Project Management of the Construction of Airport - Case Study Example

Project Management Plan for the Construction of Airport University’s Name: Submitted by Names: Tutor: Date: Introduction This project management plan (PMP) is about the design and construction of general aviation terminal for VIP landing, gliders, and corporate business jet in Bahrain, which initiated by Bahrain Airport Company (BAC). The project is influenced by the increased demand for VIP landing space and swelling number of corporate business jets in Bahrain. The project is scheduled to take four years between 2015 and 2018, and it is estimated to cost about BHB 1.4 million by the time it is completed. The project is also expected to improve Bahrain economy by the time it is completed. The PMP has two main parts, which include literature review and ten knowledge areas of project management plan. Literature review analyzes some of the existing literatures about the construction of airport, which management framework and practices, trends and emerging trends, and risk and safety measure. The second part dwells on PMP ten areas, which include project integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resource, communication, change, and risk management. In short, the work aims at looking at some of the management practices that are needed in executing this particular project. Literature Review Construction plays key roles in the growth and development of various economies across the world. It has various activities that have direct and indirect effect in different sectors of an economy that influence economic growth and the living standards of the people. According to Chan et al (2004), it is important for project managers to ensure that construction activities are effectively and efficiently managed until their final completion. Airport design and construction is a complex and unique because of the many activities that take place during construction. Airport construction involves different expertise, many stakeholders, complex management techniques and process, and many different materials used in construction. Therefore, for the project to be successful there must be efficient, effective and strategic management techniques throughout the execution of the project. Feature of Airport Construction According to Fife and McNerney (2000), the unique features of airport construction have led to many complex challenges and factor that airport operators face during construction. The quality and quantity of infrastructure as well as the transport system are major determinants of economic performance of a country. Air transport, in particular, influences the growth of other sectors in an economy (Fife and McNerney 2000). Many countries have witnessed increased technology, expanding population, growth in commercial activities, which have called for the expansion of airports. Security within and around airports are always very tight, especially due an increase terrorism activities (Alnasseri et al., 20130. Consequently, airport staff and passengers undergo many security obstacles when accessing various parts of airports. Therefore, to ensure safety of airport during the expansion of airport, it is important apply the same security checkups to all personnel working in the construction site. Alnasseri, et al stated that airport management should increase the number of security personnel or hire efficient security agency to boost security during construction. It is important for those working in the site to have badges, specific gate pass and license to easily monitor their movement within the airport. Because most airports operate 24 hours, project managers should ensure that much of the construction activities take place at night when the traffic capacity is low to reduce inconveniency and the safety passengers and airport staff. Construction projects, especially that involving airport have many stakeholders who play critical role in various stages of the project. According to Fife and McNerney (2000), many stakeholders involved in airport construction make it difficult to reach an agreement on various processes and activities during the life o a project. This delays decision-making and may hinder timely completion of a project (Chan et al. 2004). Therefore, there should be specification of roles and the requirements of each stage of the project minimize conflicting interests that may hinder successful completion of a project. Efficient and effective project management is important in enhancing performance of the people who are involved in executing projects (Fife and McNerney, 2000). It is the responsibility of construction project managers to ensure effective management and control all the phases of a project and all the resources. Effective frameworks, strategic management, and competent personnel are important factors for successful execution of a project. Airport construction involves experts and personnel from various academic fields, cultures, genders, and countries. Some of the people involved in major constructions include clients, constructors, governments and their agencies, suppliers, NGOs, and designers of projects. Fife and McNerney (2000), state that Project managers of mega projects like airport constructions face diversity challenge because they deal with people with divergent ideas and views about the project. Project managers tend to concentrate on cost, time and quality of a project and in most cases they disregard the importance of human factor in the success of a project. No project exists and can be successful without the input of people and any project management without human agenda is likely to fail. Knowing how to work with people from different backgrounds is importance for the success of a project. Key Issues in Airport Construction Fife and McNerney (2000), stated that there is increased capacity in air transport due to increased number of passengers travelling within a country and abroad. The two further argued that increased number of passengers has caused delays and congestion in many airports across the globe. Further the number of air traffic has increased tremendously as each airline company increase the number of airplanes to match the demand. Increased demand has led to the expansion of many airports. Airports should abandon old navigation aids and they should embrace lighting of airways to enable pilots see their roots even at night. There are new aircrafts like super-jumbo that are emerging due to improved technology in the aviation sector. Many countries also have introduced the use of jet passenger aircrafts that calls for the construction of longer runways ((Fife and McNerney, 2000). Aircraft manufacturers are coming up with large aircrafts with long wings that need large runways for them to land. Therefore, any company that intends to expand its airport must incorporate these emerging issues in aviation industry when they are planning, designing and constructing their airports. However, constructing long and large runways is costly and project managers should find ways of minimizing the cost without compromising the quality of such projects. According to Luther (2007), there has been increased environmental concern during the construction of airports. Initially, the major environmental concern was noise pollution, but now there are many environmental issues that directly affect the cost of constructing an airport. There are many environmental regulations that are likely to influence construction of airports and aircrafts, which are threat to aviation industry. Some of the environmental concerns include soil redemption, quality of air, and energy conservation. Safety of those Working in the Construction Site According to Meding (2001), the main cause of fatalities in construction site is falling. In order to reduce falling-related fatalities, there should be non-slippery floors onsite, handrails, use of safety belts, and safety nets should be used. Poor onsite conditions, rapid change in working sites, close proximity of workers when they are working also contributes to deaths and accidents in the construction site (Meding, 2001). To reduce unnecessary accidents in the sites, supervisors and project managers should ensure that all the safety measure considered before any work begins. Meding (2001) stated that some causes of accidents onsite are associated with management pressures financial constraints, failure to pay attention to safety standards, lack of effective policy, lack of knowledge, and insufficient quality control systems. Social pressures like group attitude, attitudes towards risk taking behavior of workers in the construction sites (Meding, 2001). To improve safety onsite, project management must address these two pressures that can be minimized by putting in place effective policy and regulations that guide work during construction operation. Meding (2001) further stated that Ageing population, employing many unskilled workers and high number of workers in the construction sites also cause many accidents. Fatigue and stress among some of worker also enhance accidents onsite. Aged workers have higher chances of suffering from work-related diseases and other chronic diseases compared to younger workers. Employing skilled workers, creating favorable working environment, and employing young and energetic workers reduce accidents in construction sites. Occupational accidents can be prevented by implementing effective safety management. Occupational fatalities keep on reoccurring because of failure of project management to learn from them and it also does little to prevent accidents (Nielsen and Mrics, 2001). The fatalities are associated with poor project management, structure of a project, and the methods used in carrying out projects. The onsite accidents are likely to reduce if project management ensures that workers use safety equipments that are provided during construction. Technology in Airport Construction According to Delatte (2014.), every aspect of aviation sector is affected by the rapid change in technology, which is also inevitable. Security has been one of the major issues because new security systems are costly and finding the appropriate location to install them is also a challenge (Delatte, 2014). It is believed that when security is tight, passengers tend to arrive at the airport early. This is a challenge because it leads to high demand of hold rooms. Intelligent Transport System (ITS) is also a challenge to airport management because they affect the accessibility of airport, and the design and operations of landside. Only appropriate technology should be use after a thorough research and analysis are done. Ten Knowledge Areas on Project Management Project Integration Management There are three top most personnel who actively take part in implementing the project. Project manager is TB who is one of the employees of the client, Bahrain Airport Company (BAC). TB is the person who is in charge of overall activities taking place during the airport construction from the beginning to the completion of the project. He ensures successful planning, designing, execution, controlling and closure of the project. Because project is the key decision maker on all the project life stages, he will be required to use management software, especially Microsoft project to coordinate work and the workforce for the success of the project. Project manager works closely work with the planning team that is led by NB and JS, both from Victoria University. Planning team will be responsible for performing integrated change control in the life of the project. Both project manager and planning team will work closely with director from BAC called Tim who will see the successful closure of the project. Other key experts who will be involved in all stages of the project include designers and quantity surveyors, contractors, procurement officers, and resource manager. Project integration is import in ensuring the success of any construction project (Meredith & Mantel Jr, 2011). The technical aspect of this project will practically be tested to ensure that everything run smoothly during construction. Project management will also ensure cooperation and clear communication among all stakeholders directly or indirectly affected by this project. Cooperation and effective communication will also be required to among individuals taking part in this project. The project team will be required to cultivate a good working relationship in order to reduce confusions and delays that are likely to occur in all stages of this airport construction project. The change aspect will be analyzed to ensure successful change management. It is important for stakeholders taking part in this project to be made aware and understand the need for the changes that will take place when the project is on. In addition, people should be comfortable with the changes that will occur to avoid conflict (Burke, 2013). Further, experts and workers involved in construction will be given proper direction and the locations of the facilities they may need to use during construction. Project Scope Management This project is about the designing and constructing a general aviation terminal for VIP landing, glider, and corporate business jet in Bahrain. Project management and BAC management are working hand in hard to ensure successful completion of the project, which is the main objective of this project. The project is scheduled to run from 2015 to 2018 and it is expected to take three years and eight months at a total cost of BHB 1.4 billion by the time it is fully completed. Some of the key deliverables during the life of the project include designing, technical sketches, work plan, site preparation, inspections of design, procurement of the required materials, recruitment of contractors, and training of personnel who will be involved in the construction of the project. Effective and reliable communication will be important in ensuring effective scope management of this project (Burke, 2013). It is important for all the people involved in this project to understand and internalize the scope and objective of the project and how the project will be implemented successfully. Project managers will ensure that he seeks approval and sign-offs form various stakeholders involved and ensures that all the requirements are put in place. The project management should also ensure that the needs of all stakeholders are met for the smooth running of the project. Project Time Management Time is a vital resource in any project and should not be wasted if a project is to be successful. Time management should not just be left in the hands of project manager, but it should be a concern to all people involved in the construction. Five steps will be considered in this project to ensure effective time management. The steps include definition of activities, sequencing of activities, estimation of resources for activities, estimation of duration and efforts, creating and controlling of schedule. The project is expected to start on March 2015 even the actual construction is scheduled to begin on January 2017. Designing briefs, development of technical sketches, work plan, approvals and licensing, change management and sign-off are scheduled to take place between March 2015and December 2016. The next one year will involve site preparation, inspections, procurements, tracking and monitoring. The project should be complete by January 2019, the time is should be commissioned. Project Cost Management/ Budgeting Project cost management involves planning, estimation, budgeting, and controlling the total cost of the project. The main determinant of success of a project is the availability of finance and project management will ensure that estimations are accurate. The management will use the scope of the project in summarizing the budget. Cost controlling is also important in ensuring that the project is within the budget. Project management will ensure that all the changes are recorded; inappropriate changes are not included in the budget, and maintain the cost limits. The cost of this project is planned, budgeted and estimated using construction standards from Dubai, UAE. Averagely, the annual cost of skilled worker in UAE is Dh 114,000 while that of unskilled worker is Dh 33,000. However, the cost of materials varies depending on the quantity and quality of purchase. To ensure that the project is within the budget, project management will ensure reallocation of resources when necessary, creativity in budgeting, and cost management training. Project Quality Management To ensure quality of the project, project management will consider the following issues: i. The designing, planning and execution of project will be effective, consistent and of high quality. ii. Meet customer quality objectives by allowing customer to state the expected quality. iii. Consider all professional standards, which include legal, environmental, and code of conduct of experts involved in the project. iv. Find a way of balancing expectation of customers and other stakeholders and the cost of the project to ensure high quality. v. Develop performance indicators that define quality of the project. vi. Ensures that the project is within schedule and cost. Human Resource Management Success of any project largely depends on the human resources involved in all the stages of implementing the project (Meredith and Mantel Jr, 2011). All the personnel involved in the construction of airport must competent and must be of high qualification. The project will require one project manager who must have a degree in civil engineering, relevant skills in project management and must have a fifteen year experience in the field. The number of designers and quantity surveyors will be thirteen. They must have degree in architecture and building with ten years experience. Two contractors are needed for this project with appropriate technical, interpersonal and communication skills. The project also requires eight procurement officers with relevant numerical, computer, and translation skills. Apart from the above personnel, other workers must also be competent and skilled in their respective fields. Training and development of all personnel will be important for this project because of its magnitude and complexity. Personnel will be equipped about basic information about the operations of airport and security measures that must be considered. They will also be trained about the required skills in airport construction. The training will be led by project manager and various internal and external experts. Communication Management An effective communication management is important in ensuring that there is effective communication throughout the life a project (Meredith and Mantel Jr, 2011). Project management spends about 80% of their time communicating. Therefore, project management must develop effective communication skills. This project will use SharePoint in coordinating events and progress of construction. Methods of communication that will be utilized to ensure effective communication include conference room meeting for all stakeholders, boardroom for planning activities, email, phone calls, and Bahrain newspaper. Change Management Any change that will take place will be informed by the Bahrain standard change management process. According to Kerzner (2013), clear communication is important in ensuring effective change management because all stakeholders must be informed about the possible changes that are likely to occur during construction. People need to know areas they are suppose to work in, where they need to report, security measures within the airport. Human aspect will be important in managing changes during construction. Risk Management Project risk management involves risk assessment and mitigation strategies for any risk that is likely to occur during construction (Meredith and Mantel Jr, 2011). It also involves the identification of the risks and their possible impacts. The main aim of risk management is to minimize occurrence of the identified risks and their possible effects on people and environment. Project management must ensure that safety and mitigation measures are in place to minimize the risks. In addition, workers should be encouraged to adhere to safety measure in order to minimize any fatality onsite (Meredith and Mantel Jr, 2011). Many risks in this project are majorly about the management. Some the risks that are expected in this project include last minute budget changes, limited working space, unqualified workers, and lack of resources. The risks can be prevented through effective project management. Stakeholders Management There are a number of stakeholders in this project and they include BAC, government of Bahrain, design team, planning team, VIP Celebrities, landing gliders, and corporate business jet. For the success of this project, interests and views of all stakeholders must be considered and appropriate balance reached. Project management will ensure that there is effective communication between stakeholders, which is important in reaching consensus in conflicting issues. Conclusion Construction of general aviation terminal is a complex construction that needs proper management for it to be successful. There are many emerging issues airport construction like environment, human resource and technology that should be considered during airport construction. Management should also consider the ten project management areas crucial in project management. A project may have all that is needed, but without effective management it is likely to fail. Reference List Alnasseri, N., Osborne, A., & Steel, G. 2013. Managing and Controlling Airport Construction Projects: A Strategic Management Framework for Operators. Journal of Advanced Management Science Vol, 1(3). Burke, R. 2013. Project management: planning and control techniques. New Jersey, USA. Chan, A. P., Scott, D., & Chan, A. P. 2004. Factors affecting the success of a construction project. Journal of construction engineering and management. Delatte, N. J. 2014. Concrete pavement design, construction, and performance. CRC Press. FIFE, W., & MCNERNEY, M. T. 2000. A Look into the Future of Airport Planning, Design, and Construction by Analyzing Current Issues. Transportation in the New Millennium. Kerzner, H. R. 2013. Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons. Khosravi, S., & Afshari, H. 2011. A success measurement model for construction projects. In International Conference on Financial Management and Economics IPEDR (Vol. 11, pp. 186-190). IACSIT Press Singapore. Luther, L. 2007, April. Environmental Impacts of Airport Operations: Maintenance, and Expansion. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WASHINGTON DC CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE. Meding, J. 2001. Confined site construction: A qualitative investigation of critical issues affecting management of health and safety. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/2109651/Confined_site_construction_A_qualitative_investigati on_of_critical_issues_affecting_management_of_health_and_safety Meredith, J. R., & Mantel Jr, S. J. 2011. Project management: a managerial approach. John Wiley & Sons. Nielsen, K. R., & MRICS, M. 2001. Some Practical Thoughts–Risk Allocation Regarding Airport Projects in China. Read More