Project Management for Business: The Failure of Fire Control - Research Paper Example

 The Failure of Fire Control Executive Summary The fire control project aimed at improving the efficiency, technology, and resilience of fire and rescue service by interchanging 46 local switch rooms with a system of nine purposes- built county control hubs. This was possible by using a national computer system in handling calls, managing incidents and mobilizing equipment. The project, which started in 2004, and was planned for completion in October 2009. However, in the year 2007, the department for communities and the local government contacted the European air and defense systems (EADs) to scheme, improve, and install computer system sustaining the project. Moreover, in December 2010, the department cancelled the project after reviewing that it would not be delivered within the planned timeframe. The project examines why the department failed to convey the project and the extent to which it minimized the waste arising from the final decisions to terminate the project. Introduction Project management advances the coordination, control and planning of diverse and complex activities of commercial, industrial, management change, and IT projects.Moreover, thedevelopments of projects share common similarities in the projection of ideas and activities into new ventures’. This report entails a fire control project, aimed at improving the efficiency, technology and flexibility of English fire and rescue service by replacing forty-six local control rooms with an effective network of nine purpose-built regional control centers. Besides, the control centers use national computer system that handle calls, manage incidents and mobilize equipment. Consequently, the main purpose of this project was to predict and foresee many dangers’ and problems as possible during the planning and organization of activities to finish the project successfully. It started before the incorporation of any resource and continued until all work was finished. The development of the project incorporated other parties such as a project manager and relevant stakeholders in information technology (IT). According to the National Audit Office (2011), suggests that the aim of a project manager is to ensure that the result satisfies project sponsors or purchasers and principled stakeholders within the promised timeframe. Furthermore, the project was not to use more money and other resources than those originally included in the budget. Following the cancelation of this project, the report addresses the department for communities and local government, to ensure that organizations learn lessons from mistakes on this project that leads to cancelation of the project. Background of the Project Project began in 2004 and was planned to be complete in October 2009. To this effect, the department for communities and local government contracted European air and defense systems (EADs) to design, develop and install a computer system that underpins the project. However, the project subjected to a number of escalated costs and a delay in it is a lifetime. The inconveniences’, forced the department for communities to cancel the project in December 2010. This was because the project could not be delivered within the planned timeframe. Moreover, the department had calculated € 245 million already spent cost and a total of €635 million for the completion of the project. The total cost is more than five times the original estimated cost of € 120 million leading to the cancelation of the project. Stake Holders Management in the Development of the Project Stakeholder Management is vital since successful people use it in winning support from others in the development of projects. Moreover, it helps managers in ensuring projects succeed where others fail. The stakeholders in this project include IT experts and project managers, who assist in the management of the project. Management of project developments entails an effective network of nine purpose-built regional control centers, which assist in the networking of computer systems for fire control system. In the project, however, fire control systems through cables and computer systems, installed by European air and defense systems (EADs) failed in ensuring a proper switch system in managing fire outbreaks. Consumers Role in the Development of the Project Stakeholders take ownership of appropriate deliverables and make sure they work against a number of key elements. Furthermore, Consumers as external stakeholders encourage the merging of companies, especially in the information technology (IT) industry. In addition, all kinds of communication need digitalization, promoted by different styles of mergers especially in sensitive projects such as fire project. The management of fire control project, consumersplays the role of establishing an efficient networking system that assists in the management of communication in the regional center with other external cooperatives around the world. Besides, consumers give signals to the control center through computer networking system in alerting the control center of fire emergencies. In contrast, the project did not develop and manage an efficient fire control system since major insured consumers against fire were not consulted. The Merging Of Stakeholders in the Management of the Project Stakeholders identify effected individuals of the project. Moreover, mergers form the required training and sustenance requirements. Merging promote infrastructure consolidation and reduction in administrative and management jobs. These promote savings and attract financing from different stakeholders. However, the fire control project failed in bringing all the stakeholders together to promote merging and efficient management. Therefore, Consumers risk enjoying the advantage of constantly kept prices on the services offered in case of fire epidemics. Besides, the replacement of the rooms with forty-six local control rooms with an effective network of nine purpose-built regional control centersdid not attract many stakeholders to merge and ensure a full success of the project. Improvement of Economy with the Merging Of Stakeholders Chaouni (2015) maintain that project management may seem simple enough on the surface. However, an individual must be in charge of the management of all the moving parts of the project. Moreover, merging produces economies that translate the benefits’ to consumers.Merging has an effect on the development of the control Centre's since, wireless connection will reduce costs in the networking systems (Gardiner, 2005, p 28). In addition, it enables for an economic benefit to consumers, through the reduction chargers in wireless connection of the computer systems and control rooms. Therefore, it is important for mergers to play their role in the economic translation since the move tends to have a great impact on the consumers as well as reduce the cost of a given project. Unfortunately, the installation of computers in the fire project and regular management with someone in control with the use of wireless network, only affected a few computers in the control room, contributing to the failure of fire control within the anticipated region. Management of Stakeholders with Comparative Advantage  Stakeholders identify and acknowledge potential risks and amend association with project all through the proposal stages. Kim (2015) suggests that, keeping a project within the designated scope, challenges project managers. It demands engagements in Comparative advantage incorporating reductions in the opportunity cost for project managers. In the management of the project with stakeholders, the comparative advantage varies with absolute advantage (Andersen 2008, p. 23). That is because different merging of companies allows for the reduction of costs in the operation of computer systems and construction of regional control centers. Besides, the construction of regional centers takes up the absolute advantage while connection of computer systems takes up the comparative advantage in the management of the project. These differences in opportunity cost and production between nations ensures specialization and eventually the exchange of mutual gains. That ensures stakeholders to have an advantage in comparative advantage, as they tend to concentrate much on specialization and development of the project. It is important for stakeholders to take part in the management of the project since they contribute to the full success of the project. Effective Project Governance There was a poor conception and bad top-down delivery of the fire Control Project. Its termination unfortunately came after repeatedly running behind schedule and over budget. The department responsible also considered further wastage of taxpayers’ funds before terminating it. According to the National Audit Office, the entire fire Control Project became blemish due to inadequate support for its success essentials and poor and lack of effective project management strategies. The following are some of the project management strategies that the contractors would have factored considered (Pinto 2013, p. 34) Plan the Work through Project Definition Document Utilization Through proper spending of time in planning for the project, results in a reduction of cost, implementation duration, and increases the project quality over time. Definition of a project is the basic product from the process of planning and gives a description of all project aspects at high levels (Mayor 2010, p. 314). FireControl Project did not have a clear planning for the project, and that explains why it ran behind the schedule and ineffectively used £245 yet the actual project work had not commenced. The fire Control Project lacked project definitions such as project overview, objectives, scope, assumptions and risks, the proper approach, organization and duration estimates. Creating the Horizon of Planning After the project management team has prepared the project definition, the work plan is the next essential item. It is through the work plan that the project management team provides systematic instructions for project deliverable constructions (Pickles 2011, p. 20). In addition, project management team also manages the project through such work plans. In such circumstances, the management uses the work plan of a similar already successful project as a model. In cases where no such similar project models exist, the project management should then construct an old-fashioned one through utilization of a work breakdown network diagram and structure. The management team also creates a work plan with comprehensive details that includes estimating and assigning resources to make working comfortable (Bradperry 2015, p. 1) the comfortable operating zone defines the planning horizon of every project. Beyond the planning, horizon would consequently lead to higher chances of uncertainties. The FireControl Project seemingly ignored to set the planning the planning horizon (Larson & Gray 2011, p. 412). As a result, the project team failed to reduce the higher chances of uncertainties leading to its terrible failures. The failure by the FireControl team to define the initially vague high-level activities led to the collapse of the project before its actual onset. Work Plan Management, Schedule, and Budget Monitoring Execution of the project begins immediately after sufficient planning of the project. Because the project management team already has agreed on a definition of the project with the entire project and work plan already in place, correct progresses and plans execution remains the only challenge. In addition, discipline and rigor needed in project management skills application also pose challenges to most project teams. FireControl Project faced challenges in plans execution as well as project progress (Lock 2013, p. 212). Consequently, the project collapsed even before its onset. Furthermore, FireControl also failed to review the work plan regularly in terms of budget and schedule plan. The Project required at least every two weeks review. The project management team also failed to monitor the budget in order to determine the amount of money that the project had consumed and assess whether the spending was surpassing the original estimation. The assessment should give the central focus to the already accomplished part of the work. Unfortunately, FireControl project already consumed more than the estimated amount before the project even begun. If the budget is already showing signs of surpassing the actual estimation, the team should raise a risk showing that it may require more allocations for the budget. Observing Signs Observing warning signs during project management process is another way of ensuring that effective project governance occurs. For instance, when there is existence of a small variance from the budget or schedule, which keeps getting bigger at early stages of the project, the project management team should take that as a warning. Consequently, he project management team should correct such warnings as quickly as possible to avoid in-coverable impacts (Stoshikj, Kryvinska & Strauss, 2014). Sometimes the project team realizes that the activities thought to be complete are still incomplete. At this stage, the team should revert to overtime scheduling to enable it covers for the time lost so that the project keeps up with the project pace and schedule. In the FireControl project, over £245 went as waste in excess of the budget yet the project did not even commence. Quality control processes are also essential for project governance. Define Procedures of Project Management UpFront In this process, effective project governance comes when project management procedures define the useful resources for managing the project. It outlines sections on how the project management team manages changes, issues, scope, communication, risk, and quality. At this point, rigorous and proactive management of the project is vital to provide all stakeholders and project team with an understanding of managing the project. For organizations that have already laid down common procedures, they simply utilize them on the project. However, FireControl Project failed to lay down such procures in advance leading to unplanned spending as well as working the schedule. Consequently, the project failed to materialize leading to its termination. Recommendations Thamhain (2013) emphasizes the need to manage risks in complex projects. Further, Görög (2011) outline the need to interpret the project details. The department should focus on minimizing the cost to bear when handling the redundant control centers regionally. To determine the extent of subsidies in offering potential public tenants, the department should consider public purse on the wider costs. The department should not just focus on the impacts that directly affect its own account. The accounting officers must, at any time write to the public accounts committee towards controlling further slippage risks and giving assurance for money value, and further explain the challenge levels they place on fire authorities’ progress reports. The Department should ensure that it organizes new approaches towards achieving required fire and rescue resilience and interoperability. The move will enable the department of Fire to meet the national demand since there is variability of local collaboration and engagement across the fire and safety sector. Conclusion The attempt by Department of Fire to replace control functions with the FireControl project in forty-six local rescue and fire authorities started in 2004. However, the project faced difficulties and delays leading to its termination in 2010 without achieving any of its original objectives. The Department of fire control needs to identify alternative uses for control center buildings to prevent further wastage. The failure of Fire Control project is evidently a result of improper planning and poor strategies to implement the project. It is, therefore, in order that proper and effective project governance measures are put to avoid such massive failures. Bibliography Andersen, E. S 2008, Rethinking Project Management: An Organizational Perspective Harlow, FT Prentice Hall. 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