PPMP20012 - Control & Response: Lessons from Deepwater Horizon

This case study examines the Deepwater Horizon oil spill through the lens of the 'Control and Response' approach in complex project management, drawing from Terry Cooke-Davies' work. It highlights how implementing features of control and fast response, such as improved communication, mindful...Read More

Running head: COMPLEX PROJECT MANAGEMENT
COMPLEX PROJECT MANAGEMENT
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1COMPLEX PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Introduction
In order manage the complex projects different approaches can be taken. One of the
significant approaches in this case is the control and response approach. The outcome of the
complex project is uncertain. In this case, different approaches are needed to be implemented for
the management of the complex project (Dao et al.,2016). In case of complex project
management the example of Deep Water Horizon oil spill case has been taken into account. The
control and response attribute has been implemented in the project situation to understand the
importance control and response attribute in the management of complex project management.
Discussion
In case of Deep Water horizon oil spill case, the investigation indicated that the base of
the cement at the station was not in a proper condition. In this case, the engineers at on shore did
not inform the higher authority about the lack of proper infrastructure.
The control and response in the project management allows the merging of the security in
order to get the desired result. Apart from that the improvisation and refinement of the system
and the project is done through the gaining of the experience and allowing new expectations to
be raised. Another attribute of control and response is mindfulness (San Cristóbal, 2017). The
mindfulness allows to set the policies and regulations which are helpful for the employees in the
organization to take action against the critical situation (Kermanshachi et al.,2016). Application
of the soft skills is also included in the mindful behavior of the employees. The soft skill
generates free flow of communication within the organization. This will mitigate the chances of
accidents in the organization. Apart from that the routines within the organization which are

2COMPLEX PROJECT MANAGEMENT
diverting the organizational goals can be modified using the soft skills. The improvisation and
the modification of the routines and policies can be done through the use of soft skill.
There are some differences between the control and response approach and the approach
and the approach that has been taken by traditional project management team. In traditional
project management the emphasis is given on the project planning (Floricel, Piperca &
Tee,2018). In control and response approach the emphasis is given on the factors and the
routines those are responsible to deceive the organization to achieve the organizational goal. In
this approach it is assumed that the project is in state space and there are many influential factors
those are responsible to raise the risks in the project. The main objective of control and response
is to mitigate those factors within the project environment.
The mindfulness approach has significant effect in the complex project management for
different reasons (Qazi et al., 2016). Mindfulness alerts the employees about the upcoming risks
and the situations which are not desired in the development of the project. Apart from that the
control and response attribute also helps the employees to take requires actions in critical
situation.
The Deep Water Horizon case is an example of project failure due to the negligence. The
engineers at the on shore were aware about the poor condition of the cement base. However, they
did not inform the issue to the higher authority. Moreover, they did not take any action for the
improvement of the situation. The implementation of control and response in the Deep Water
Horizon project management would help the engineers to inform about the situations to the
higher authorities along with that they could take necessary actions to prevent the incident

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(Snyder & Dionisio, 2017). More over the implementation of control and response would help
the BP to improve the whole oil refining infrastructure.
There were uncertain factors in the Deep Water Horizon oil spill case which indicates
that the Deep Water Horizon project was a complex project. The implementation of the “Control
and response would modify the policies which would let the engineers to take necessary action to
avoid the incident. Moreover, it would also help in managing and improvisation of the
infrastructure of the organization.
Conclusion
The discussion covers the significance of the control and response attribute in the context
of management of the complex project. The complex project, in this case, is the oil spill case at
Deep Water horizon. The significance of the control and response indicates that implementation
of this attribute will help to develop and manage the complex project management in right way.
On the other hand it also helps to mitigate certain accident in the development of the project
management. The implementation of this attribute in Deep Water Horizon case would be
beneficial for the organization.

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References
Dao, B., Kermanshachi, S., Shane, J., Anderson, S., & Hare, E. (2016). Identifying and
measuring project complexity. Procedia Engineering, 145, 476-482.
Floricel, S., Piperca, S., & Tee, R. (2018). Representation and flexibility strategies for managing
the dynamic and structural consequences of project complexity. Complexity.
Kermanshachi, S., Dao, B., Shane, J., & Anderson, S. (2016). An empirical study into identifying
project complexity management strategies. Procedia Engineering, 145, 603-610.
Qazi, A., Quigley, J., Dickson, A., & Kirytopoulos, K. (2016). Project Complexity and Risk
Management (ProCRiM): Towards modelling project complexity driven risk paths in
construction projects. International Journal of Project Management, 34(7), 1183-1198.
San Cristóbal, J. R. (2017). Complexity in Project Management. Procedia Computer
Science, 121, 762-766.
Snyder, C., & Dionisio, C. S. (2017). A project manager's book of forms: A companion to the
PMBOK guide. John Wiley & Sons.