A Detailed Critical Analysis of the Burj Al Arab Project's Management

This report presents a critical analysis of the Burj Al Arab project, examining its management from initiation to closure. The project, a luxurious hotel in Dubai, is analyzed through the lens of project management principles. The report details the initiation phase, including the creation of a project charter and feasibility study, followed by the planning stage where tools like stakeholder mapping and work breakdown structures were utilized. The execution phase, with its defined milestones and challenges such as resource constraints, is discussed. The monitoring and control phase, including risk management and safety policies, is also explored. The report concludes with an analysis of the closure phase, highlighting lessons learned regarding cost estimation, resource allocation, and communication. Despite exceeding the initial budget, the project is considered successful, offering insights into effective risk management and timely completion, while also pointing out areas for improvement in cost management and communication strategies.

Critical Analysis of Burj AL Arab Project
Introduction
Burj-Al Arab project involved construction of the world’s most luxurious hotel on an Island in
Dubai spread across the floor area of 1,200,000 sq. ft. The project was designed by Tom Wright
and the construction were managed by WS Atkins Partners Overseas and Murray & Roberts. The
construction was started in 1993 and was finished by 1999 (Shaktawat, et al., 2007). This report
the project has been analysed from the management perspective to understand how well it was
managed across its stages including initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control, and
closure(M.Jangam, et al., 2017).
Project Management of Burj AL Arab
Initiation: In this stage, project management tools were used including creation of project
charter and feasibility study. A team was formed for project management with 5 members
chosen as per Belbin characteristics. The charter and feasibility study gave information on
objectives, priorities, assumptions, scope, cost estimates, milestones, deliverables and risks
associated with the project. This helped the management take a decision on the viability of the
project which was tested and only then was the project approved for execution(BOOM, 2009).
Planning: In the planning stage, the project team utilized various project management
techniques for different knowledge areas as defined in the PMBOK guide. The tools used
included stakeholder mapping, work breakdown structure, responsibility matrix, cost breakdown
structure, stakeholder communication plan, and risk management plan. The scope management
plan clearly identified the deliverables within the scope and out of scope. The project later faced
challenges because of lack of resources, escalation of costs, and conflicts in communication.
The project incurred a total cost of $1 billion with $650 million going into construction work
which was more than the original estimate. THis happened because of inaccuracies in planning
which was not done meticulously(Corning, 2007).

Critical Analysis of Burj AL Arab Project
Execution: There were 11 major milestones defined for the project as per which the project
activities were executed. These milestones included charter approval, budget estimation, design
approval, equipment installation, site work, foundation, construction, finishing, cleaning, closing,
and end of the project. The project had a single main contractor and one construction contractor
takin care of the project work which avoided possibility of confusion that could otherwise result
if multiple contractors were involved. However, the construction had to be completed was less
and thus, the construction team had a great pressure to complete the project. The project team
consisting of 2,000 construction workers worked for 80 hours weekly to make the construction
possible without errors in the given time(Moustafaev, 2014).
Monitoring and Control: The project involved creation of a safety policy according to which a
reporting process was defined. Monitoring also involved assessment of project progress with
respect to work breakdown structures for project schedule and project cost. The budget was
given a contingency fund of 100,000,000$ to take care of the cost needs of the project in case it
faced risks. Risks on project were analysed and reported using assessment tools such as fishbone
diagram, risk assessment, and risk response plan. The region selected for construction was found
prone to natural disasters like cyclone that could destroy the structure. Thus, first three years
only took in the contrition of the island and remaining years were used for the construction of the
actual building . To protect the foundation and the island from erosion, large rocks were placed
in honeycomb structure (Mork, 2018).
Closure: A project close out process as clearly defined which involves correction of
inconsistencies, project monitoring, contract signing, and documentation. Lessons learned were
recorded in the documentation. It was found that project costs were underestimated and the
project needed better estimation planning techniques. Budgeting was not done very precisely as
the project lacked resources. There was also a lack of communication between team members as
the communication plan made was not effective enough (Hajsleiman, 2018).
Conclusions

Critical Analysis of Burj AL Arab Project
Project can be seen as successful as it was constructed with less deviation from the planned
schedule. Although, the project costed more than the initial budget but the resulting construction
was providing out to be very successful as it attracted much tourism in the island. On the project,
risks were also managed well as they were peculiarly considered and accordingly plans were
made to make the construction safer and ensure timely completion . Lessons learned recorded
revealed resource, cost and communication related issues suggesting needed improvement in
these areas of project management.
References
BOOM, A. K. V. D., 2009. FAILING OF MEGA PROJECTS , s.l.: University of Aarhus .
Corning, D., 2007. Case Study Burj Al Arab Hotel, Dubai, s.l.: DOW.
Hajsleiman, H. M., 2018. How to manage complex projects - an adaptive approach highlighting
the Human Factor and Information Management and Communication, s.l.: Stavanger University.
M.Jangam, P. et al., 2017. To Study the Science behind the Construction and Techniques of Burj
Al Arab. International Journal of Engineering Technology Science and Research, 4(4), pp. 309-
315.
Mork, J., 2018. Architecture’s Influence on Growth, s.l.: North Dakota State Universit.
Moustafaev, J., 2014. Jamal's Musings - Project Management in History: Burj Al Arab, s.l.:
Think Tank Consulting.
Shaktawat, C., Joshi, D., Gandhi, S. & Chatterjee, P., 2007. Case Study- BURJ-AL-ARAB, Dubai
, s.l.: TAMU.