Bogue Generation Expansion Project - Case Study Example

Case Study and 2 Case study Bogue Generation Expansion Project Introduction The success of the project management in the handling of challenges facing a project ensures that the project achieves or meets its goal. Bogue Generation Expansion Project, an electricity project by Jamaica Public Service Company Ltd. (JPS), is facing a number of challenges. There is delay of the project due to the failure of Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) to meet its obligation. Again, the project has the challenge of meeting all government conditions concerning noise quality and emission. The challenge is created by the project’s location in Montego Bay, which is a tourist capital. The turbulence of the labor market and the difficult accessibility of Jamaica also exposed to the project. This paper gives recommendations for managing the current challenges facing the project. Time Management Time management is a continuous process of planning and applying conscious management of the quantity of time spent on a definite number or amount of activities to increase productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness (Varga, 2011). It involves several activities that aim to maximize them within a limited quantity of time. It involves activities like setting up priorities, creating a conducive environment, carrying out activities based on the set priorities, and relating actions that are doable together. It also involves using incentive to ensure compliance amongst employees (Rivera, 2007). Jamaica Public Service Company Ltd. (JPS) ought to ensure it manages its time strictly. Even though, Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) delayed its project; JPS ought to ensure that it manages the limited time it has so that the project can be finished within the set time. JPS ought to set its priorities. Again, it has to develop a conducive environment so that every party of the project can work in harmony with others and avoid confrontations that can cause delays. JPS can reduce the time spent in the acquisition of necessary materials by using those materials that are available within the country or neighboring countries. For the unavailable resources, the company ought to plan in order to set enough time for acquisition of those materials. Human Resources Management Human resource management is an organization intended to maximize workforce’s performance (Maylor, 2010). Jamaica is highly susceptible to strikes. JPS should develop communication platforms that can allow the management to exchange ideas with its employees. Employees ought to give their opinions. Communication should not only be top down (Mill, 2012). Communication would allow employees to give out their grievances and avoid strikes (Dessler, 2012). Again, it would make them feel important members of the company and consequently lead them to dedicate themselves to the company (Dubrin, 2012). Incentives like better pay and better working environments should be used to encourage workers to dedicate their services to the company. On training, workers should be trained on all-important issues like safety measures before the start of the project. Training should also be given to every new member to the project and to every person exposed to new machineries. Environment Management Environment management is the management of impacts and interaction of human societies with the environment (Mondy & Mondy, 2012). JPS’s location is near Montego Bay, which is a tourist capital. The company thus has to manage noise and emissions. Treatment of harmful emissions should be done before they are emitted to the environment. For recyclables, the company ought to develop a recycling plan that can also help the local community. In the management of noise, the company has to create noise maps to guide people to avoid the noise. The noise maps should also provide information about the effects of the noise. The company should also ensure that it uses less noisy machineries wherever possible. It should act actively in the society on project aimed at sustaining the environment. Procurement Management JSP does not to purchase every resource. It can hire some machinery until the end of the project. The company can also purchase a few things that it requires. However, for large quantities of materials, it would have to contract to a well-established supplier. It would have to pick a trustworthy supplier after it has evaluated varies suppliers (Borghesi, Gaudenzi & Borghesi, 2013). It should include terms like financial terms in the contract. Risk Management Risk management is the detection, evaluation, and prioritization of risks. Risk management is thus important as every project is exposed to risks. Risks are identified by looking at past records and the current records of the company. JSP is exposed to several risks. An example is the common strikes in Jamaica. Therefore, the company ought to contact regular monitoring and evaluation to determine the existence of risks. It should use personnel who are not part of the project in order to acquire objective results. The information acquired would help the company develop strategies to tackle the possible risks to the project. Operations Management Operations management consists of the development and management of services, products, supply chains, and process (Bisen & Srivastava, 2009). JSP should ensure that every aspect of the project is moving in the right direction. It should ensure that failures like the one caused by Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) are not experienced again. It can do this by conducting regular evaluation of the project. Conclusion Bogue Generation Expansion Project, an electricity project by Jamaica Public Service Company Ltd. (JPS), is facing a number of challenges. JSP can handle these challenges through various forms of managements. These are operational management, time management, risk management, procurement management, human resource management, and environment management. Case Study 2 Denver International Runway Project Introduction Denver International Runway (DIR) Project is facing certain challenges. The project requires a massive area. The airport is intended to serve different types of jets that ply trans-oceanic and international travel. Unlike domestic runways, international runways are longer. The airport is also intended to serve next generation jets that are larger than their predecessors are and thus requires a massive runway. Therefore, DIA has to abandon standard models of runways that cannot support the weight and size of flying giants. Due to the failures of a number of runways in the country, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires DIA to carry out 100% acceptance testing on the materials used in construction. Wide-ranging testing obligation combined with scheduling miscalculation generates challenges that give additional pressures on the project. The project is also exposed to financial problems due to FAA’s withdrawal of a portion of funding in September 2002. This paper gives various recommendations that the project management team can use to confront the challenges. Strategic planning, human relations, Rational Choice, Crosby’s, and system theories support the recommendations. Risk Management Mismanagement of risks is detrimental to the project. DIR’s project management ought to conduct regular risk analysis. Risk analysis is the evaluation and identification factor that can endanger a project. Risk analysis would help an organization to develop effective and efficient methods for tackling identified risks (Nagarajan & Lowenthal, 2010). Therefore, the project team needs to develop risk monitoring and resolution plans. Strategic planning requires regular monitoring and evaluation of the project (Sower & Sower, 2011). Through monitoring and evaluation, the status of progress of a project can be examined to check whether the project is progressing well or not. Monitoring and evaluation gives information, which is useful in the management of the project. In a situation where a project is not progressing as required, risk analysis is carried out to pinpoint the source and the problem. The project management can then develop risk management strategies to eliminate or evade the harmful effects of the risk. Furthermore, strategic planning requires a comprehensive assessment of the project before its start (Mondy, Noe & Gowan, 2005). Through assessment, project planners and managers are able to adopt better alternatives as they would be able to identify underlying contradictions. Underlying contradictions are real issues or obstacles that can hinder the realization of a goal. For instance, miscalculation and extended time of acceptance testing can delay the project. Therefore, the management need to develop a strategy to ensure that everything goes as expected in acceptant testing. Through risk analysis, the project management can be able to define whether acceptance testing can delay the project. It can then develop appropriate plans as per the results of the analysis (Malik, Grohmann & Alves, 2013). Quality Management Quality cannot be compromised in the project as the airport is intended to serve large transatlantic and international jets. The Runway should be able to serve efficient jets taking off and landing at low and higher altitudes. The project management ought to analyze regularly the quality status of the project (Garcia, 2009). People not involved in the project should do the evaluation of the project (Nicholas, 2007). Acceptance testing is an example of evaluation. However, the project management perceives difficulties due to acceptance testing. Experienced testing professionals who can offer quality services and avoid delays due to miscalculations should conduct acceptance testing. Time Management DIR Project is a high-status project, which requires extensive activities and considerations that can cause delays to the project are not acceptable. The massive construction and a 100% acceptance testing are some of the factors that have high impacts on time. The project management needs to set its priories well in order to manage time. There should be no clashing. Again, the project management through DMJM Aviation need to organize various groups involve in the project so that they can work harmoniously together. Through development of working environment that is conducive for every group, various activities can be conducted together. For instance, acceptance testing can be conducted while other activities are being done to reduce the time spent in the project. Through system theory, harmonious working of various sectors can be realized as the theory looks at inter-relationships between workers and structures within the project. Through the theory, various strategies can be executed to create conducive working environment for different participants. Operations Management Withdraw of funding money by FAA is influential to the project. DIR’s project management thus has to develop a strategy to ensure that everything is running smoothly as planned even with the reduced amount. A lack of funds can cause delays and even destruction of projects. The management has to reduce its operation cost. It can do this by using cheap, quality, and easily available resources. Again, it has to restructure the project to remove some sections so that the remaining funding can be enough (Slack, Chambers, & Johnston, 2010). According to Rational Choice theory, people are influenced by preferences and goals. Information concerning situation influences the actions of a person in that particular situation (Gilboa, 2010). Therefore, because of the reduced funding, there is the need for removal of some sections of the project. Human Resources Management Human actions determine the success of the project. Dedicated workforce ensures that the project succeeds (Martin, 2009). Therefore, there is the need for correct management of people. Workers should be made to feel part of the project and its success. Valued workers dedicate themselves to the success of the project (Young, 2010). DIR’s project management needs to manage well its workers. It needs to develop a platform where the managers and the workers can exchange information. Through this platform, the management can be able to deal with various grievances and ideas of the workers. The management is also able to conduct effective management of its workers as it can use the platform to send out and clarify measures. The human relation theory offer communication between managers and employees. The management can use the communication to motivate its workers. Through communication platforms, DIR’s project managers can eliminate low-quality work like miscalculation of acceptance testing, as it would motivate its workers to dedicate themselves to their works (Gitlow, 2005). Procurement Management As mentioned earlier, DIR is a huge project. It thus needs careful and correct management to ensure that the project is successful. The management should ensure that it acquires correct and quality resources for the project. The resources should be of the quality suggested by the engineers. DIR’s project managers should only offer contract of procurement to a company that can offer quality and the required amount of resources. According to Crosby’s theory, money spend on quality is money well spend. Therefore, the management of the DIR Project should ensure that it acquires quality resources. Quality resources will ensure that the quality of the project is guaranteed. Conclusion DIR Project is exposed to a number of challenges. Some of them are the financial difficulty, workers’ ineffectiveness, and the difficulties of meeting the requirements of the massive project. The project managers can deal with these and other problems through managing time, operation, procurement, human resource, risks, and quality of the project. Work Cited Borghesi, A., Gaudenzi, B., &Borghesi, A. (2013).Risk management how to assess, transfer and communicate critical risks. Milan, Springer. Bisen, V., &Srivastava, S. (2009).Production & operation management.Lucknow, India, Word-Press. 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