacturing recycled structural wood elements and this required the plan to be objectively and exhaustively assessed. When industrial and engineering firms contemplate an expansion or a new project (like the Green Company did), several questions always come to the fore. Can profitability be achieved under various sets of circumstances? Is a certain configuration practical for meeting a series of end goals? Will there be interferences that can lead to drastic changes? These questions and issues are inevitable in such projects, from the upstream to the downstream, and as such, feasibility studies (Front End Loading –FEL) must be performed. All projects and undertakings are subject
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