Reid Highway Project Issues - Case Study Example

Reid Highway project Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code: Date of Submission: Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Executive Summary 4 Introduction 4 Project Stakeholder Analysis 5 The government 5 The Abigroup contractor 5 The suppliers 5 The project managers 5 The employees 6 Project description 6 Outcomes of the project 8 Factors that led to success of the project 8 Recommendations 9 Conclusion 9 Appendices 11 Reid Highway overpasses (Reid Highway/ Mirrabooka Avenue 2013) Executive Summary Reid Highway construction project is among the most successful projects in Australia. The project was initiated by the ministry of transport to ease transportation at the junction between Reid Highway and Mirrabooka Avenue. The project was completed in the year 2012 having started in the year 2011. The project was fully funded by the government of Australia under the ministry of transport. The stakeholders o f the project include the government, the contractor, the suppliers, project managers, employees and the end users of the road. The project was a success because of the strategies which were involved like effective communication and strategic planning. Issues which need to be improved on include environmental concerns and the need to practice competitive bidding when sourcing for a contractor. Introduction Reid Highway project was among the most successfully completed projects in Australia. The project cost the government of Australia $30M. The overpass is located at the intersection between the Reid Highway and the Mirraboka Avenue. The project was completed in the year 2011 successfully. This intersection was the black spot and there were many accidents for instance between the years of 1999 and 2009 the reported crashes at this intersection was 400 implying that there was need to construct an overpass to reduce the number of crashes (Reid Highway/ Mirrabooka Avenue 2013). Mirraboka Avenue is shown in appendix 2 below. The minister of transport proposed the construction of the Reid Highway overpass to be completed in 2011. The main aim of the project was to improve infrastructure in the Australian roads by reducing the number of accidents of the road intersections. The main benefits of the construction of the Reid Highway overpass include improving environmental management by reducing the emission of carbon into the atmosphere, construct the project in such a way that it will provide a way for future expansion of the highway to 6 lanes and enhance road cycling facilities on Reid Highway and Mirrabooka Avenue as shown in appendix 1 below (Reid Highway/ Mirrabooka Avenue 2013). This could help to reduce the number of black spots in Australia. The objectives of the projects were to reduce the number of crashes on the road intersection between Reid Highways and Mirrabooka Avenue. Another objective was to reduce traffic waiting on the intersection instead improve traffic movement. Finally, another objective was to preserve environment by lowering the emission of carbon to the atmosphere through traffic delays. Project Stakeholder Analysis There are many stakeholders who took part in the construction of Reid Highway overpass. These stakeholders include the following; the government of Australia, Abigroup contractor, the suppliers, the project managers, the employees and the end users who are the customers. Without the contribution of these parties, the project could have not been a success. The government The government was the first one to take an initiative to reduce the number of crashes that take place at the intersection between Reid Highway and Mirraboka Avenue (Mantel et al 2005). It was a federal government project and therefore it was fully financed by the government of Australia. The government wanted to increase safety of transport and pollution of the environment as well as saving the lives of its citizens from crashes. The Abigroup contractor The contractor is the main stakeholder in this project. It was the responsibility of the government to select the best contractor to complete the project. Without a qualified contractor, the project could have not become a success thus the contractor contributed to the success of the Reid Highway project (Reid Highway/ Mirrabooka Avenue 2013). The suppliers The suppliers also played a great role in the completion of the project successfully. The materials and tools used for constructing the overpass were of good quality and that is why the contractor was able to complete the project successfully (Harrison & Dennis 2004, p. 34). The suppliers also ensured continues supply of materials to make sure the project never stopped at any point because of lack of materials leading to completion of the project in time. The project managers The successful implementation of the project depended on the skills and abilities of the project managers. Without qualified managers, the project could not succeed as the resources will not be utilized effectively and they will not be able to accomplish their tasks effectively leading to failure. The employees The employees also took part in the construction of the overpass. The employees were motivated and had relevant skills which they used to accomplish their tasks. This led to the success of the Reid Highway overpass construction. In experienced employees could not accomplish the tasks allocated to them and that could to project failure. Project description The construction of the Reid Highway overpass was a government initiative to improve communication and minimize the increasing reported cases of crashes at the intersection. After the Australian government had agreed to construct the overpass, they selected the contractor who is Abigroup contractor (Reid Highway/ Mirrabooka Avenue 2013). The mission and vision statements were drafted to ensure they keep the contractor in track. The resources required for the construction of the overpass including financial and human resources skills were allocated upon agreement with the contractor and the project began. This project became a success because the contractor together with the government officials applied various strategies to correct any deviations from the main aim of the project. They observed total quality management leading to the success of the project. One strategy that was applied by the contractor was effective communication between the stakeholders. Without effective communication among the stakeholders, the project could not succeed (Hartley 2009, p 62). There was good communication with the suppliers to ensure continues supply of materials to avoid stoppages in the construction process. Through good communication channels, the contractor was able to complete the project on time. Total quality management was also applied in the whole process of construction. The contractor ensured that the project managers are qualified as well as the employees have skills in their respective areas of specialization (Hartley 2009, p 62). The project was categorized into different phases and at the end of each phase the outcome was evaluated against the planned objectives. If there were any deviations, they are corrected before the next phase starts. This improved the quality of work at each phase leading to successful completion of the project. The contractor was also able to evaluate the risks that might be involved in the undertaking. For instance the contractor was able to focus on the political risks and operations risks (Mantel et al 2005, p.96). Changes in the government may come up with different policies and priorities affecting the successful completion of the project. The contractor was able to understand that the contract will be completed before the next government takes office. This focus eliminated any political risks that might be involved. There are some tools which were used in the construction process. One of the tools used is the project proposal. This document showed the planned outcomes and the real outcomes as the project commenced (Hartley 2009, p 62). This tool enabled the project managers to compare the estimated cost of the project and the real cost of the resources that have been consumed. Project diary was also used. The diary showed the various events which and they should be accomplished. It acts as a short time guide to the operations taking place in the construction process (Lewis 2006, 110). It reminds the project managers what is supposed to be done, by whom and at what time and the outcome of that task. An action plan was another important tool used in the project management. The action plan as a tool enabled the project managers to allocate resources and tasks efficiently (Lewis 2006, 110). It shows all the tasks which should be conducted at a particular stage of the project and how it should be done. Therefore action plan enables the project managers to allocate responsibilities appropriately. According to the minister for transport and the completion of the project in time it can be concluded that the project ran to plan. This is because the project was completed successfully and we don’t find any serious hindrances to the success of the construction of the Reid Highway overpass road. The benefits of ran to plan include effective utilization of resources because each resource is accounted for. The project was completed in time because of ran to plan which led to observing time allocated to each phase of the project or the tasks (Mantel et al 2005, p.96). If there were deviations from the plan, the project could have not been completed in time as some events could take longer time to complete leading to delays. Outcomes of the project After the project was completed in the year 2012, the following are the outcomes; Traffic flow has been improved because the delays at the intersection between Reid Highway and Mirrabooka Avenue were eliminated (Reid Highway/ Mirrabooka Avenue 2013). Another outcome is that there ahs been lower emission of carbon into the atmosphere due to delaying of traffic. This has reduced environmental pollution (Reid Highway/ Mirrabooka Avenue 2013). The project also led to better landscaping for future expansion of the Reid Highway into 6 lanes. Finally, there have been low reported cases of crashes as the overpass reduced the number of traffic using the intersection (Reid Highway/ Mirrabooka Avenue 2013). This reduced the number of accidents taking place at the intersection between Reid Highway the Mirrabooka Avenue. Factors that led to success of the project This project was a success because of the following strategies; there was effective strategic planning (Nokes & Kelly 2007, p. 131). The objectives which were set by the contractor and the government were realizable. This enabled the contractor to strategize on how to achieve them better. The risks were also properly assessed that led to elimination of issues that could otherwise affect the successful implementation of the project. There was also effective corporate governance by the contractor and the project managers (Nokes & Kelly 2007, p. 131). All the stakeholders upheld the moral principles like transparency and accountability leading to effective utilization of resources. Furthermore, the contractor had qualified human resource skills that led to success implementation of action plan. Recommendations The Reid Highway overpass was a successful project although it had some issues which need to be improved. First, the government needs to select the contractor through competitive bidding. This will increase the chances of selecting the most qualified contractor. Competitive bidding will also enable the government to select a contractor who is not too expensive thus it can lower the cost of the contract. Another issue to consider is the environmental issues. The contractor should ensure that the environment is not polluted. During construction the environment could be polluted due to dumping of wastes into the rivers and open fields. There should be appropriate method of disposing the waste materials so as not to pollute the environment. Conclusion Reid Highway overpass project was a successfully completed project. The project was sponsored by the government so as to improve transport and communication network. It aimed at reducing the increasing rates of crashes at intersection between Reid Highway and Mirrabooka Avenue. The project was successful because of the strategies that contractor and the government put in place like effective communication, availability of adequate resources, good strategic planning and effective assessment of risks. The benefits of the project include improved convenience in transport, reduced rates of crashes and minimized the rate of emitting carbon to the atmosphere which could otherwise pollute the environment due to delaying traffic. References Harrison, F. L & Dennis, L 2004, Advanced project management: a structured approach, Gower Publishing Ltd. Hartley, S 2009, Project Management Principles, Processes & Practice – 2nd Edition, Sydney, NSW, Pearson Education, Australia. Lewis, R. L 2006, Project Management. McGraw-Hill Professional, London. Mantel, S. J. Meredith, J. R. Shafer, S. M & Sutton, M. M 2005, ‘The world of project management’, 2nd edition John Wiley & Son, Hoboken, NJ. Nokes, S & Kelly, G 2007, The definitive guide to project Management, Gower Publishing Ltd, Sydney. Reid Highway/ Mirrabooka Avenue 2013, viewed 4th Oct. 2013 from https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/BuildingRoads/Projects/CompletedProjects/2011/Pages/ReidMirrabooka.aspx#info Appendices Figure 1: Intersection between Reid Highway and Mirrabooke Avenue Figure 2: Mirrabooke Avenue Read More