Engineering Contributions to Minimize Project Failures in United Kingdom - Term Paper Example

RESEARCH PROPOSAL TITLE ENGINEERING CONTRIBUTIONS TO MINIMIZE PROJECT FAILURES IN UK RESEARCHER Ms./Mrs./Mr. (insert your names here) Department of (please insert your department here) Faculty of (please insert your faculty here) (Insert your college or university name here) SUPERVISOR Start with his/her title then his/her names (for instance Professor Bob Kelly) Department of (insert the name of the department your supervisor belongs) Faculty of (please insert his/her faculty here) (Insert college or university name here where your supervisor is attached to here) Student number: (insert your number here Lecturer: (insert your lecturer’s names here, remember start with the title) Table of Contents 1.0.Introduction 2 2.0.Literature Review 4 3.0.Research Methodology 8 3.1.Objectives of Research 8 3.2.Research questions 9 3.3.Research design 10 3.4.Target population 11 3.5.Sampling techniques and sample size 11 3.6.Research instruments 11 3.7.Reliability and validity of the instruments 12 3.8.Data Analysis 12 3.9.Ethical considerations 13 3.10.Project schedule 14 1.0. Introduction Arguments have been rife on whether project management skills are necessary for engineers in minimizing project failures. It is for this reason that scholars such as Hollaway and Leeming (1999) put engineering at the center stage when projects malfunctions or fail to perform as per expectations. Such blames on engineers have been historical and as old as the profession itself. For instance, on 24th June 1982, the failure of the British Airways Boeing 747 that began losing power on its four engines was blamed on civil engineers who first designed and continually maintained it (Gibson et al. 2004). Reviewing the background of contributions civil engineers make towards minimizing project failure, when incident investigators reported their findings it was noted that ash from the surrounding volcano did not interfere with the engines but civil engineers failed to apply service to the four engines thus not able to enjoy its full degree of redundancy. The fact of the matter is that had these engineers serviced the four engines prior to takeoff, failure could not have occurred. British Airways engineers added that lack of proper project skills caused project failure thus raising questions on whether engineers can deliberately make projects fail when they are in the position of minimizing certain failures (Hollaway and Teng, 2008). Conversely, background information on projects failures vis-à-vis redundancy shows that considerable amount of efforts have been made by civil engineers that effectively minimized project failures. For instance, dating back to 1980s, research by Holt (2012) noted that failure in aviation industry has been minimized by group of engineers who applied project management skills. Basing on the thesis statement, the focus is to establish engineering contributions towards minimization of project failures with such focus conceptualized by assessing project management engineering skills towards such failures. United Kingdom needs civil engineers with capability and ability to successfully complete projects with little or no possibilities of failures. This is what this research examines. According to Mitchell et al. (2008), project engineers should note that all projects are always around 50% of all work which can be done. Therefore ensuring projects are completed with minimum chance of failing and such applied using key project management skills is the core thesis focus of the research. As a result of this, projects can also be seen from economical view. It is for this reason that integrating project management skills are necessary in assessing cases of cases studies of projects whose failures were minimized by engineers. 2.0. Literature Review Cases of projects such as Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO) of NASA are significant when comparing causes for failure vis-à-vis projects such as QantasLink flight QF1466 whose failure was minimized as a result of engineering contributions. A comparative research Osman and Thorne (2008) brings the aspect of project management as a tool that engineers can use to mitigate and or minimize project failures. Their study on 18 projects created by engineers indicated that integration of project management skills and engineering skills is the best approach of minimizing project failures especially those that suffer from overload. Though studies such as Sayers et al. (2002) have indicated that projects that fail do so due to civil engineering errors, usage problems and to some extent, lack of engineering experience and skills should be investigated and findings established regarding the connectedness with failures such as Ely Cathedral Tower. Integrating these findings with the Learning from Failure in System Engineering panel held in Huntsville, AL on Novemebr 8, 2010, often, engineers can, in part or significantly, contribute towards minimization of project failures and the magnitude is even larger when engineering code of conducts are respected alongside project management ethics (Sebastian, 2011). However, important aspect to note concerning research by Sebastian (2011) is that there seem to have been limited literature regarding the topic and this regard, there is need to assess the topic by integrating qualitative surveys, the theories and approaches such as Deming Cycle, Weibull Plot and exponential distribution regarding successful and failed projects. This approach will attempt to find solution to causes of disasters of projects such as Bell tower of St. Mary's church and thus establish significant difference with regard to some literal arguments that at least 89% percent of projects have been failing not because of engineering faults but managerial failures. Basing arguments on theoretical models and in particular contingency theory, investigation on project failures and contributions civil engineers have been making to minimize such failures Singh and Goel (1999) has argued that this topic has been evolving thus offering more insight on the project management in addition to providing an opportunity for this research to re-examine the aspect of project failures, fit between project characteristics and contributions of engineering in minimizing failures. To understand the aspect of contingency theory vis-à-vis project failures, and efforts made by engineers, this research will adopt five key frameworks; Weibull Plot to ascertain project failures and its relationship with engineers input, Deming Cycle, exponential distribution, Dvir and Shenhar’s NTCP diamond framework, Clark and Henderson categorization of change and innovation and Lock De Meyer’s strategies for managing uncertainty regarding engineering projects. Contingency theory notwithstanding, the thesis statement means that there is need to draw on in depth research of different major projects and how efforts from civil engineers changed the course of their performance within UK. This means that Singh and Goel (1999) findings should be reviewed so as to establish a framework for considering what successful projects are and engineering implications. Furthermore, it gives suggestions on the implications for contemporary analysis of engineering project’s specific features of uncertainty and risk. Such research will bring the establishment of new and different perceptions on project success and failure beyond the traditional assumptions that that has been inherent among engineers and further re-define or refine the practical frameworks used by engineers when developing projects. The results of this research will enable engineers and future projects to be established and rely on heuristics and thus lead to a new application of project design and management strategies that aim to apply project management techniques towards contributing towards project failure minimisation. Background information regarding the contributions UK based civil engineers have made to minimize project failures stretches back to the periods of Nicolaus Otto and the Otto-cycle engine and does end with the case of United Airlines DC-10 (Stewart and Rosowsky, 1998). For instance, Engineers such as Charles Perrow equates contributions of engineers to minimization of project failures to Kuhnian scientific paradigm (Sayers et al., 2012). This is actually a clear point where project management technique such as separation of risks from projects is given considerations. With Kuhnian scientific paradigm, Charles Perrow believes that to understand how engineers contribute towards project failure minimization one needs to conceptualise the fact that engineers fail to factor in ‘design paradigm’ to their engineering practices. He adds that failure to observe design paradigm that have become common across ostensibly makes projects fail thus making engineers lack theoretical and practical foundations on their work. This is the concept that was also captured by Alan Turing and his project on failure minimization specifically, on computer binary architecture that has grown widely when minimizing computer failures (Jones and Wierzbicki, 2010). From contributions Alan Turing made, it is worth noting that controlling project such as bridges and buildings in UK from collapsing does not need civil engineers to entirely depend on contingency theory. For instance, taking a case of The Tay Bridge disaster, contingency theory seemed not to provide relevant approach needed to assess contemporary projects. Further to this, Jones and Wierzbicki (2010) have advised on the need to focus on the classical management theory where practical problems faced by civil engineers are reviewed. Taking a case study on Millennium Bridge that was closed two days after opening, it is apparent that civil engineering failures can either take place during the constructions, before completion or few years after completion. Research by Holt et al. (2006) that based his study Millennium Bridge found that most engineering project disasters have done so with temporal regularity---with most failures taking place at approximately 20-year intervals. The pattern as established by Holt et al. shows that bridges such as Milford Haven collapsed while under construction. The most apparent temporal regularity of the occurrence of engineering project disasters led to the belief civil engineers could be having a hand in such failures. This can be attributed to cable-stayed bridges in UK that have at one point collapsed thus putting integrity of civil engineers at stake. What Holt et al. (2006) and Jones and Wierzbicki (2010) suggest in their analyses is that the fault by engineers in the construction of roadways and bridges. Engineers have been known to work hard in improving structural integrity and performance of roadways and bridges. However, this proposal identifies one problem committed by engineers in designing and construction of bridges and roadways. One such problem is what has been reported by the Applied Technology Council (ATC) “ATC-25” (ATC 1991). The report suggests that engineers fail to consider effects of earthquake on bridges. Giving example, this proposal has noted the Northridge earthquake that caused damage to 10 viaducts and 157overpassess. From this perspective, scholars such as Barber et al. (2000) have questioned contributions civil engineers in UK have had on minimization of project failures. 3.0. Research Methodology 3.1. Objectives of Research One objective of the research is to critically assess whether civil engineers have had and continue to have a unique impact on project failures. The objective has been chosen since it is the broad point about what the research hopes to accomplish and the desired outcome from the process of researching. Since United Kingdom civil projects operate with established legal frameworks, the objective has focussed on long-term outcomes intended to ascertain recent trends in engineering projects failures and successes. In addition, the objectives introduces what is missing from the literatures reviewed thus identifying the gap in knowledge. The gap in knowledge that the proposal finds to be holding back the field is what the entire research will attempt to address thus providing the linkage or concordance between the identified objective and parts of central hypotheses that have been inherent in reviewed studies such as Holt (2012). The second objective of the research is to assess whether there is a demonstration on the systematic methodologies of approaching project engineering and management which is also essential in knowing the factors which influence the changes in civil structures in UK. Just as Holt (2012) explains, research objective should illustrate how every research aim will serve the purpose. Engineers need capability and ability to successfully complete projects with little or no possibilities of failures. Other than focusing on the objective of the research as detailed above, readers will find the following objectives as thesis focus: a. Effective way for progression from the time the project is started to the time it functions---planning, formulation and execution b. Giving explanation on the correct way of using the available techniques and tools which can be applied by project engineers at different times so as to contribute towards project failure minimisation c. Proper definition of roles and responsibilities of project engineers at different stages of the project and in the entire lifecycle of the project From this perspective, generally, while the objectives as stated above seem to be broad in their approach, they are focussed and practical when put as follows: Critically compare quantitative and qualitative data from respondents from United Kingdom with a view to integrating such with literature reviews and understand the impacts engineers have on civil structures. 3.2. Research questions The following research questions have been identified with an aim of concretizing and solving research problems and or thesis statement: i. Are there project failure case studies as explained and documented by different engineering regulatory bodies, forensic engineering bodies, and health and safety agencies? ii. Are these case studies able to ascertain how civil engineers in UK organization impact engineering practices prior to project designs and its running? The research question 1 challenges assumptions and theories that have been used in the proposal. That is, it tests the validity and conformity of the assumptions and theoretical models that have been adopted for the study. To this regard, such assumption helps this proposal confirm that the study will poses a sound research question. In such connection, the question has been developed as it is able to examine what the proposal considers as the scalability, scope, size and sustainability of the research topic. The second question on the other hand serves specific role as far as the thesis statement is involved. It has been structured to reflect argument as postulated Holt (2012) concerning recent cases of project failures in UK. It has been narrowed to address the specific area that fits within the research design in particular, research methodology in general. In addition, this question clearly establishes dependent variable (civil engineering projects in UK) and independent (ability of engineers to minimise projects failures) variables. In so doing, the dependent variable becomes the main focus of this proposal. 3.3. Research design Basing on objectives and research questions, its design is a conceptual structure within which it will conduct and constitute a blueprint for the collection, measurement and analysis of data that will be obtained from different case studies including sampled projects that have failed or in the brink of failure. Research design should be interrogative in nature and should be used for getting answers to the research hypothesis and questions used in the study; it provides a framework through which a research is conducted. 3.4. Target population This study will target projects that have been failed by engineering problems or errors. These projects must be researched and conclusion drawn to indicate that indeed engineering process contributed or minimized such failures. Data regarding such samples will be drawn from different parts of UK but key targets will be at least 2 projects from every region in United Kingdom. 3.5. Sampling techniques and sample size The study intends to use data from software, civil, structural and electrical and earthquake engineering fields and such data will be confined to different regions in UK. For the research to document latest trend in project failures, comparative analysis will be carried out between failed projects between 1990 up to 2015. To justify the study group, the sample will be the focal point; the result drawn from the investigation will be interpreted and used directly to represent the population. 3.6. Research instruments The research has adopted secondary data collection method to gather information because it is essential to have different sources of information for verification and comprehensiveness (Holt, 2012). Based on the number of cases this research has identified as the sample, secondary and primary data has been adopted due to their key advantage of objectivity and the absence of bias. In as much as this research notes the disadvantage of secondary sources of information such as being irrelevant and may also not be readily available in some cases, primary sources will be highly dependable due to reliabilities they offer. 3.7. Reliability and validity of the instruments Gibson (2000) states that validity is the extent to which an instrument for data collection measures what it purports to. The validity is the meaningfulness of inferences and accuracy of data collected based on the research results. As a result this research should offer a level of stability or the internal consistency of measuring instrument for a period. It will also consider such instrument to be reliable if it provides consistent results. In this study, reliability of the instrument is tested using Cronbach’s Alpha test in order to find out if they achieve a satisfactory level of acceptance. The Cronbanch is a method of measuring internal consistency more so in a study which involves regression analysis. Gibson (2000) advocates that a reliability coefficient of α = 0.7 typically employed to denote an acceptable level of internal reliability. 3.8. Data Analysis Data analysis will be based on the objectives and hypothesis of the study. The data collected coded and restored will be analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20.0. The data in this essay are obtained from various sources. The primary source of the data is from the UK’s statistical year books and other relevant statistical data. The data collected include the period between the years 1999-2015. Regression analysis will be carried out to determine the extent to engineers have inherent problems that contribute to project failures. 3.9. Ethical considerations According to Holt, G. D. (2012) ethical consideration during qualitative research is very important in the sense that the data collected do not lose their reliability. The proposal will engage pre-programmed survey laptop for the visits in the institutions/companies. The second aspect of the intervention relates to relationship the research will have with the sample or the general population. In this case, this proposal has proposed that information gathered from interviews, closed and open ended questionnaires will be stored as XML file and encrypted for confidentiality. The study will be explained to them, along with the consideration that their participation would be voluntary. Before commencing the study, consent forms will be signed by the relevant managers, workers in different firms and shareholders. The identity of all the respondents will be kept anonymous and, in cases where a name will be used in, it will be a pseudonym. Consequently, the responses will not be obtained through giving any compensation to the respondents. Before commencing the interview sessions, each respondent will be briefed on what the research involved. In regard to the questionnaires, the purpose of the study will be highlighted in an opening statement. 3.10. Project schedule Activity to be completed Year 2015 April Year 2015 April Year 2015 May Year 2015 May Year 2015 September Year 2015 September Select topic , readers and obtain literature Basic understanding of thesis and research orientation Development of research proposal Introduction Literature review Secondary research Completing first draft Develop research methods which will be the review of secondary literature Supplying of questionnaires and interview questions Data collection Data compilation Analysis findings and results Submit final revise draft Submission thesis report References Barber, P., Graves, A., Hall, M., Sheath, D., & Tomkins, C. (2000). Quality failure costs in civil engineering projects. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 17(4/5), 479-492. Gibson, L. J., Ashby, M. F., Zhang, J., & Triantafillou, T. C. (2004). Failure surfaces for cellular materials under multiaxial loads—I. Modelling. 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Kettleman Hills waste landfill slope failure. I: Liner-system properties. Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, 116(4), 647-668. Osman, A. M., & Thorne, C. R. (2008). Riverbank stability analysis. I: Theory. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 114(2), 134-150. Sayers, P. B., Hall, J. W., & Meadowcroft, I. C. (2012, May). Towards risk-based flood hazard management in the UK. In Proceedings of the ICE-Civil Engineering (Vol. 150, No. 5, pp. 36-42). Thomas Telford. Sebastian, W. M. (2011). Significance of midspan debonding failure in FRP-plated concrete beams. Journal of Structural Engineering, 127(7), 792-798. Singh, B., & Goel, R. K. (1999). Rock mass classification: a practical approach in civil engineering (Vol. 46). Elsevier. Stewart, M. G., & Rosowsky, D. V. (1998). Time-dependent reliability of deteriorating reinforced concrete bridge decks. Structural Safety, 20(1), 91-109. Read More