The Eden Project in Cornwall - Assignment Example

The Eden Project in Cornwall 1. Description of the project. The Eden project in Cornwall is one of the most successful Landmark Millennium projects in Britain, which were supported by the Millennium Commission (MC) funding. In an outdoor area of 15 ha the modern Garden of Eden presents different climate zones of the world with their typical vegetation, telling the story of people’s dependence on plants through a blend of innovations, science and theatre. The main feature of the Eden project’s “living theatre” is a giant structure consisted of two “biomes”, each made of four interconnected greenhouses – domes. The Humid Tropic Biome (HTB) contains plants from rainforests and tropical regions of world, whilst the smaller Warm Temperature Biome (WTB) houses plants from the Mediterranean and South African regions. HTB is the largest greenhouse in the world - it is 240 m long, 110 m wide, 55 m high and it is constructed from tessellated polygons in a geodesic-dome design (Digby, 2008, p.90). WTB is similarly constructed and approximately half the size of its neighbor. The project was set within a UK county that experiences the collapse of nearly all traditional industries and has a high level of deprivation and poverty. Digby states that to the end of twentieth century Cornwall “experienced the protracted contraction of its traditional primary industries: fishing, agriculture, and mining” (2008, p.87). China-clay extraction has been degraded during the last 15 years; tourism, though preserving the county from complete economic collapse, brings at the same time serious socioeconomic challenges, e.g. seasonal employment, low wages and low skills, social exclusion and house-price inflation. The Eden project’s chief executive Tim Smit formed the vision and objective of the project as an international visitor attraction, research facility and education resource (Smit, 2001). The project is intended to work for regional regeneration, widening a tourism sector, developing local products. The promotion of agriculture and horticulture is the main charitable aims of the project. One more important aim is educational one – the Eden focuses on giving people an understanding of the core issues of food supply and local resource management. Work in the project is inspired by the principles of sustainable development, which includes reusing natural resources (rainwater, compost, etc.), appropriate choice of construction methods and materials, using of local and environmentally friendly sources of energy (e.g. biomass energy). The first key building – the Visitor Center – was opened to the public in May 2000, during the main construction phase. Since that time several additional constructions have been built at the Eden Garden, including the large educational center, the Core. But I would like to describe the most difficult and the most important first phase of the project - from the Millennium funding amounting £300,000 in 1998 till the official opening-day in March 2001. Thus, the scope of the project I will describe is 3 years, during which an abandoned 160-year-old china-clay quarry at Bodelva in Cornwall turned into a modern exhibition centre that currently attracts about 1 million visitors each year. Based on results of literature research and my assumptions I suggest the following rough Work Breakdown Structure of the project: Table 1. The Eden Project Work Breakdown Structure. WBS Task Task description Predecessor A To select high-class design teams and to negotiate contracts for construction of buildings and landscaping. None B To develop the technical design of the Biomes and their construction plans. A C To stabilize the slopes, to create a basic building site. B D To build the Biomes steel structures and to clad them. C E To install and launch the drainage, pumping, lighting and heating systems of the Biomes. D F To define compositions of all plant collections of the Eden B G To develop the landscape design and requirements for planting. F H To buy and deliver plants, seeds, soils, components, fertilizers and to provide environmental conditions for planting. G I To make ground work and plant the Eden. E, H J To build entertainment and educational infrastructure for visitors (meeting rooms, cafes, toilets, parking, etc.). A K To build infrastructure (offices, workshops, storehouses) for the Eden’s maintenance staff, to provide safe and convenient conditions of work A L To negotiate contracts with local supplier and caterers. J, K M To hire the Eden’s maintenance staff. K N To prepare educational and research events, entertainment activities for visitors. I, L,M O To open the Eden to the public. N 2. Major stakeholders in the project. “Project stakeholders are individuals and organizations that are actively involved in the project, or whose interests may be affected as a result of project execution or project completion. They may also exert influence over the project’s objectives and outcomes” (Project Management Institute, 2004). The stakeholders in the Eden project are presented in the Table 2. Table 2. The Eden Project major stakeholders. Stakeholder Their success (+) or failure (-) for the project Appropriate contractual arrangement* Millennium Commission + proper expenses of funds; development of regional and national economy; international UK public image - loss of UK taxpayers’ money; continued regional economic recession More guarded adversarial – performance of contract duties, periodical reporting, participation within boundaries of contract. The project top managers + completion of the project in time and budget; achievement of all project goals; proper performance of duties - financial problems; the project delay; non-achievement of project goals Formal partnering – same team, common goals, continual improvement, active involvement in the project results achievement The project team + proper performance of working duties; expected pay-off - the project delay; problematic pay-off Formal partnering – same team, common goals, active involvement in the project results achievement Designers, construction companies + proper performance of project duties; increased revenue - the project milestones’ delay; penalties, unscheduled costs Formal partnering – partnership, mutual interests, common goals, joint performing of day-to-day operations Regional authority of the Cornwall county + regional business development; reduction of seasonal unemployment; improvement of the local environment; rebirth of abandoned mines - continued regional economic recession; local environment disrupted More formal partnering - informing about the project progress, consulting for project implementation Researchers (educators, horticulturists) + unique opportunities for new research; access to uncommon or scarce resources; additional funding Formal partnering – common goals, informing about opportunities, involvement in the project programs Local businesses, supplier and caterers + influx of a great number of tourists; cooperation; development of local economy and regional infrastructure More formal partnering - involvement in participation in day-to-day operations Local people + new places of work; reduction of seasonal unemployment Informal partnering – win/win solutions, informing about the project opportunities Visitors + access to uncommon or scarce resources; unique opportunities for education and entertainment; new impressions and knowledge Informal partnering – win/win solutions, informing about the project progress * - according Larson’s types of partnering (1995) Relationships within formal partnering should be defined according contractual agreements between the different stakeholders. The terms of contractual agreements can be related to stakeholder’s project responsibilities, quality requirements, time constraints, shares of revenue, security and insurance agreements, abidance to industry standards, labor laws, preservation of the environment and so on. 3. Main risks that apply to the project. “A project risk is an uncertain event that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on the likelihood to achieve project objectives” (Jutte, 2009). Table 3. The Eden Project main risks. Risk What time/cost/technical outcomes does it affect? How big are they? 1. Availability of an appropriately skilled and resourced project team of members and contractors Un-effective and un-skilled project team affects all project outcomes – time, costs and quality of work. It is the most serious project risk. Taking into account a great number of contractors it can be a rather big risk, it demands a thorough selection of candidates to avoid the risk 2. Lack of clear senior management ownership and leadership, the ability, responsibility and authority to deliver the project This risk also affects all project outcomes; weak leadership can cause a delay or even a complete failure of the project. This risk it is not much big, because the project top managers are experienced executives, they revealed their leadership abilities in previous projects 3. Failure to break down projects into manageable steps with clear milestones This risk affects mostly time and cost – incorrect WBS can cause delays of project milestones, it can cause over-budget consequently. This risk can be rather big, taking into account a scope of the project and a high level of uncertainty in relation to innovative approach to construction. 4. Consideration of projects on the basis of initial cost rather than whole-life value This risk affects mostly the project costs, although lack of finances can cause a project delay I consider this risk is very big; it is hard to plan the whole-life value of the project at the very beginning. In practice the Eden project received the Millennium funding amounting £300,000, while the capital cost of the first phase was £86 millions. 5. Lack of effective engagement with stakeholders - understanding and agreeing their requirements, managing their continued involvement. It can affect all project outcomes – time, costs, technical, quality ones. The risk is not so big, if the project leaders will use effective methods of communications with stakeholders, based on the principles of formal partnering. 6. Lack of understanding of client needs and requirements This risk affects mostly final project outcomes, when the project results are not what clients wants to see – it can cause a failure of the project in achievement of the goal to attract more visitors. I don’t think this risk is big, because the project outcomes are planned to be unique, innovative, diverse, uncommon and attractive for visitors of all ages and interests. It was confirmed by the Eden, it is now one of the top most visited UK attractions. 4. The project network and critical activities. The project network helps to schedule project activities, estimate duration of each stage of a project and its budget, and define critical activities that influence upon the project delivery at a whole. To design a project network it is helpful to create a Gantt chart at first. I scheduled the presumed WBS of the Eden Project from the Table 1 by the quarters.     1999 2000 2001 Task Dec98 1 q 2 q 3 q 4 q 1 q 2 q 3 q 4 q 1 q March01                         A                       B                       C                       D                       E                       F                       G                       H                       I                       J                       K                       L                       M                       N                       O                                               Figure 1. The Eden Project Gantt chart. On the basis of this Gantt chart I've designed the project network (Fig.2), where one could see the sequence and interdependencies of the project activities, as well as their times of start and finish (in days from the start of the project). I defined the longest path (in green color) and a critical path (red boxes), where there are not time slacks between possible Earliest and Latest starts of activity. The critical path of the Eden’s project includes mainly all activities related to design and construction of biomes, as well as their planting. Thus, it is well correlate with my assumption about big risks of availability of skilled and resourced contractors and capability to deliver the project in time. Figure 2. The Eden Project Network. It should be also mentioned that planned start time of activities J and K (they are also in a critical path) is far later than time of finish A, which they are connected with. It is actually possible to start these activities earlier if the project resources are available for that. 5. The most important risks and issues. Earlier I define 6 major (in my mind) risks: Availability of skilled and resourced project team of members and contractors Lack of clear project leadership to deliver the project Failure to break down projects into manageable steps with clear milestones Consideration of projects on the basis of initial cost rather than whole-life value Lack of effective engagement with stakeholders Lack of understanding of client needs and requirements This list can be continued by following: Unrealistic project scope and budget estimation Unclearly defined roles and responsibilities Lack of good communication methods, channels and tools Poor project planning and control Multidisciplinary difficulties Poor high level design of construction Bad quality of technological outcome Lack of interest from visitors Interrelation of these risks and possible issues are shown in a causal map on the Fig.3. A causal map helps project managers to make clear a picture of the key project areas where they should focus to ensure the project will be finished successfully. Causal maps are used frequently in the operational and project management (Scavarda et al, 2004). Huff (1990) suggests that an advantage of causal maps is that they can portray information about a system more succinctly than a corresponding textual description. The risk assessment process, guided by the process of causal mapping, introduces the concept of expressing the degree to which a risk factor exists in a project, and also the impact such a risk factor has (or is likely to have) on related risks (Al-Shehab et al, 2004). Figure 3. The Eden Project Network Causal Map. Elements in blue colour are related to issues in Leadership, Information and Communication Management and Marketing. Elements in yellow colour are related to issues in Project Management. Elements in green colour are related to issues in Quality Management. To prevent described possible issues and risks the management actions in these areas should be undertaken. 6. Structures and methods for governance and management of the project. As we could see, special care should be taken to such important concepts as Leadership, Project Scheduling and Control, Budgeting and Resource Controlling, Stakeholder Management. Lewis (2008) defines Leadership as the art of getting others to want to do what must be done. This definition can be summed up as meaning that a leader influences people to do the work that must be done. It involves dealing with individuals, and requires knowledge of what makes them “tick,” in order to be effective. There are four general styles of leadership: structured or directive, selling or persuasive, participative, and delegative. To define which style to use better, Lewis (2008) suggest asking yourself two questions: 1. Can the team member do the work? 2. Will the person take responsibility for it? Then you can define the style in accordance of your answers (Fig.4) Figure 4. Which style of leadership to use? Effective project management and control could be provided by using the 7-S Framework of Project Management (Maylor, 2005). There is a comprehensive model, which comprises 7 important concepts that need to be considered – Strategy, Structure, Systems, Staff, Skills, Style (or culture) and Stakeholders. Regarding stakeholders management trust and good communications play a very important role. Effective management proposes also using such managerial concepts as System Thinking, Rational Decision Making, Time Management, Cost Management and Budgeting, Quality Management. For the Eden Project’s success Innovation Management and Marketing are also extremely important. As Lewis (2008) said: “Project managers are fortunate in that they often work with almost every function in an organization”. Conclusion The first stage of the Eden Project was successfully finished in March 2001. Project was designed and built for a target of 750 000 visitors per year. But only during a preview period (from May 2000 till March 2001) the Eden attracted about half a million visitors, and about 1.8 million during the first year of work. Direct employment of local worker counted over 600 persons. The Eden generated indirect income for the region of over £150 million per annum. The figure generated in November 2001 (in the 8 months of the project) suggested an economic impact of £111 million in Cornwall (Kendle, 2003). In 2001 a survey of local businesses was undertaken, where respondents were asked if the Eden Project had any positive effects on their businesses. The main positive effects were: Increases in the number of customers – 29% Increases in turnover – 25% Improvements in image – 22% Increases in staffing – 5% Travel and accommodation sectors were the most positive of the different business sectors. Thus, the returns on the government investment were more than justified. References Al-Shehab, A., Hughes, R. and Winstanley, G. (2004) Using causal mapping methods to identify and analyse risk in information system projects as a post-evaluation process. In: 11th European Conference on Information Technology Evaluation (ECITE 2004), 11-12 Nov 2004, Amsterdam, Holland. Digby, C. (2008) Building partnership for post-mining regeneration: Post-Mining Alliance and the Eden Project. In: Berger, A. ed. Designing the reclaimed landscape. New York, Taylor & Francis, pp.87-97. Huff, A. (1990) Mapping Strategic Thought. New York, Wiley and Sons. Johnson, G., Scholes, K. & Whittington, R. (2008) Exploring corporate strategy: text & cases. London, Pearson Education. Jutte, B. (2009) Project Risk Management Handbook: The invaluable guide for managing project risks. Delft, Mantaba Publishing. Kendle, A.D. (2003) The Eden Project and regional regeneration. Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, Vol. 164. Available from: http://www.rase.org.uk/what-we-do/publications/journal/view.asp?ID=167&LoginName= [Accessed 16 March 2010] Larson, E. (1995) Project Partnering: Results of Study of 280 Construction Projects. Journal of Management in Engineering, Vol. 11, No. 2, March/April, pp. 30-35. Lewis, James P. (2008) Mastering Project Management. New York, McGraw-Hill. Maylor, H. (2005) Project Management. London, Pearson Education. Project Management Institute (2004) A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide). 3rd ed. Pensylvania. Scavarda, A., Bouzdin-Chameeva, T., Goldstein, S., Hays, J. and Hill, A. (2004) A Review of the Causal Mapping Practice and Research Literature. Second World Conference on POM and 15th Annual POM Conference, Cancun, Mexico. Smit, T. (2001) Eden. Essex, Harlow, Bantam. Read More