University Project Management Report: GERD Dam Project Analysis

This report analyzes the GERD Dam project, a hydroelectric power infrastructure project on the Nile River, focusing on the complexities that led to delays. It identifies five key complexity factors, including conflicts among riparian countries, lack of seismicity testing, absent project risk management, negative assumptions, and the absence of a basic project management model. The report also discusses ICCPM outcomes such as lack of collaboration, unsuccessful risk planning, and political tensions. Applying Ashby's Law, the analysis highlights external variants like political stress and water security. The study identifies four types of complexity: directional, structural, technical, and temporal. The conclusion emphasizes the need for stakeholder cooperation, resolution of legal and political issues, and adherence to project management and risk assessment frameworks to ensure project success.

Running head: PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Complex project management
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note

1
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Five complexity factors
The project relies on GERD dam project which is a hydroelectric power based
infrastructure project. In 2011, the project has been started but due to facing some of complex
factors, the project has completed with a huge delay. According to this project analysis, it has
assumed that due to having five number of complexity factors. Though the project has
undertaken by riparian countries, therefore the conflict or various opinions make an issue of
delay in the decision making process which leads to this project as delay. During the
processing time of this project, there did not took place any test of seismicity which
introduced lots of project risks. The third factor relates that there did not conduct any project
risk management which is considered as the basic model for managing the project risks. The
fourth factor was related with the negative assumptions and as a result the project has faced
delay condition. The last factor was that the basic model for the project management was not
occurred during the processing time of this project which was necessary for this project.
ICCPM outcomes
Though the project has considered as delay project due to having non-linearity as well
as occurrence of uncertainties, therefore few number of ICCPM outcomes exist within this
project. The ICCPM outcomes are that lack of collaboration among riparian countries,
unsuccessful risk planning during the project execution timing, lack of success in case of
achievement of win situation, increment of the political tensions over the water security as
well as ownership, delay in the decision making process and also providing lots of effort for
producing dialogues.

2
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
ASHBY law
According to analysis of Ashby law, the two major types of external variants
belonged within this project including the increment of the political stress and also water
security. To conduct this project, the riparian countries have provided the major contribution
and for that these two external variants made a huge concern for those countries due to
escalation regarding regional stress. However, this completion of this project would helped
in two different way including the growth of economic prosperity for Ethiopia as well as
beneficial in case of irrigation or electricity for Sudan and also Egypt.
Complexity types
Analysing the case study, it has assumed that there are mainly four types of
complexity existing within this project including directional, structural, technical and also
temporal complexity. The directional complexity occurs due to lack of agreement between
the main stakeholders. On other hand, the project have considered as fail as per the structural
as well as technical requirements. In addition to this, the temporal complexity arrives due to
legal issues or environmental changes etc.
Conclusion
As per the analysis of this overall project, it can be said in this part, that during the
running phase of this project, if the stakeholders i.e. riparian countries would cooperate with
each other, therefore the project may see the success point. On other side, to develop the
project as successful, it requires to solve all kinds of legal issues or other political issues and
also follow the proper model of project management or risk assessment framework.