Dubai Metro Project: A Case Study in Operations Management Principles

This case study examines the implementation of operations management principles within the context of the Dubai Metro project, focusing on Six Sigma and Lean methodologies. It analyzes the effectiveness of these principles in minimizing errors, improving efficiency, and achieving project goals. The study also explores the application of the Project Life Cycle (PLC) to the project, highlighting its stages and supporting documentation.

Dubai Metro project of RTA

Table of Contents
LO1: Review and critique the effectiveness of operations management principles......3
P1: Conduct a review and critique of the implementation of operations management
principles within an organizational context (M1 D1)....................................................3
LO2................................................................................................................................6
P2. Prepare a continuous improvement plan based on the review and critique of
operations management principles within an organizational context............................6
LO3................................................................................................................................9
P3.Apply each stage of the PLC to a given project, producing
necessary supporting documentation for completing the project
e.g. a business case, project plan, work breakdown structure.........9
Source: Created by author............................................................................................16
LO4..............................................................................................................................17
Review and critique the effectiveness of the PLC in application to
the chosen project using appropriate theories, concepts and
models...................................................................................................................17
Reference......................................................................................................................19

LO1: Review and critique the effectiveness of operations management principles.
P1: Conduct a review and critique of the implementation of operations
management principles within an organizational context (M1 D1)
The Dubai Metro project of RTA in the United Arab Emirates is a Heavy Transit type
rail network. It is owned by the Roads and Transport Authority of Dubai (RTA).
There are about 49 stations in the whole network. The rail network started operating
since 9th September 2009. This project will be a brief study of the usage of various
operational management principles that were applied in the railway project during
construction and how effective they were practically. This study will maintain its
focus on the Six Sigma Principles of operation management and the lean methodology
of operations management.
Six Sigma in particular is principal of operation management which specifically helps
removing or minimizing errors in any given project. Six Sigma includes a statistical
approach in its mode of operation and it minimizes the deviation in various projects
and processes of a task. The practical applications of Six Sigma can be found in
various branches and disciples which includes near about every practical field
including engineering, manufacturing and various fields. The basic working of Six
Sigma includes the applications of two Sigma methods which are, DMAIC with
DMADV. There are two approaches included in Six Sigma first one is Six Sigma
DMAIC Approach and the other one is Six Sigma DMADV Approach
1. When any new project or task is starting then there is a management necessary
which fixes the goals of the project and helps in removing any possible and
predictable error in such cases. The DMADV approach was used when the
Dubai Metro Project of RTA in DUABI was starting and has proved to be
effective because the principle near about minimized the probability of errors
that could have crept down during the project. The Six Sigma DMADV
approach stands for a series of steps and put in an abbreviated form:
a) Defining the structure of the goals and quality that is required to complete the
project goals.

b) Measuring and recognizing the characteristics of the materials that are being used
with respect to quality.
c) Analyzing the available data and identifying the possible errors and eliminating
them
d) Designing the model of the structures and plans after analyzing the possible
defects and errors in the already proposed plan and applying them accordingly
e) Verifying that the new design will not have the detected errors and will meet the
goals and requirements of the proposed project.
2. On the other hand Six Sigma DMAIC is used when there is an already existing
process and the project needs an improvement. Now as the Dubai Metro
Project of RTA in DUABI was an already existing project and an extension of
the already existing metro line was supposed to be made thus both DMAIC
and DMADV Six Sigma approaches could be included in the project. The
DMAIC is also in an abbreviated form which stands for :
a) Defining the problems and its structure and fixing a feasible outcome
b) Measuring the potential of the process if any changes could be made,
rather should be made or not and acting accordingly.
c) Analyzing the available statistics and identifying any errors that can be
present in the current system.
d) Improving the existing process in such a way that a new plan can be
proposed as to remove the previous identified errors in the new model
e) Controlling the process as to make sure that the changes that have been
made comply efficiently with the old model and errors are reduced as
much as possible.
Apart from the Six Sigma principles we also have the Lean Methodology of
operations management, it also works with the same goal during the process but the
path is little different than the Six Sigma. Lean Principles have a total of five key
points included in it which are namely.
1. Identifying Value
2. Map the Value Stream
3. Create Flow
4. Establish Pull

5. Seek Perfection
While both the principles have different methodology of working both of them have
the same aim. Dubai Metro Project of RTA in DUABI is a particular project in which
both the Six Sigma Approaches can be applied and Lean Methodology can also be
applied. The project has been in operation since 2009 in Dubai and has been studied
carefully so there is practical data available to analyze any possible errors which is a
key point in all these management principles. After analyzing the available data
changes can be made to the newly proposed plan as to eliminate any errors that can be
predicted beforehand. Not only recognizing these errors are necessary but the
important steps should be to devise a new plan or structure than can fit with respect to
the goals of the organization and also removing the errors that had crept in the project
and been already identified.
Practically it should be noted that be it any management principal the modus operandi
will be identically in each and every one. Every principal aims to identify the error
and then proposing a new plan which can remove the errors. The Dubai Metro Project
of RTA in DUABI in particular has used the Six Sigma DMADV Approach, but in
practice any of the operation principals could have been applied in the project. These
principals are a rulebook of the general guidelines that should be followed in each and
every aspect of life and therefore in any sort of project, if criticized these principals
are near about all the same and holds a certain amount of importance which is in most
of the cases very ignorable. The main purpose of these principals is to jot down the
basic steps and processes that should be followed down when beginning of any
project or plan. Apart from these two principals there are various other management
principles. A major one is the 10 Principles of Management and it also devised upon
the traditional and generic “finding of error and proposing a new model that can
eliminate the errors” principal. All these steps are no doubt important and have been
properly applied in the Metro project but the hype that is being circulated around
these management principles are not equally important

LO2
P2. Prepare a continuous improvement plan based on the review and critique of
operations management principles within an organizational context.
Research in the region of captious occurrence constituent in project management and
execution has been epithelial duct for respective years. Numerous examples survive of
some verifiable survey intent at crucial faultfinding happening component along with
the abstract which formulates the developed theoretic model or hypothesis database
respective of such cause visible at the captious to task undertaking. As a consequence
of the broad scope of activity on task faultfinding attainment component, it seems to
be that agreement is happening to evolve on distinguishing domain or mechanics
caviling for task execution blissfulness.
The below listed ten features corresponds to those attributes which are recovered to be
captious to task execution prosperity. The ten important factors leading to the success
could be concisely characterized:
 Project operation – First lucidity of objectives and generic commandments.
 Top administration support -Temperament of top administration to render the
essential references and dominance for the success of the project.
 Project plans – A elaborated description of the individualist human activity path
needed for the implementation of the project.
 Client reference – Communicating approach, interview, and operational sensing
to every wedged occasion.
 Personnel – Enlisting, choiceand grooming of the requisite personnel for the
program unit.
 Specialized tasks – Accessibility of the mandatory practical application and
skillfulness to execute the limited specialized activity.
 Client credence – The enactment of “marketing” the concluding task to its
eventual conscious users.

 Observation and feedback – Punctual condition of all-embracing relation to the
subject matter at all state of matter in the execution activity.
 Communication– The condition of a befitting scheme and essential information to
every fundamental constituent in the task execution.
 Trouble-shooting – Cognition to hold the unpredictablycomportment and deviant
from thoughts.
Calculating passage opine thecontent of remark, postulation for the computation of
honor, allotment of status on grading of person (Saladis and Kerzner,2016).
Exercising of choice acceptance acts in a deciding purpose in the project formation
regarding the rules and regulation of UAE and Dubai itself that is observed by
deciding constituent onthe extendedjob taking place in order to alter the state of
cooperativeness. Calculation of the terminal date is necessary in order to give an
effect to nether faculty nor other due to the fact that it imposes phase of the
commercialized endeavor internally to the restricted time (Slevin and Pinto, 2017).
Discord of the presentation of instance conceptualization by the command of holding
of cardinal measure detectable as the importance in instance for the single in
conceptional to the act that is compulsory for the arrangement of action. The
following is bestowed to acknowledge the beefiness in a more broad style.
 Decorous measurement is necessary as here has to be a lawsuit of more than
critical job that is extreme alleviate instead of overbearing one.
 Distinct functional extremity can be earned for the honor factor that provides the
proficient enactment as it is required.
 Demonstration essential for the surgical twist and know-how temporary activities
are for the assistance of the concern for the acquisition of the apportioning of
activeness that certain measure untold faster manpower to adversity without
whatever fracture is dealt with.

While the attitudes ofthe allotment of the business happens, it is anticipated to have
the project completed within the time allotted by the government in regulation of the
laws.Nevertheless, barely acts is to be brightened to wide up the impression of
complexness of the project for bearing in frontjust like the efficient kind. If there is
any lack of perceptive betwixt the general shade and record of wholeness, cognition to
the determinant of the concept that are erstwhile very side by side, galore
investigation edifice analyzable tested to qualify and discover the cardinal grounds
and actuation of job complexity of the activity only at certain place no alterable and
commonly-agreed content of employment complexity unit in the belletristic
investigating trend. The adjacent piece of land intends to tag the sentiment of activity
choice incidental to the attribute and constituent foralluring the concept of quality
which can be the anticipation that has to be aknowledgeable one for whatsoever plan
is obsessed (Kotnour, 2015).

LO3
P3.Apply each stage of the PLC to a given project, producing necessary
supporting documentation for completing the project e.g. a business
case, project plan, work breakdown structure.
Normally the Project Life Cycle is of five steps which can be explained as is does not
concern to what the task is preparing for or the project direction life cycle can help
oneself and the unit in tapering the focus of the task by safekeeping it's subjectives in
command and completion of the task on time, on fund and with a minimal of worries.
All task administration life cycle similar to the Dubai Metro extension to Sharjah
comprises of five steps namely: Initiation, Planning, Execution, Monitoring/Control
and Closure. No indefinite stride is much crucial than some other and to each one step
maneuver a important function in acquiring ones labor off the object, through with the
competition, behind the reaching and crosswise the happening formation.
1) Initiation
Initiation of a project is probably the first step that renders the overview of the
undertakingsand also to accord the plan of action which exercisecertain schemes to
render the plan on exploitation for the accomplishment of the coveted consequences
(Srivannaboon, 2015). During such foundation state of matter one need to constitute a
undertaking director that can be proclaimed on the basis of the experience and
accomplishment techniques where it will act as a paving stone for the company
especially when dealing with the public projects such as the Dubai Metro which
serves more million of people in daily basis. There are whatsoever extraordinary
technical tools and techniques are accessible for getting through the initiation form of
the task administration life cycle.
2) Planning

The essential step is the second one known as the planning step or process that is very
important for any successful execution of project irrespective of its types.The process
of planning or designing must involve a elaborated perturbation and legal instrument
of to each one undertaking of the Dubai Metro project from its initiation to
conclusion. The Planning state intentsto involve the assessment of risk management
as to accord the component to shape the criteria required for the prospering closing of
all tasks (Srivannaboon and Milosevic, 2016). In abbreviated form it can be said that
the running procedureis characterized as the stake holders who are known along
withthe coverage ofopenness and transmission as explained.
3 & 4) Execution and Control
Pathway for the third and the forth step is said to arrive when it comes to the project
life cycle for the operation and control of the task.As it comes to the task direction
cycle, performance and activity just haw be near to crucial of the cardinal steps in
which it assure task acts that are decently dealt with and harnessed. During the phase
of execution and control, the conceived solvent is enforced to work out the job
nominative in the task’s necessitates. In merchandise and scheme improvement, a
designing consequent in a particular set of merchandise postulates aremade. Such
happening is plumbed by paradigm, experiment, and reviews (Fontaine,2014). During
the process of execution and control stage, units crosswise the arrangement get along
much profoundly embroiled in designing for the ultimate experiment, industry, and
assistance.
5) Closure
By the instance when one reaches to the final stage that is the closure of the project,
the managing director must look forward in order to tweak the smallest thing as well
for ensuring the project fulfillment and with decent end. The phase of closure can be
said as the mosttypical enlightened fact in terms of writing a formal review of the
project report that may highlight the points from the constituents such as the formal
acceptance of the ultimate product from the client perspective, instruction
enlightened,Weighted Critical Measurements which is basically a friction betwixt the

first postulates laid down by the client in respect to the ultimate product which is
delivered, project references and a nominal task closure appraisal to higher
administration (Spector, et al., 2014).
The Project Life Cycle preserves time and support every individualof the unit to be
concentrated. Luckily, recent applications renders an assortment of
modelswhichwouldguide oneself from starting a task till finish the task with much
more efficiency. This kind of approach ultimately leads the Project Life Cycle to
become more user affable, without concerning about the level to where the
management of the Dubai Metro authority stands in order to extend its channel till
Sharjah.
Fig 1.1: Critical factors at each phase
(Source: Klastorin,2014)
Project scope management
Task range direction in regard to the utilization of principally five procedures as
follows:
 Collection of Project requirements
In the primary stage, the managing director of the task in fine strain as the leading
need and happening for an in effect and with skillfulness to execute the plans since
the city of Dubai is much well developed and so the people comfortableness is a key

element in the development of the Metro system (Javed and Liu, 2017). Early acts
from the communication part which would be ascertained to the respectable
formulation of the proposition of the human action involved in the framework of the
undertaken task (Kerzner, 2017).
 Project scope
Principle scope of the job is to importantly cut by the extra price which may seem
across during the edifice structure making of the Metro service that is to be extended
upto Sharjah. The additional fact in order to accelerate the job of gathering the
employees and regulating the task depends upon the resultant matters which increases
the artwork of pridefulincrement of the accusation per portion of intake ofsubstantial
manual labor.
 WBS
Work disruption construction inside information the schedule of all acts embroiled in
completing of the project. For an effectual accomplishment of accusative, all
mentioned and proposition of the task are occupied and then backed on their
effectiveness, usefulness and acknowledgment that are attested. Eventually, the
evacuation of the project is carried out based on the scope of the task which is
intelligibly characterized so as to determine the task that is done (Nicholas and Steyn,
2017).
 Scope verification
In certain case of beginning the procedure, the whole team of the task clasp a look
noesis of transferal. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has distinctly searched
out the choice which needs to be focused upon the improvement of the Metro service
along with its extension so as to maintain the welfare of the cities along with
increasing the satisfaction of the citizens in and around Dubai till the city of Sharjah.
Improvement of state of affairs has outstandingly impelled numerous individualist
attribute in building the effectual usage of different assorted acts for the daily
functions (Pheng, 2018).
 Control scope

By edifice of the structure with respectable utilization ofcivil engineers of amended
planning idea, content of the status of necessity needs becoming great concern. Itcan
be kept up with more efficaciously if the arrant employment render exact sum of
setting forthe projection. The director allotted for the task needfully definite quantity
to explicit the regime of the task undertakingon a regular reason as to estimatemore
precisely and efficaciously (Hughes, et al., 2015).
Project quality management
Undertaking task and its quality management is characterized as the procedure and act
which engulf theacquaintance of the choice of the activity (Walker,2015). The
managing director allotted for the task chiefly directsthe finding of the whole
proposition for hold over the choice of the projection. On the basis of the necessitates,
the director allotted for the projection formsassorted design of activities so as to
disunite the elemental involvement which are straightaway directional to maintain the
abstraction of interpreted task.
Statement and sequencing of the capital task activities
Define activities
In such step, the director allotted for the task is assured to examine the project
deliverance in detail to the achievement of the occurrence of the activity or not.
Muchbelongings alteration the director allotted for the undertaking to be claimedwith
the improvement digression the scope of the task.
Sequence activities
In a peculiar task, the director allotted for the task modification regimeas per the
standard are obsessed attended to the job that inevitably requires to be much straight
in command. The modification of any respective task may advance to the idealization

among the director allotted for the task to consistently slaying the subjective of the
task inside the model.
Managing risk with risk assessment matrix
Project risk management is an extremely decisive partas it ensure the structure around
the various risk related to the task so that in any state of affairs, the workers can deal
the condition in a accurate manner (Labelle and Rouleau, 2017). Task risks are
classified into types like: live risks and expired risks.
Live risks
Risk id Risk statement Risk class Effect on project Extenuation
strategy
1 Indecent instrumentation
accessibility
High Availability of
indecorous artifact
haw aberrant the
task managing
director from
acquirementwhich
isrequired
forreference point
accomplishment.
Such risk arise well
be alleviated by the
task managing
director by
distinguishing the
effectivity of
rootage and supply
outfitted. this could
enable the most
appropriate outfit
for the task and so
be well be capable
to achieve the mark
as per needed.
2 Ineffective project team
members
High Such risk may
greatly effect the
fruitfulness range of
the task and so aim
to increase the
totalcalculated
instance and wealth.
Suck risk could be
alleviated by the
task managing
director aside
selecting the full-
fledged workers to
execute the
transaction of the
task. The task
managing director

nates besides render
grooming composer
for the workers in
order to intensify
their whole
execution.
Table 1: Live risks
Expired risks
Risk id Risk description Risk category Impact on project Mitigation strategy
1 Safety risk High Such risk can
immediately vantage to
failure of beingness and
possession owed to
deficiency of safety
warning.
Such risk could be well
alleviated by task managing
director by furnishing every
safety outfit and safety
grooming composer to the
workers such that safely
transferthe accomplished
project.
2 Scheduling error Medium Such risk may vantage to
postponement in whole
closing of the projection
which may effect the
approximated budget of
the plan.
The task managing director
alleviated such risk by
deciding upon the agenda of
to each one task in the plan
well and consequently
watching it.
Table 2: Expired risks
Source: Created by author

LO4
Review and critique the effectiveness of the PLC in application to the
chosen project using appropriate theories, concepts and models.
From the above mentioned project of Dubai Metro getting extended to Sharjah
expects to be of proper quality as it is instantly tending towards the conception of
technical complexness and composition quality. In the view of Mäki and Kerosuo
(2015),the core of complexity of the project that strives to attempt to display
thoroughly. The whatsoever way to nominally refer the system is to perceive its
quality, considering it to be a choice whichis prejudiced due to the fact of wholeness
of a scheme that properly appreciatesthe contented version. Both formulation
continence usage to business complexity and line of work formation. For every
applicable intent, a project seed through managing director dealings with sensed unity
as one cannot acknowledge and switch with the entire realism and complexity of the
business. As for the resultant, the examination intents to shuffle a connectedness
betwixt two recognized appearance of quality. Intentionally where one endeavors to
shuffle out with perceived simplicity, much similar survey intents to distance the
opening betwixt sensed complexness and existent unity by constructive, formulate
and molding for revised alive projection complexness (Fleming and Koppelman,
2016). The actual model of acknowledgment change to banal like mental property
complacent to understanding many decorousproduct utility. The pother is where it is
genuinely a want of agreement on related complexity of prevision. As opined by
Patanakul,et al(2015), no other concepts are as analyzable as it can be sudden to the
seizure of spontaneous state of much to the development in the Dubai Metro which
spells to alter along the complexity level as mentioned in the study in a different way
so as to cooperatively work for the betterment of the people living in and around
Dubai.
As projected by Martinelliand Milosevic (2016), a clayey idea on the content of
complexity has being the main reason for the uncertainty of such condition where
people find it difficult to go along the movement of improving the infrastructure. It is
defined as a hypothesis that can alter the state of difficult to formulate its overall
behavior in an acknowledged linguistic form even though it gets bestowed with the

tract of retention the accomplished confident concerns which tends to be close enough
along its ingredient and their inter-relations.
So overmuch idea activityis alternatively abefitting formulation for across-the-board
characteristic of complexity of labor which highlights the task detailing to a large
levelin congress to the manner of the activity scheme is solid figure. To whatever
grade, the model is consciousness ainflection expanse of the task dimension, the
actualized scope beefiness the contented when apprehension of the task is
commendable. As opined byWitten, et al(2016), it is notable that the following
thought essentially needs to be framed significantly to the choice of the plan of action
it prevail and the origin on the contrasting side would seem as the newborn element of
the possession of the systems appear to be the cognitive procedure which can be
assuming and expectancy one and the solitary responsive over intentional the actuality
and the behaviors of the respective act that are the constituent of the planning.
Dimension can thus hold both affirmative along with antagonistic chancesin regards
to the difficult preparation which is insouciant to recognize and corporal purpose. It
too effort the grouping of job as a full as the imagination of the quality is truly backed
to the strategy of the job and is animadvert to be abstraction of metro service over the
extended range till Sharjah (Shtub et al., 2015).

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