Sydney Opera House Project Management - Research Proposal Example

EVALUATION OF SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE PROJECT Student’s Name Course Professor’s Name University City (State) Date Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction 2 2.0 Problem Identification 4 3.0 Literature Review 4 3.1 Successful Project Organization and Management 5 3.2 Time and Cost Flexibilities in Projects 6 3.3 Technological Evolution in Project Management 7 4.0 Research Objective 8 5.0 Research Methodology 8 5.1 Study Area 8 5.2 Research Design 9 Reference List 10 Appendices 11 Sydney Opera House 1.0 Introduction The Sydney Opera House is an icon in the Australia’s buildings making it the most recognized technical and creative achievement. The building was completed in 1973 and since then has attracted several people due to construction and design facilitated with its location (Australian Government 2013). The structure has been located on a Bennelong Point, an outstanding harbor setting. The buildings’ design which is accompanied by a white shell-shaped roof on a red granite structure has made the building to acclaim to be the 20th-century architectural icon. The building was constructed in sixteen years; that is between 1957 and 1973 and have since then been hailed as the masterpiece of the modern construction technology, engineering, and architectural design in Australia. The designer of the building was Danish architect JØrn Utzon who doubles as the Pritzker Prize winner. In addition, the engineering firm was Ove Arup and Partner from Denmark and the building contractors was the M R Hornibrook which is Australian based. The architects that oversaw the completion of the project were Hall, Littlemore, and Todd. However, the story of Sydney Opera House construction had its significant share of controversy. The construction of the Sydney Opera House was characterized by escalating costs and complex engineering problems. As a result, it became a source of public debate that only reduced upon the completion of the building (Hale & Macdonald 2005). The achievement linked to the beauty of the building made it become world news thus making the scandals associated with its construction subsidies. In explanation, it is estimated that the building costs was $AU 102, 000, 000 (Australian Government 2013). In addition, constructing of the roof sails also had challenges and took approximately four years to solve. The roof sails were dependent on the sphere’s geometry thus demonstrating the creative potential in architecture. Furthermore, Utzon used the structure to demonstrate the possibility of using repeated prefabricated components in construction. The structure of the proposal is made of sections and sub-sections. The main sections of the proposal include an introduction, problem identification, literature review, research objective, and research methodology. It is this sections that are divided into subsections. Furthermore, the proposal has the cover page, reference, and appendix section. 2.0 Problem Identification Even though Sydney Opera House was considered an architectural achievement of the 20th century, it had several failures. The project started in 1959 and was to take only four years with the total budget being $ AU 7 million. The failure was not only based on the time frame and the cost too. In explanation, the project was a failure from the beginning since it had no specification of costs and design to the client. As a result, the time overruns and cost overshadows blamed on Utzon, the architecture who spearheaded the construction. Utzon was, therefore, forced to resign before the project completion. He resigned in 1966, and a team of Australian architects was appointed to complete the project. The project was finalized in 1973 which was 10 years after the original date of completion that it was scheduled. In addition, the final cost of the project was $ AU 102 million which is approximately $ AU 95 million above the initial estimation thus making a cost overrun of approximately 1,300 percent (Eze 2014). 3.0 Literature Review The literature review section of the proposal is divided into subsections. The subsection addresses most of the areas to which can be used to determine the success and failures of the Sydney Opera House project. The literature review is, therefore, considered to be the ideal situation of a project to which the Sydney Opera House project will be ranked against. 3.1 Successful Project Organization and Management Sydney Opera House project organization and management was not a success. In explanation, there are ways to which the success of a project can be determined. First, a project is considered a success if the customer is satisfied. Second, since the customer is happy, it is expected they he or she orders more work with the same entity. Third, a project is considered a success if its deliverables and milestones are approved without delays. Furthermore, the project budget needs to be accurate as per the plan is done at the initial stages of the project (Munns & Bjeirmi 1996). The project's deliverables and milestone deadlines should also be regularly met to consider it a success. Lastly, the executive management should be able to receive positive feedback from its customers. However, this was not the case with Sydney Opera House project. The project had some degree of failure since the customers were not satisfied with its development pace until its completion. The project also experienced challenges in the initial stages of construction process due to the design and later forcing the Utzon, the mastermind architecture to resign in 1966. The project also experienced a huge budget overrun that saw it being completed ten years after the initial planning date and consuming approximately 1,300 percent higher than the initial financial estimates (Eze 2014). The requirements of the project kept changing in the deep phases of the project thus making it not a success. A good project management should ensure that all factors that may affect the process are considered. For instance, it should ensure that all the stakeholders and the requirement of the project are considered. A good project management should also ensure that the alternative approaches and methods are explored before deciding on the best option. Furthermore, the risks associated with each of the options should be analyzed to ensure sustainability of the project. The execution of the project across the organization should also be consistent and a framework developed for the less skilled personnel. 3.2 Time and Cost Flexibilities in Projects Sydney Opera House project inefficiently used the resources, more so, time and financial resources. As a result, it is considered a failed project despite being one of the exceptional architectural works of the twentieth century. In explanation, most of the formal project management processes do not have flexibility despite the rapid changing environment demands. Project management process is mostly based on strict deadlines thus making the time of adjustment to be so small or ineligible (Eik-Andresen, Landmark & Johansen 2015). When a project tends to take time that is significant, it is termed as a failure. Flexibility is critical for a project since uncertainty is a life fact. Variables, people, and unpredictability of conditions such as weather or economy can affect the flow of a project. Good project management techniques, therefore, take consideration of the unknowns that might affect the delivery, cost, and quality of the project. In addition, projects are always different. They might have similar goals with a different environment thus making it impossible to be duplicated. For instance, a project that is not running smoothly in a given location might run smoothly in other areas. A project that has flexible management processes are more successful compared to those that do not have (Eik-Andresen, Landmark & Johansen 2015). Time and cost buffers are often problematic when put in a project as it can prevent one from getting a job. Furthermore, the job activities will always expand to fill the available time. However, flexibility should also be restricted since resources are usually infinite and insufficient. It, therefore, means that there is no surplus equipment, material, and people to help in case of a significant positive fluctuation in the initial plan. All in all, projects should be designed to allow for reasonable flexibility and the changes should focus on how things are to be done as opposed to what is to be done. A pragmatic view is critical in determining the flexibility of a project. It helps determine the activities that can be back-scaled to free resources for other tasks that have exceptionally large challenges as opposed to expectations. For instance, if building the foundation and walls of a building is moving smoothly, people can focus more efforts on ensuring that the construction of the complex roofing is achieved on time. Even though it is impossible to anticipate all the things that might occur in a project, one can plan for the unexpected. 3.3 Technological Evolution in Project Management Project management can be traced to several years back. The first significant use of project management system was the construction of ancient pyramids in Egypt. However, the manner to which the project was conducted cannot be reliable during the decade. Today’s project management can be linked with the industrial revolution when automation was integrated into sectors and industries and businesses started to expand rapidly. During and after the First and Second World Wars, projects became of large-scale thus call for more labour, supply, and budget management. Technological evolution allowed for more effective scheduling of the projects while the automobiles increased the allocation and mobility of resources. Improvement on the telecommunication systems meant efficient and easier communication among people working on a given project. The most significant project management invention was the Gantt chart in the 1910 and the Work Breakdown Structure (Bennett 2015). The 1950s and 1960s were also characterized with great advancement in project management technology that saw the launch of Apollo mission as a project and the invention of an automatic plain-paper copier. The years between 1956 and 1958 saw the invention of several project management tools including the Program Evaluation and Review Technique and Critical Path Method. The 1970s saw the rise of computer technology with Bill Gates and Paul Allen founding Microsoft and more portable computers were developed. The 1980s and 1990s saw the introduction of the personal computers and networking facilities thus allowing for efficient management of the projects. Lastly, the 1990s and 2000s has been a period of internet invention and development thus allowing for tracking, purchasing, and browsing of products thus enhancing customized, efficient, and productive products for the customers. The development of Sydney Opera House, therefore, was after the formation of most of the basic tools of project management (Baume 2014). 4.0 Research Objective The aim of the study is to evaluate; 1. The organization and management of the Sydney Opera House Project 2. The occurrence of time and cost escalation and the approach employed to control the cost 3. The degree to which the innovation and construction technology impacted on the project based on sustainability and costs 4. The projects political, economic, and social impacts to the Australian economy 5.0 Research Methodology 5.1 Study Area The study area for the project is Sydney Opera House which is a multi-venue centre for performing arts. The architectural design of the building is expressionist, and it is located in Bennelong Point in Sydney, Australia. The elevation of the building is four metre which is equivalent to thirteen feet. The height of the building is sixty-five meters which are equal to 213 feet. The building also has a length of 183 meter, the width of 120 meters, and an area of 1.8 hectares. 5.2 Research Design Historical research design will be used to conduct the study. In explanation, the study will focus on collecting, verifying and synthesizing already existing evidence concerning Sydney Opera House to evaluate how the project was managed. The study will make use of both the primary and secondary sources that are valid and authentic to assess the project (Wyche, Sengers & Grinter 2006). Some of the primary sources that will be used include non-textual information such as visual recordings, audio, pictures, and maps added to diaries, archives, reports, and official records. The secondary sources will be mostly books and articles. The historical research design is suitable for the study since it is unobtrusive hence cannot affect the findings of the study. The historical records will also add an important background that will enable for comprehensive understanding and interpretation of the research problem (Wyche, Sengers & Grinter 2006). Furthermore, since there is no interaction between the subject and the researcher, the findings will not be affected. The fact that only valid and authentic sources will be used will make the study valid. However, the design has some challenges. First, it cannot bring a new finding on the study since it is based on the previous research findings. Second, the contemporary contexts cannot be manipulated. Third, the design can consume a lot of time since the comprehensive of the findings depends on the amount of data reviewed. It will also be hard to determine and control the biases and own perspectives that the original authors integrated into the study. Reference List Australian Government 2013, Sydney Opera House. Available from: < http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/sydney-opera-house >. [4 August 2016]. Baume, M 2014, ‘Villains and myths at the Sydney opera house’, Quadrant, vol. 58, no. 1/2, pp. 84-88. Bennett, H 2015, The impact of technology on project management: Pre-1950s to the modern age. Available from: < http://www.keyedin.com/keyedinprojects/article/the-impact-of- technology-on-project-management-pre-1950s-to-the-modern-age/ >. [5 August 2016]. Eik-Andresen, P, Landmark, AD, & Johansen, A 2015, ‘Managing cost and time in a large portfolio of projects’, Procedia Economics and Finance, vol. 21, pp. 502-509. Eze, N 2014, Evaluating the Sydney Opera House building construction. Available from: < https://www.scribd.com/doc/200973691/Evaluating-the-Sydney-Opera-House-Building- Construction-Project-A-MSc-academic-essay-MSc >. [4 August 2016]. Hale, P, & Macdonald, S 2005, ‘The Sydney Opera House: An Evolving Icon’, Journal of Architectural Conservation, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 7-22. Munns, AK & Bjeirmi, BF 1996, ‘The role of project management in achieving project success’, International journal of project management, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 81-87. Wyche, S, Sengers, P & Grinter, RE 2006. ‘Historical analysis: using the past to design the future’, In International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing (pp. 35-51), Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Appendices Appendix 1: Sydney Opera House from the Harbour Source: Australian Government (2013) Appendix 2: Sydney Opera House Site Plan Source: Australian Government (2013) Read More