Project Management in Urban Planning - Essay Example

?Project Management in Urban Planning White Paper BACKGROUND This white paper has been developed to explore approaches, benefits, and limitations of using project management principles and practices in urban planning projects and programs. It is a generally accepted presumption that the application of appropriate project management principles and practices enhance performance in terms of cost, technical aspects, and time and provide credibility in project execution. This white paper proposes that provision of a project management approach to Urban Planning will have benefits for the urban community (Public), the Urban Planning community, project managers, and contractors. 1.1 Requirements and Standards A wide range of project management standards and requirements apply to Urban Planning projects including sound and disciplined planning, properly-defined and managed performance baselines, effective project management systems, integrated safety management systems and effective communication among all stakeholders involved in urban planning and development projects. Application of project management tools, techniques and skills will generally increase the probability of success over a wide range of projects. The Project Management Institute (PMI) has produced a guidebook to project management which contains recognized best practices standard for project management. It is incumbent upon the urban planners to apply the practices in a way befitting urban planning and development projects. 1.2 Urban Planning Project Characteristics Urban planning projects can generally be characterized as complex, interdependent projects which are mostly dependent on public needs and urban policies. Rapid transformations in the urban environment through new developments, population increases, improvement in technology and concern for environmental conservation make urban planning projects highly reliant on high quality project managers. Only such managers can maintain quality and high performance while remaining relevant to the needs of the public. 2. OBJECTIVE The main objective of this white paper is development of clear and valuable propositions for the application of good principles of project management to deliver good outcomes in project management projects. The white paper anticipates that application of these project management principles will ensure that urban planning projects are acceptable to the beneficiaries of the projects, mainly urban developers and dwellers. This paper will briefly highlight the most critical principles and procedures of project management that are applicable in urban planning while providing examples of tools and guidelines that are already being used in urban planning project management. Basically, a structured approach to the execution of urban planning projects produces results that are beneficial to both the planners and beneficiaries of the project. 3. DISCUSSION 3.1 Technology Readiness in Urban Planning Technological development is now advanced in all fields including urban planning where various kinds of new technology are available for use in various areas. It is quite useful to apply structured evaluation of technology readiness in urban planning project execution. A Technology Readiness Scale (TRL) can be applied in the assessment and communication of technology readiness in urban planning. This is a simple scale that is graded to measure the technology ranging from its lowest level of readiness (First application after development) and its highest level where application of the technology has been proven through successful implementation and operation. It is through technology readiness measurement that project teams can identify critical technology to assist in the accomplishment of urban planning project goals. 3.2 Progressive Scope Urban Planning projects can generally be characterized by two main phases where development plans are prepared through research and development of architectural, and implementation which largely consists of demolitions and construction. The key performance parameters of urban renewal and redevelopment construction type projects are usually sufficiently identified in the development phase of the project so that detailed planning leads to well-defined scope for the products, facilities, systems, and processes that make up the project. However, urban planning research and design project develop and incorporate new concepts, ideas techniques that often involve experimentation and pushing the frontiers of urban planning to develop new products, methods, and systems. Therefore urban planning and development projects require two scopes, the minimal requirement to be accomplished by the project, and the reach goal, which are the desirable features in full successful completion of the project. 3.3 Configuration Management/Trending The process of progressive scope definition that is required for flexibility in the management of urban planning projects should have various essential elements including; incorporation of new ideas, techniques, and concepts through flexibility in a controlled and documented manner; secondly the baseline for scope, cost, and schedule should be frozen until their requirements are mature enough to achieve competitive deliverables in terms of urban plans. 3.3.1 Configuration management Configuration management is a tool and technique within the integrated change control as a subset of project management integration. Configuration management goes along with elements such as performance measurement, additional planning, change control system, and project management information systems. Configuration management is “any documented procedures for the application of technical and administrative direction to a project” (Griffiths, 11). 3.3.2 Trending Trending has been identified as a quality control tool and technique within project quality management, particularly in communications management as a performance reporting tool and technique. It is also used in project risk management as an output for risk analysis. Trending is basically a tool, methodology, and process for capturing changes that may happen. It is predictive in nature and provides effective forewarning or potential changes in costs and schedules (Zhao, 4). 3.3.3 Key point Basically, configuration management and trending do not constrain or adversely compromise the agility of the project or the deliverables (urban plans). The focus of application of configuration management and trending is not actually on paper or a formal approval of change requests. The focus is rather on the ability of the manager to balance real-time tradeoffs between known and unknown, and desired versus undesired changes to the original project concept of scope that may arise from urban planning activities. 3.4 Project Controls in Urban Planning In urban planning project just like in any other projects, an essential part of project planning is ensuring that there is clear identification of project risks, their analysis, elimination, and mitigation where appropriate. The technical, cost, and schedule risks in relation to the project must be identified, quantified, qualitatively assessed, and mitigated appropriately. Strategies for risk response should be developed, documented, and implemented (Curtis, 31). Based on the size of a project and its risks, a tailored approach to controls for the project can be implemented for the urban planning project itself and associated research activities. 4. VALUE PROPOSITION 4.1 To Customer In urban planning projects, the customer is typically the public usually represented by urban authorities as the project developers. The application of good project management principles in urban planning should therefore bring the following values to the customer; 1) Provide good urban planning outcomes and services that meet or exceed the requirements of the customer for the deliverables and that are responsive to the priorities of the customer (Urban authorities) in terms of scope, cost, and schedule constraints. 2) Provide reliable delivery functionality, cost, schedule, safety, and environmental needs. 4.2 To Program Managers, project Managers, and Direct Managers 1) To provide appropriate project management processes and training tools that is useful and can be continuously improved on. 2) To eliminate manual steps through implementation of a guided system for the planning and management of projects. 3) To enable a timely delivery of tools and processes to the project manager. 4) To ensure ready access to timely, accurate, and understandable project status. 5) To provide good and timely performance data that can facilitate monitoring, oversight, and effective corrective action. 6) To ensure good estimation and baselining processes that match cost accounting and reporting processes. 7) To obtain tools that provide performance data that can be applied in communication of project success. 5. CONCLUSION The effective application of project management principles and techniques in urban planning projects can lead to improved project performance in terms of cost and schedule while at the same time helping to achieve technical performance goals. The application of concise project management principles is aimed at producing outcomes that meet or exceed requirements of the customer for each and every deliverable that are generally responsive to evolving customer priorities of scope, time and schedule constraints. Key in successful management of urban planning projects in the realization that change is an integral part of the process and that successful adaptation and tailoring of project management processes to the unique attributes of urban planning projects can be achieved with beneficial results. 6. WORKS CITED Curtis, Cook. Just Enough Project Management. The McGraw Hill Companies, Inc. New York, 2005. Print. Griffiths, Mike. “Utilizing Agile principles alongside the PMBOK® Guide for better project execution and control in software development projects,” Proceedings of PMI® Global Congress 2004-North America, Anaheim, CA. December 2004. Web. 9 May, 2013. Zhao, John. “Marrying Risk Register with Project Trending,” AACE June 2005 presentation. Web. 9 May, 2013. Read More