National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - Dissertation Example

Introduction Building relationships through project management determines the success or failure within a business or organization. A specialized area that provides support to the community through specific projects is a non – profit organization. The different roles, structures and functions behind a non – profit makes a difference in the effectiveness of helping with disasters or by providing assistance to the community. An organization that shows specific principles for project management is NOAA, also known as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The project that NOAA is currently responding to is the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that took place surrounding the Gulf of Mexico in April of 2010. The response and the project management that has been applied are providing a different type of support in response to the disaster that took place. 1.0 Project Management Principles For NOAA to work effectively, there have been basic project management principles that have been applied. There are several different concepts that they have used to help with the clean – up of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, all which have provided different alternatives for those that are involved in the spill and working toward assistance with the disaster that has occurred. 1.1 Identification of Needs Before the project began to assist with the oil, different provisions had to be set up to ensure that there wasn’t more harm that was done with the oil spill. The first part of this was defining where the oil spill was, what was required to stop it from spreading and what was needed for clean up with the environment. The proper technology had to be used to help with defining what needed to be done as well as how to approach the spill. The organization to help with the clean up and spill was followed by different teams that were created for application, monitoring, cleaning up and providing significant scientific data on the deepwater spill. The first part to this was to try to stop the oil from continuing to spread, specifically because it was monitored that it was moving toward Florida, which would become a hazard to this entire region. The second initiation that was undertaken was to find ways to stop the distribution according to oil thickness and hazard levels as they came from the main spill. Assistance with saving fish, animals and coral were also created. Restoration and technologies to assist in complete recovery of the spill were also put into place for the spill. The initiation required an understanding and building of each of these departments to respond effectively. 1.2 Objectives and Project Definition The project definition of NOAA is based on providing technical assistance and information to stop the oil spill, monitor what is occurring and to create action plans for other teams to begin to clean up the oil spill. There were three main objectives that NOAA had to focus on for the spill. The first was based on stopping the oil spill and in beginning to clean up the different areas that had various levels of hazards. To do this, there was a mapped out plan of where different teams should go and how they should get rid of the oil that had spilled. The project that was developed at this level was first defined by applicant and monitoring which showed what countermeasures could be taken to stop the spill. The project was further defined by showing where the deep spill had already hit and where it was going. At this level, the project was the most critical because it required a combination of technological monitoring for the spill as well as different ways to filter out the oil at different levels. The second focus of the project was based on the assistance needed for animals, coral and life that was affected by the oil spill. The project and design of this was divided according to different regions. A team was set up to save and assist the shore line of the Mississippi and other areas where the oil had gone onto shore. Trajectory maps were also placed in response to the spill, which showed where the most damage had been done while allowing those in charge of the animals to have a space to go to begin assisting the animals. The planning and implementation at this level is followed by an understanding of shoreline cleanup and assessment, training, ways to determine the damage from the oil and cleanup methods that can be used to save larger amounts of sea life. The third level of planning and implementation for the NOAA is in conjunction with other non – profits and the government to create a different response to the oil. An Emergency Assessment is planned and is being used to monitor the progress of the organization. More importantly, the assessment is assisting with technologies and opportunities to help with continuous implementation to stop the hazard that has occurred. After the assessments are made, the NOAA can plan new ways to work with the restoration of the life that has been affected by the oil spill. The continuous recovery and restoration will be followed by assessments, planning and trajectory mapping that will provide continuous execution in response to the disaster for a longer period of time. 1.3 Planning and Scheduling The first scheduling that took place was after the oil spill began and was defined by NOAA’s role as a technological and scientific support system. The first layer that was produced was to create trajectory maps to show the areas that held the most significant danger through aerial maps. Once these were created, there was the ability to create action plans that allowed other individuals to begin cleaning up the oil spill. These individuals combined their technology with weather systems to help facilitate the operations and planning needed for the oil systems. For instance, if the trajectory map by NOAA corresponded with a hurricane or storm, then there would be a shift in the clean up needed for the recovery of the oil. The planning that is implemented with this is done on a continuous basis and will continue until the duration of the project is completed. The production is being followed by marine spotters that are using new satellite systems and technology to show where the most damage is done at as well as how marine life can be saved to assist from the pollution. The technology is then combined with volunteer groups and the government, such as the U.S. Coast Guard and Unified Command to save the marine life. Similar to the other technology used with the scheduling, this particular action has to be done on a daily basis until the oil spill is cleaned. The measurement of this project is one that is indefinite and will be seen as a result of the oil spill being cleaned and the marine life moving back to normal functions. 1.4 Project Activity Management To manage the different areas of technology and information that is being provided to others, as well as where to place the different teams, data sets and scientific support are being used. The organization is using several modeling systems that are able to monitor how much of the oil is being cleaned, how much of the marine life is being saved and where the oil is going to. ADIOS 2 is being used to show where the crude oils and refined products are in the oceans as well as where the oil is expected to be next. Aloha is also being used as a monitoring program that allows technicians to see where the hazards and dangers are for the oil spill. Cameo is a third application that is being used, specifically to provide data management over what is being done and where each of the volunteer organizations is for the clean up of the oil spill. The different monitoring and control technologies are able to provide a deeper understanding to where to move the project and how to clean up the oil and marine life in each area. 1.5 Closure and Feedback The project completion will be determined when the majority of the oil is cleaned and the marine life has been saved. The project completion can be monitored by the same satellite technologies that show where the oil spill is as well as how it is affecting different areas of life. When this is completely cleared and filtered out of the Gulf of Mexico, then the project can be deemed complete. However, NOAA will have to continue monitoring the area to make sure that other marine life is not affected by the oil that is remaining. Restoration services will need to continue to monitor the area for continuous assistance as a part of the disaster recover program. Unlike other types of projects, this particular initiative is one that will remain indefinite and will be monitored by results seen as a preventative measure from the oil spill. 1.6 Methodology The methodology used for the oil spill will be based on defining different teams in various areas of the oil spill. Each of these teams will be defined by the type of assistance needed. Technicians that can monitor weather patterns will consist of one team, including those that will need to work with other weather analysts. Individuals who can monitor the movement of the oil will work as another component of the organization. Monitoring of marine sea life and the dangers that are associated with the oil spill will also be used to help with the recovery of the spill. The last part of the project will be based on monitoring and assessing the levels of restoration that are taking place and which will provide a different understanding of where the oil spill needs to be monitored most (NOAA, 2010). 2.0 Organizational Structure and Key Roles The project that is being implemented for recovery of the oil spill is monitored through several team leaders, each which have defined roles in monitoring and assessing the needs for the Gulf of Mexico. The main concept that is used is a participative leadership style. Even though there are individuals that have titles such as officers, there are several individuals that are designated to take initiatives as a team. The role of the leaders is to initiate conversation, show a sense of creativity in the oil spill and to improve the organization so the project can be completed in a timely manner. The top individual is the NOAA Corporation officer. The main role of this individual is to define where the subsurface oil is, whether it can be monitored and how to respond to the spill through specific cleanups. The participative style used with the officer is based on communication that is given to the several departments in charge of technology, marine life and cleaning up of the spill. Monitoring what is happening and getting feed back that will stop the oil spill from spreading through every individual makes a difference in the effectiveness of this officer. The next key figure is in charge of assessing the coastal habitats and marine life. This is combined with research on the pollution levels and containment that is currently in the oil spill. The third key figure is responsible for assessing the contamination from the oil spill as well as where it is most hazardous at. Data management and interpretation is also a part of the duties of this individual. Similar to the main officer, each of these leaders are responsible for working with other key figures that are a part of the oil spill. The more that scientists, technicians and volunteers give in terms of information and creativity, the better responses can be given from those that are involved in the project. The Emergency Response Division of NOAA then has several officers that are responsible for overlooking the three main areas of research for the oil. The first is the commissioned officer, who is responsible for routing and defining what is needed for monitoring and assessing the oil spill as well as changing what is needed to respond to the health and safety of the water and marine life. The Marine Mammal Stranding Coordinator is also coordinating with this group and is responsible for assisting mammal life that is in danger and monitors the assistance that is being given to the marine life. This individual is responsible for several regional teams that are designated to assist marine life that is in danger from the spill. An incident operations coordinator works with these various groups to ensure that the research and communication is held for the needs of the oil spill. An information manager is also in charge of several of the groups to monitor what is occurring between the oil spill and marine life (NOAA, 2010). Each of these individuals uses the same set of concepts with the oil spill. For instance, the marine coordinator has to work with the regional teams to find out specific information and to relay this to other departments. This is combined with communication to the information manager to retrieve more information about the spill. Collaboration and communication in this specific project then become a key component to the effective leader styles for the oil spill. The organizational structure that is used can be compared to the matrix structure of different corporations. The organization uses several clusters to help with the coordination of the project and the various levels that need to be monitored and assessed. The responsibilities and functions of each branch are divided by the overall coordination, specifically through the operational coordinator and the NOAA officer. The departments are divided by the different needs for the oil spill, specifically which combines the marine life and the oil assessment that is a part of the spill. These include technology, marine life and clean up of the spill. The workgroups and individuals fall underneath this main structure and are able to provide assistance to those that are finding the main information and working to communicate information. In this instance, the workgroups not only consist of volunteers within the NOAA, but also include other groups that are following the research and development of the NOAA to assist in stopping the oil and in recovering the marine life (Robbins, Judge, 2007). Since there are other leaders that are volunteering from alternative groups and with NOAA, it becomes essential that the collaborative leadership style, which is based on communication and feedback from both internal and outside team members, is the main style used. The advantages that are a part of this organizational structure are related to the different components of the project that the NOAA uses. Having different divisions that specialize in various compartments of the oil spill is able to provide more controls and assessments of what is occurring. Further more, each of the individuals are able to apply their data and monitoring according to their specialty. The ability to combine this with different key figures that overlook the organization, such as the officers, is then able to provide different levels of communication in the organization that are able to provide different responses to what is occurring. While there are several advantages to this structure, the NOAA is also missing specific components from the project environment. Currently, the divisions include only specialization that overlooks different key areas of the project. The officers and coordinators are also in charge of only one division or aspect of the oil spill. To further this project in the correct way, there would need to be more coordination and efforts in terms of communication between each of the divisions. Even though the specialization is needed, there are also gaps in the overall aspects of the oil spill and what is needed for both marine life and in cleaning up the spill (Thareja, 2008). 2. 1 Leadership Style Evaluation The organizational behavior that is being used with the NOAA also leads to specific leadership styles that are being used through the collaborative efforts. Specifically, the organization is able to provide stronger levels of motivation and resources through the different individuals that are in charge of each group. Since the leadership style is based on group activities, motivation and resources become an easier component of solving the main problem and working on the project. The main coordinator has managers that work within the same division and both which have the same tasks in evaluating what is needed for the project. The leadership is followed by specific goals and motives that allow each of the individuals to work closely with each other and to change the roles in the NOAA. The motivation, focus on the same goal and the collaborative leadership style that is expressed through the hierarchy helps to control and maintain the project that is taking place (Hersey et al, 1997). This particular method of collaborative leadership is effective because it brings information together and allows each individual to have a specific role as a group process. However, the leadership used can easily lead to disconnections because of the several organizational departments that are being used with specialized needs. Collaboration is required at higher levels for this leadership to work effectively. 2.2 Improving Human Resources and Project Activities The main way that NOAA can improve the human resources and project activities are through the coordination of other non – profit and volunteer organizations. When looking at NOAA, it can be seen that the main approach is through research and development as well as the ability to provide activities to others who can take direct action in helping the marine life and by stopping the oil spill. However, the individuals in charge of the research, controls and information stop at the amount of research that is required. For the project to become more effective there is the need to coordinate more human resources with other emergency relief areas while monitoring the different levels of the project activities. For instance, there is not an initiation and direct job description that allows the marine coordinator to work with the main officer. The ability to improve the amount of communication that is a part of the disaster as well as the ability to fill in gaps that are vulnerable would help to increase the amount of activities that are done through the organization. This would also provide a different set of policies that would help to manage and monitor the human resources within the organization, as well as to others that are working on the disaster relief (McEntire, 1992). 3.0 Project Processes and Procedures The most critical elements that NOAA is using with their project plan are a combination of organization and communication. Without this, there is the inability to reach to the prospects that are needed and there isn’t the option to complete a project with the right use of resources and information. Group processes in specific research and development settings are used as the basis of the organizational structure and communication that is used, specifically because it provides different levels of understanding for the organization. For instance, communication is easier to reach between various members. When one individual is focused on research through technology and others are interested in marine life, then they collaborate this use of information, the project has the ability to move forward at a faster pace (Kernaghan, 1986). For NOAA, the success of the project is dependent on the groups that are in charge of different factors of the oil spill, such as marine life and oil assessments. For the organization to work effectively, the correct critical path analysis has to be used. The main goal of the organization is to stop the oil spill from causing more damage. To do this, there has to be several steps that are taken, as can be seen in the diagram below. The critical path from this diagram begins with the NOAA. The main component is the officers as well as directors of each division. The critical analysis then leads to the coordinators who are responsible for the divisions, as well as management. All have the goal of cleanup recovery. For this critical path analysis to work there has to be continuous communication between all levels of coordinators, management and directors that combine research with recovery of the process. The methods for change control measuring performance were shown with the assessment method of NOAA. The scope of the project is one that is continuous and is determined by the trajectory maps of where the spill is as well as how much has been cleaned up. Since there is no scope to the oil project, there are a variety of constraints in determining the performance and measurements. The timescale is also one that is immeasurable since it is a response to a disaster. The measurements that the NOAA has taken are based on the amount of oil that has surfaced as well as how detrimental this is on various levels. However, there is no determination on how long the project will take with the several areas of recovery that are being put into place. The only management that can take place in terms of performance is based on the resources that are available. The more that research is done as well as the more that communities and organizations respond with different materials from this research, will also determine the effectiveness of the project and the ability to recover the oil spill. The assessments that are currently being done are based on the ability to measure the quantity of groups that are assisting with the different needs from the research provided by the NOAA (GeoPlatform, 2010). Evaluation and Conclusions The project of the NOAA is one that is in response to disaster recovery with marine life and the pollution from the oil spill. The effectiveness of this project is based on the organizational structure which is specific to the different areas of research, development and communication that are needed for the project. To further this, different individuals and leaders can be used for new levels of communication and to change the different parts that are associated with the NOAA. Furthering the human resources and providing different levels to the project can help to create new levels of communication which would assist with the project at hand. This is even more critical since the project doesn’t have an estimated scope or timeline for completion, specifically because it is in response to disaster recovery. The effectiveness of an organization is one that is not only determined by the basic structure and goal for a specific project. Having defined missions and a focus and combining this with communication and organizational structures can provide a project with further implementation of reaching different goals. The structure and the organizational environment has to respond to the project and tasks while creating different levels of responses to the communication, group orientation and overall goal that is a part of the organization and project. Word Count: 3733 References GeoPlatform. (2010). Mapping the Responses to BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Retrieved from: http://www.geoplatform.gov/gulfresponse/index.html. Hersey, P, KH Blanchard, DE Johnson. (1997). Management of Organizational Behavior. New York: Routledge. Kernaghan, JA, RA Cooke. (1986). The Contribution of the Group Process to Successful Project Planning in R&D Settings. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management (33). McEntire, David. (1992). Triggering Agents, Vulnerabilities and Disaster Reduction: Towards a Holistic Paradigm. Disaster Prevention and Management (10), (30. NOAA. (2010). Deepwater Horizon / BP Oil Spill Responses. Retrieved from: http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/dwh.php?entry_id=812#assessmentrestoration. Robbins, SF, TA Judge. (2007). Organizational Behavior. New York: Pearson Education. Thareja, P. (2008). “Total Quality Organization Through People.” Foundry (20), (4). Read More