PPMP20010 - Analyzing Project Management of Sydney Opera House

This case study delves into the Sydney Opera House project, initiated in 1954, examining its project management challenges and eventual outcomes. Originally conceived with a budget of AUS $7 million and an estimated four-year timeline, the project faced numerous hurdles including the absence of a comprehensive project plan and dedicated project manager, leading to stakeholder mismanagement and design alterations. The analysis covers the initial construction phase, stakeholder involvement, major issues contributing to project failures, cost-benefit analysis, and significant design changes. It evaluates the effectiveness of applied control systems and stakeholder management, offering recommendations for avoiding similar failures in future projects. The study also assesses the project's financial sustainability, its value to New South Wales, and the implications of a substantial refurbishment plan. The provided solution includes a detailed project plan with timelines and budgets for various tasks, from contract plans to hardware installation, offering a comprehensive understanding of the project's complexities. Desklib offers this and other solved assignments to aid students.

Running head: PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Project Management
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Lecturer’s Name

1PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Executive Summary
John Joseph Cahill was the Premier of New South Wales in 1954. He convened a conference and discussed the construction of an opera house in
Sydney, Australia. Twenty-one sites of the Bennelong Point were proposed for the opera house. In total 2.23 hectares was chosen for the opera
house. Both the government of New South Wales and Premier Cahill arranged a competition. The competitors were provided 25-page booklet,
and the booklet contained the black and white photos of Bennelong Point. The detailed plan for constructing the opera house contains the
following deliverables- symphony concerts, ballet and dance, pageants, large-scale opera and mass meetings. It was planned to make seating
arrangements for the 3000-3500 people. The opera house was planned to organize the recitals, intimate opera, chamber music, recitals, and
lecture. In the booklet, it was also proposed to introduce a restaurant. The competitors all over the world – Iran, Australia, England, Morocco,
France and Kenya and the architect Jørn Utzon was declared the winner. His design was approved. However, there were several risks and
uncertainties with the project. There were no project manager, no project plan. The stakeholders assigned for the project carried out the
construction procedure according to the plan partially and they all failed to accomplish the plan completely. Moreover, the Government wants to
design four theatres inside the opera building. The management want to rejuvenate the design of the opera house. The estimated time for the
project is four years and the budget for the project is AUS $7 million. The project manager has been appointed. He will prepare the plan and the
stakeholders can be able to complete the project effectively within given time and budget following the project plan. The project manager will
follow the PMBOK project methodology to carry out the activities related to construction of Sydney Opera House.

2PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Project Plan along with timeline and budget
Task Name Duration Start Finish Predecessors Resource Names Cost
Sydney Opera House Construction Plan 186 mons Mon
6/9/59 Fri 9/8/73 $5,021,440.00
Opera House Consruction Contract Plans 19 mons Mon 6/9/59 Fri 11/19/60 $611,520.00
Sales Agreement 4 mons Mon 6/9/59 Fri 9/26/59 Sales Department $96,000.00
Opera House Construction Agreement 7 mons Mon
9/29/59 Fri 4/9/60 2 Client,Project Manager $280,000.00
Opera house Contract plans 4 mons Mon
4/12/60 Fri 7/30/60 3 Project Manager $160,000.00
Contract Site Plan for constructing the
Opera House 4 mons Mon 8/2/60 Fri 11/19/60 4 Civil Enginer $75,520.00
Review of Documentation for the Opera
House and Approval for Construction 9 mons Mon
11/22/60 Fri 7/29/61 $360,000.00
Finalising Plans for Opera House
Construction 4 mons Mon
11/22/60 Fri 3/11/61 5 Project Manager $160,000.00
Revised Plan approval for Opera House
Construction 5 mons Mon
3/14/61 Fri 7/29/61 7 Project Manager $200,000.00
Bids and Contracts 23 mons Mon 8/1/61 Fri 5/4/63 $685,440.00
Preparation of Copies for Opera House
Construction 6 mons Mon 8/1/61 Fri 1/13/62 8 Civil Enginer,Project
Manager $353,280.00
Site Work 7 mons Mon
1/16/62 Fri 7/28/62 10 Civil Enginer $132,160.00
Clearance of Lot 5 mons Mon
7/31/62 Fri 12/15/62 11 Hutchinson Builders
Subcontractors $120,000.00
Topsoil Stripping and Stockpile 5 mons Mon
12/18/62 Fri 5/4/63 12 Builders $80,000.00
Basic Foundation of the new theatres of
the Opera House 82 mons Mon 5/7/63 Fri 8/16/69 $2,210,880.00

3PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Pin Footings 6 mons Mon 5/7/63 Fri 10/19/63 13 Builders,Mason $206,400.00
Pour Footings 5 mons Mon
10/22/63 Fri 3/7/64 15 Builders,Mason $172,000.00
Building Blocks Foundation for
Constructing the theatres of Opera House 6 mons Mon
3/10/64 Fri 8/22/64 16 Builders $96,000.00
Foundation Certification 6 mons Mon
8/25/64 Fri 2/6/65 17 Civil Enginer $113,280.00
Steel Delivery for Opera House
Construction 5 mons Mon 2/9/65 Fri 6/26/65 18 Supplier $92,000.00
Setting up Steel Framework for the
Opera House 7 mons Mon
6/29/65 Fri 1/8/66 19 Builders $112,000.00
Base Work for the Opera House 5 mons Mon
1/11/66 Fri 5/28/66 20 Builders $80,000.00
Substructure 6 mons Mon
5/31/66 Fri 11/12/66 21
Builders,Hutchinson
Builders Mechanical
Subcontractors,Hutchinson
Builders Subcontractors
$364,800.00
Façade (with feature lighting) 7 mons Mon
11/15/66 Fri 5/27/67 22 Builders $112,000.00
Roof (with iconic allowances) 6 mons Mon
5/30/67 Fri 11/11/67 23 Builders,Mason $206,400.00
Seats 5 mons Mon
11/14/67 Fri 3/30/68 24 Builders $80,000.00
Fire Protection 5 mons Mon 4/2/68 Fri 8/17/68 25 Hutchinson Builders
Subcontractors $120,000.00
Digital backbone, Communications 4 mons Mon
8/20/68 Fri 12/7/68 26 Hutchinson Builders
Subcontractors $96,000.00
Setting Up Infrastructure for Restuarants 4 mons Mon
12/10/68 Fri 3/29/69 27 Builders,Hutchinson
Builders Subcontractors $160,000.00
Setting Up Washroom 5 mons Mon 4/1/69 Fri 8/16/69 28 Builders,Hutchinson
Builders Subcontractors $200,000.00

4PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Margins and Contingency 17 mons Mon
8/19/69 Fri 12/5/70 $408,000.00
Margins and preliminaries 6 mons Mon
8/19/69 Fri 1/31/70 29 Hutchinson Builders
Subcontractors $144,000.00
Contingency Design for Opera House 6 mons Mon 2/3/70 Fri 7/18/70 31 Hutchinson Builders
Subcontractors $144,000.00
Client Contingency 5 mons Mon
7/21/70 Fri 12/5/70 32 Hutchinson Builders
Subcontractors $120,000.00
Hardware Installation 10 mons Mon
12/8/70 Fri 9/11/71 $176,000.00
Installation of Doors 5 mons Mon
12/8/70 Fri 4/24/71 33 Wood Machinist $96,000.00
Washroom Hardware Installation 5 mons Mon
4/27/71 Fri 9/11/71 35 Plumber $80,000.00
Opera House Theatre Painting 9 mons Mon
9/14/71 Fri 5/20/72 $158,400.00
Trim Coating 3 mons Mon
9/14/71 Fri 12/4/71 36 Painter and Designer $52,800.00
Drywall Coating 3 mons Mon
12/7/71 Fri 2/26/72 38 Painter and Designer $52,800.00
Coating of Theatre Doors and Windows 3 mons Mon
2/29/72 Fri 5/20/72 39 Painter and Designer $52,800.00
Opera House Cleaning 4 mons Mon
5/23/72 Fri 9/9/72 $51,200.00
Rough Cleaning 4 mons Mon
5/23/72 Fri 9/9/72 40 Cleaner $51,200.00
Project Closure 13 mons Mon
9/12/72 Fri 9/8/73 $360,000.00
Construction Project handover to the
Client 4 mons Mon
9/12/72 Fri 12/30/72 42 Project Manager $160,000.00
Client's Agreement 4 mons Mon 1/2/73 Fri 4/21/73 44 Client $0.00

5PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Documentation Preparation 3 mons Mon
4/24/73 Fri 7/14/73 45 Project Manager $120,000.00
Releasing Resource 2 mons Mon
7/17/73 Fri 9/8/73 46 Project Manager $80,000.00

6PROJECT MANAGEMENT
References
Chen-Yu, C., Goad, P. and Myers, P., 2015. The metaphorical expression of Nature in Jørn Utzon's design for the Sydney Opera House. arq:
Architectural Research Quarterly, 19(4), pp.381-396.
Christensen, T., 2015. A new opera house: combining entrepreneurship, garbage can features and windows of opportunity. International Review
of Administrative Sciences, 81(4), pp.734-751.
Dwyer, S., 2017. Highlighting the Build: Using Lighting to Showcase the Sydney Opera House. M/C Journal, 20(2).
Freeman, C.G., 2016. Sydney opera house on eBay: Enabling technologies, community and social value. Historic Environment, 28(2), p.44.
Roberts, J., 2015. Jørn Utzon’s Reverie of the Eye: Surfaces of the Sydney Opera House. The Material Imagination: Reveries on Architecture
and Matter, p.117.
Waters, T., Macdonald, S. and Akhurst, P., 2015. Sydney Opera House: Analysis and Cleaning of the Concrete Abstract. In Cleaning Techniques
in Conservation Practice(pp. 49-68). Routledge.