IoT-based Underground Water Monitoring Project

This report provides an overview of an IoT-based underground water monitoring project. It includes information on the project background, the purpose of the report, and stakeholders' opinions.

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IoT-based Underground Water Monitoring Project
Report
6/18/2019

IoT-based Underground Water Monitoring Project
Table of Contents
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................2
Project Background...........................................................................................................................2
Purpose of the Report........................................................................................................................3
Stakeholders’ Opinions on Project Outcomes and Deliverables............................................................3
Stakeholders take on the Justification of the Resource Expended for achieving Project Outcomes.......4
Stakeholder Engagement & Associated Issues......................................................................................4
Management of Stakeholder Expectations & process Followed............................................................5
Negotiation of Difference in Stakeholder Requirements.......................................................................6
Techniques used to Plan the Project Scope............................................................................................6
Management of Changes in the Project Scope.......................................................................................7
Integration in the Project Life Cycle......................................................................................................8
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................8
References.............................................................................................................................................9
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IoT-based Underground Water Monitoring Project
Introduction
Project Background
The report is written for IoT-based Underground Water Monitoring project that was carried
out by Sage Automation in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Internet of Things (IoT) is the
technology that provides the ability to create smart systems and applications and inter-
connects several methods, devices, technologies, and gadgets with each other. There is a
common challenge that the water authorities across the globe face. It includes the
management of underground water assets which is a difficult process to carry out. Also, there
is significant cost associated with the process. There is accessibility issues that are associated
the monitoring of underground water assets. Melbourne Water also suffered from the same
challenge and wished to monitor the water levels at over 200 retarding basins. The primary
purpose of monitoring was to make sure that enhanced management of storm-water flows
could be carried out. The residents may be issued with a warning in a timely manner to
handle such disaster situations.
Sage Automation provided the solution to the issue by developing and delivering a low-cost
IoT-based underground water monitoring solution that could effectively monitor 38 retarding
basins that demanded critical attention (Sageautomation, 2019). There were several
components that were involved in this solution, such as RTY-Dataloggers, field sensor
devices, and the cloud-based SCADA service by Sage Automation. All the field work and
activities were executed and managed by ALS Global and these were supported by Sage
Automation. The cloud service called STRATUS was involved for handling interim alarming
and visualisation.
There were certain implementation challenges that come up during the project. For example,
the on-field devices had to be non-powered and non-solar. Such an issue was resolved using
RTU-Dataloggers. There was an external battery attached with it that could easily provide
power for 3-5 years. The solution also demanded secure wireless connectivity and this
requirement was also considered and fulfilled in the solution. The project provided
Melbourne Water to achieve monitoring of 38 retarding basins at low cost and the solution
currently has access to 15,000 data points. Also, there are 3 WebEx clients that are accessible
through STRATUS.
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IoT-based Underground Water Monitoring Project
Purpose of the Report
The project information and success details are collected using interviews as the technique
and these interviews are conducted with the Project Stakeholders. The report brings out the
primary points of discussion to reflect upon the project activities and its outcomes.
Stakeholders’ Opinions on Project Outcomes and Deliverables
The opinions and responses of the stakeholders were collected using interviews as the
technique. The three stakeholders that were interviewed were Melbourne Water’s
Automation Uplift Project Manager, Project Sponsor, and the Chief Contractor associated
with Melbourne Water.
The Project Manager supported the idea of the project and stated that the solution that was
delivered was an ideal solution to resolve the existing set of issues and problems. The Project
Manager also stated that they could carry out the remote monitoring of the underground water
assets and the installation of the secure IT infrastructure was being worked upon to
incorporate further such solutions. He also stated that Sage Automation professionally dealt
with the problem that Melbourne Water was going through and carried out the project in a
step by step manner. The project outcomes and deliverables were as per the expectations and
we could have low cost solution that we could implement to support the current and future
needs (Johansen and Nielsen, 2016).
During the interview process, the Project Sponsor seemed satisfied with the project outcomes
and the way they were delivered. The Project Sponsor stated that the IoT-based solution that
was provided was in accordance with the latest technology and could meet the requirements
of Melbourne Water. The Project Sponsor also stated that Sage Automation worked on the
critical retarding basins in the initial phase that could make sure that immediate needs were
handled first.
The Chief Contractor also supported the same and stated that the expected deliverables were
provided by the project team members. The Chief Contractor also stated that the project
outcomes were provided as per the expectations and there were no gaps witnessed.
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IoT-based Underground Water Monitoring Project
Stakeholders take on the Justification of the Resource Expended for achieving Project
Outcomes
The stakeholders that were interviewed, that is, the Project Manager, Project Sponsor, and
Chief Contractor were well aware of the criticality of the project. Melbourne Water suffered
from various challenges in terms of underground water monitoring and wished to monitor the
water levels at over 200 retarding basins. The primary purpose of monitoring was to make
sure that enhanced management of storm-water flows could be carried out.
The three stakeholders interviewed had information on the human and non-human resources
that were involved and utilized for the project and were satisfied with the same. It can be
justified on the basis of huge project requirements and numerous project activities that had to
be executed to achieve the primary aim of the project. The Project Manager stated during the
interview that the initiation to the closure of the project was made of numerous small to large-
scale activities and there were several tools and equipment along with the team of human
resources necessary to accomplish the same (Tuffley, 2010). The Chief Contractor was aware
of the specific tasks of the on-site resources and the Project Manager was aware of the on-site
and off-site resources. The Project Sponsor also took a keen interest in the project throughout
the project timeline and had the information on the resources being used.
The criticality and requirements of the project justified its need for the human resources and
the non-human resources that were used up in the project.
Stakeholder Engagement & Associated Issues
Sage Automation made sure that the stakeholders were kept involved and were always
engaged throughout the project timeline.
The interview sessions with the stakeholders focussed upon the engagement strategies that
were utilized and the issues that may have come up, if any. The Project Manager stated that
there were communication mechanisms used by Sage Automation to keep him and the other
stakeholders engaged in the project. He informed that there were weekly meetings that took
place that included the members for Sage Automation project team, third-party
representatives, and external project stakeholders. He also provided information on the
reports that were shared with the project stakeholders to keep them engaged and involved.
These included the weekly status reports along with the detailed plans and tracking reports
for the project. All of such communication mechanisms made sure that the stakeholders
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IoT-based Underground Water Monitoring Project
always had information on the real-time project updates (Aakhus and Bzdak, 2015). Sage
Automation conducted the project in a step by step manner and the monitoring and control
activities included the response from all the stakeholders. There was one major issue that
emerged during the stakeholder engagement. Due to the presence of varied stakeholders with
varied demands and expectations, there were issues in stakeholder availability. Due to
unavailability of some of the stakeholders, there were certain sync issues that emerged.
Project Sponsor and the Chief Contractor were satisfied with the stakeholder engagement
strategy that was adopted and stated that they were provided with the real-time updates at all
instances during the project. Project Sponsor believed that there could have been use of social
media communication as well for stakeholder communications as it is the medium that is
currently being utilized by all (Chang, 2014).
Management of Stakeholder Expectations & process Followed
The management of stakeholder expectations was another area that was focussed upon in the
interview. The Project Manager informed that there was a stakeholder map that the
management of Sage Automation prepared with his contribution. The influence, interest, and
contribution of all the stakeholders were determined in this map and there were also
numerous data gathering techniques that were used. The internal and external stakeholders
had different expectations and the phased approach and effective communication were the
two primary processes that were followed.
The Project Sponsor provided information on the management strategies and processes that
were followed by the project team members. The Sponsor stated that there were multiple
rounds of interviews that he participated in to so that the requirements and expectations could
be put across clearly and were understood. Also, there were site visits and analysis sessions
organized with frequent and active communication throughout the project to carry out the
project activities as per the expectations (Rodriguez-Melo and Mansouri, 2011).
The Chief Contractor also focussed on the active communication process that was followed
throughout the project so that the stakeholder requirements and expectations could be
understood and there were no gaps in the process.
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IoT-based Underground Water Monitoring Project
Negotiation of Difference in Stakeholder Requirements
There were several stakeholders involved in the project and it is evident that there must have
been difference in the stakeholder requirements.
The interview process focussed on the negotiation of these differences and the approach that
was undertaken to achieve enhanced stakeholder satisfaction. The Project Manager stated that
there was a stakeholder map that the administration of Sage Automation arranged with his
commitment. The impact, intrigue, and commitment of the considerable number of
stakeholders were resolved in this map and there were additionally various information
gathering procedures that were utilized. The inside and outside stakeholders had various
desires and the staged methodology and compelling communication were the two essential
processes that were pursued. The communication process and the mapping of the needs made
sure that the difference in the requirements was met and the resources were distributed
accordingly (Muller, 2013).
The Chief Contractor’s requirements were different from that of the Project Sponsor.
However, the stakeholder did not have any complaints on the incorporation of the
requirements. He stated that this was because of the communication process that was
followed and the balance that was maintained between the needs. There were no unrealistic
expectations set up and the team succeeded in meeting the requirements. The Project Sponsor
also provided the similar comments regarding the negotiation on the project requirements.
Techniques used to Plan the Project Scope
The project scope was one of the critical areas that had to be managed in the project and it
was necessary from the project management aspects as well.
There were techniques that were followed to manage the project scope. The Project Manager
provided comments on the same and stated that the project scope was managed by classifying
the entire scope in a set of steps and phases. There were resources that were assigned to the
project for each of the activities so that none of the resources were overburdened. Also, the
estimations for the project were made after the project scope was finalized. It was done to
ensure that there were no gaps between the desired and the actual outcomes. These
techniques along with the utilization of the agile approach for project management
contributed towards the handling of the scope of the project (Wearne, 2014).
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IoT-based Underground Water Monitoring Project
The Project Sponsor stated that the scope of the project was defined so that the resources had
the clarity on the activities that were to be covered and the ones that were to be left. The use
of such an approach led to the maintenance of enhanced transparency levels and also made
sure that there were increased levels of understanding maintained all throughout. The scope
was also synced with the other areas of project management so that there were no gaps
observed in the process.
The Chief Contractor also explained the same and stated that the scope was in accordance
with the project requirements. The definition of the project scope was done in such a manner
that the project objectives could be achieved.
Management of Changes in the Project Scope
The interview was being conducted to understand all the areas of the project and changes are
certain in the project tasks and activities.
The interview session focussed on the approach that was followed to manage the changes.
The primary change that came up in the project scope was in terms of the retarding basins
included in the project that were to be covered. The other changes included on-site changes
and developments that had an impact on the rest of the project areas. The Project Manager
told that the team was always ready and had the bandwidth to incorporate such changes. The
estimations were also done keeping such changes in the perspective. Such flexible approach
made sure that there was no negative impact on the project due to the emergence of these
changes in the scope (Martinsuo and Hoverfalt, 2018).
The Project Sponsor informed the use of change planning and management mechanisms that
were utilized in the project of project management. Any of the changes that came up were
informed to the Project Sponsor and was worked upon only when the go-ahead was received.
The internal management analysed all of the aspects of these changes and the Project Sponsor
was then informed about the same with a detailed report.
The Chief Contractor stated that he was involved in the changes that were associated with the
tasks and duties that were assigned to him and his team during the project lifecycle. The
management provided necessary support to make sure that mismanagement of the changes
did not occur and the situation of scope creep could not come up as an outcome (Zhang,
2010).
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IoT-based Underground Water Monitoring Project
Integration in the Project Life Cycle
The interview session then included the level of integration in the project life cycle. The
Project Manager stated that all of the project areas were in sync with each other and
therefore, the desired project outcomes could be achieved. He stated that the project scope
was in sync with the project schedule and costs which were again connected with the risk
management and resource management processes. As a result, the changes did not have any
impact on any of the project areas.
The Project Sponsor also appreciated the integration that could be achieved during the life
cycle of the project. The Project Sponsor stated that from the beginning of the project it was
made sure that none of the project areas or activities was in isolation. The project reports
from different resources and stakeholders were also compiled to make sure that the integrated
project results could be obtained and understood. The flexible approach made it easier to
integrate all the different project areas.
The Chief Contractor also stated that there were no issues around integration at any point in
the project which made it easier to achieve the project success and outcomes.
Conclusion
The project of IoT-based underground water monitoring system was successful and the
response from the stakeholders supports the same. The project goals and objectives could be
achieved by the members of the project team and there was enhanced stakeholder
engagement strategy that was followed. The opinions and responses of the stakeholders were
collected using interviews as the technique. The three stakeholders that were interviewed
were Melbourne Water’s Automation Uplift Project Manager, Project Sponsor, and the Chief
Contractor associated with Melbourne Water. There were some issues around the availability
of the stakeholders that came up; however, the effective communications strategies made sure
that such issues were resolved and of the resources and project resources were in sync with
each other.
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IoT-based Underground Water Monitoring Project
References
Aakhus, M. and Bzdak, M. (2015). Stakeholder engagement as communication design
practice. Journal of Public Affairs, 15(2), pp.188-200.
Chang, S. (2014). Corporate Motivations of Product Recall Strategy: Exploring the Role of
Corporate Social Responsibility in Stakeholder Engagement. Corporate Social Responsibility
and Environmental Management, 22(6), pp.393-407.
Johansen, T. and Nielsen, A. (2016). Constructing Non-profit Identity in the Midst of
Stakeholder Complexity. International Studies of Management & Organization, 46(4),
pp.216-227.
Martinsuo, M. and Hoverfalt, P. (2018). Change program management: Toward a capability
for managing value-oriented, integrated multi-project change in its context. International
Journal of Project Management, 36(1), pp.134-146.
Muller, R. (2013). Determinants for external communications of IT project managers.
International Journal of Project Management, 21(5), pp.345-354.
Rodriguez-Melo, A. and Mansouri, S. (2011). Stakeholder Engagement: Defining Strategic
Advantage for Sustainable Construction. Business Strategy and the Environment, 20(8),
pp.539-552.
Sageautomation (2019). IoT solution provides below-ground monitoring. [online]
Sageautomation.com. Available at: https://www.sageautomation.com/our-work-utilities-
stories/iot-solution-provides-underground-monitoring [Accessed 18 Jun. 2019].
Tuffley, A. (2010). Stakeholder Relationship Management20102Lynda Bourne. Stakeholder
Relationship Management. Farnham: Gower Publishing Limited 2009. International Journal
of Managing Projects in Business, 3(3), pp.546-547.
Wearne, S. (2014). Evidence-Based Scope for Reducing “Fire-Fighting†in Project
Management. Project Management Journal, 45(1), pp.67-75.
Zhang, L. (2010). Software Stability Analysis Based on Change Impact Simulation. Chinese
Journal of Computers, 33(3), pp.440-451.
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IoT-based Underground Water Monitoring Project
Appendix
Interview Questions
 What did you expect from the project?
o PM, Sponsor, and Chief Contractor: To be able to monitor the underground
water assets and receive the project deliverables on time.
 Did the project team succeed in fulfilling your expectations?
o PM, Sponsor, and Chief Contractor: Yes
 Do you feel the resources expended to the project activities were justified? Do you see
any area of improvement?
o PM, Sponsor, and Chief Contractor: Yes, there were resources needed to
complete project activities. There were human resources needed along with
tools and equipment.
 Did you feel engaged and involved in the project at all times? Were there any issues
in engagement?
o PM, Sponsor, and Chief Contractor: Yes. There were some communication
issues in some situations.
 What approach do you believe was followed to handle the stakeholder requirements?
o PM, Sponsor, and Chief Contractor: Stakeholder mapping and
communications, frequent follow-ups
 Were you aware of the project scope?
o PM, Sponsor, and Chief Contractor: Yes
 Did you get confirmation on the changes in the scope?
o PM, Sponsor, and Chief Contractor: Yes
 Did you feel that the project team was not following the scope at any instance?
o PM, Sponsor, and Chief Contractor: No
 What was the integration methodology/framework adopted?
o PM, Sponsor, and Chief Contractor: Use of project methodology to sync all of
the areas
 Do you feel that integration could have been improved?
o PM, Sponsor, and Chief Contractor: In some cases
 What are the changes you would like to make, if given a chance?
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IoT-based Underground Water Monitoring Project
o PM, Sponsor, and Chief Contractor: Improvement in communication plan and
methods
 How will you rate the overall experience in the project?
o PM, Sponsor, and Chief Contractor: Good
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