Using the Geographic Positioning System in the World Trade Center Clean-up Project - Case Study Example

Title: Project Management Practices-Using the Geographic Positioning System in the World Trade Centre Clean-up Project and The Glasgow Tower Project Name: Unit: Table of Contents 1 Executive summary 2 2 A summary of the selected projects 3 2.1 Using the GPS in the WTC Clean-up Project 3 2.2 Glasgow Tower Project 5 3 Project management similarities and differences 7 3.1 Project selection 7 3.1.1 Similarities 7 3.1.2 Differences 7 3.2 Project delivery system 7 3.2.1 Similarities 7 3.2.2 Differences 8 3.3 Project planning 8 3.3.1 Similarities 8 3.3.2 Differences 8 3.4 Project control 9 3.4.1 Similarities 9 3.4.2 Differences 9 4 Project management evaluation 10 4.1 Using the GPS in the WTC Clean-up Project 10 4.1.1 Project selection 10 4.1.2 Project delivery system 10 4.1.3 Project planning 10 4.1.4 Project control 11 4.2 The Glasgow Tower Project 11 4.2.1 Project selection 11 4.2.2 Project delivery 11 4.2.3 Project planning 12 4.2.4 Project control 12 5 Summary 13 6 References 14 Table of Figures Figure 1 Debris region at WTC after terror attack 3 Figure 2 Truck being sprayed while removing debris from WTC 5 Figure 3 last Truck leaving WTC with last debris, all trucks had GPS. 5 Figure 4 The Glasgow Tower after completion 6 Figure 5 A lift being removed from Glasgow Tower due to failure 6 1 Executive summary Project management is important in determining the success of a project. When well implemented, project management ensures that the project is finished in time, with minimal risks and within the set budget. This report analysis two projects, Using the GPS in the WTC Clean-up Project and The Glasgow Tower Project. The analysis will be carried out based on the project management principles; project selection, project delivery, project planning and project control. The report is critical in investigating the project management principles of the Using the GPS in the WTC clean-up Project and Glasgow Tower Project. Using the GPS in the WTC Clean-up Project is based on the removal of material from “Ground Zero” to disposal after the September 11 terrorist attacks in World Trade Canter towers in New York. On the other hand Glasgow Tower is based on placing a viewing cabin on top of slender tower 1000.58 metres above River Clyde. The projects were handled differently by different teams. The Using the GPS in the WTC Clean-up Project performed well and was a major success despite the few setbacks. The project was smooth despite the fact that it was commissioned in a hurry. On the other hand, Glasgow Tower experienced a lot of problems during its construction phase. This is especially due to poor planning coordination and communication. Despite completion, the poor project management aspects led to delays, cost overruns and safety issues. 2 A summary of the selected projects 2.1 Using the GPS in the WTC Clean-up Project Figure 1 Debris region at WTC after terror attack After the September 11 attacks that occurred in the world trade centre in New York City, there was a major clean-up exercise. The huge clean-up exercise involved major contractors who had to be mobilised. The materials had to be removed from ground zero and taken 30 miles away. This required efficiency and speed which was different from the previous projects. The officials were expected to monitor multiple fleets carrying the hazardous materials to the disposal sites. The fleet was made up of 200 vehicles and were to carry close to 1.8 tonnes of waste materials from ground zero. There was creation of a fence and all vehicles leaving were washed to ensure the asbestos dust did not escape the area. Four contracting companies were hired to direct trucks in and out of the loading zones. Due to recovery of human remains, work had to be stopped in some cases creating shortages and surplus of trucks in various sites and leading to traffic havoc. When the fence was reduced, the area around the site returned to normal leading to more problems for the trucks. To track the vehicles, there was use of multi-copy manifests while the police and others worked together to ensure truck movement was monitored within ground zero. It was established that there was a need for system to manage the clean-up effort. This was to facilitate around the clock work. The use of GPS technology was adopted to accomplish objectives on improving efficiency, to ensure truck security and avoid any misconduct such as sale of debris or stealing recyclables (Huyck, Adams & Kehrlein, 2003). GPS helped a lot in ensuring cost efficiencies (Emigh, 2002). The case is based on project management practices during the clean-up to use GPS to enhance efficiency of the project and the input the GPS had on the entire project (Cioffi et al., 2000). Figure 2 Truck being sprayed while removing debris from WTC Figure 3 last Truck leaving WTC with last debris, all trucks had GPS. 2.2 Glasgow Tower Project Figure 4 The Glasgow Tower after completion Figure 5 A lift being removed from Glasgow Tower due to failure The site of Glasgow Tower project is made up of three main buildings which are the IMAX theatre, the science mall and the Glasgow Tower. The Glasgow Tower centre was constructed on a reclaimed land which is located in pacific quay in Glasgow Scotland. Glasgow Tower is a unique structure which has the capability of revolving 360 degrees from the ground. The building is mounted on a turntable and rotates with the wind to ensure it does not get whipped around. Due to flawed planning, the incredible design and construction efforts have faced challenges becoming marred. This led to constraints between costs and scope. This led to more than 10 years for the tower to be implemented. Moreover, it included a bitter public feud between design architect and owners and possibility of charges based on safety issues. The tower is the tallest freestanding infrastructure in the country with over 20 miles view on the city and its surroundings. The project was aimed at promoting Glasgow as a tech centre and was built in conjunction with the Glasgow Science Centre. It was also aimed at revitalising the River Clyde dock area. The building was expected to become a famous landmark. Despite this, safety concerns were a major cause of delay for its opening (Anbari et al., 2006). 3 Project management similarities and differences 3.1 Project selection Project selection ensures that the chosen project is based on logical reasoning and the undesirable projects with low chances of success are avoided. The two main project selection methods are: numeric and non-numeric models. 3.1.1 Similarities Despite using different models, the project selection was done through a consultative process involving various stakeholders. 3.1.2 Differences The Glasgow Tower Project was based on profitability index unlike the Using the GPS in the WTC Clean-up Project, which was based on operating necessity. Whereas the Glasgow project used the numerical model criteria, Using the GPS in the WTC Clean-up Project used non-numerical model. The non-numeric models were used due to the nature of emergency in the project and need for fast decisions. For example, the number of trucks that were used was based on the amount of waste and the urgency of the issue. Those in charge of debris disposal had to decide on the number of people to get involved in various roles such as waste disposal, security, and helping recover those trapped. For the Glasgow Tower Project, the numerical model was used in determining the amount of materials to be used, number of workers and cost estimates. Using the GPS in the WTC Clean-up Project was an emergency hence had an advantage of putting the government and those involved into pressure. This made it to have faster funding and decision making (Cioffi et al., 2000). 3.2 Project delivery system 3.2.1 Similarities Using the GPS in the WTC Clean-up Project was based on Design-Bid-Build project delivery. This was used due to fact that there was need to ensure that quality was attained based on the clean-up needs. Experts were used to determine the best method to enhance efficiency and suggested the use of GPS. After recommending on the use of GPS, Department of Design and Construction (DDC) called for bids. Thus, the contactors participated after design. It enabled the selection to be based on contractor qualifications and capabilities. The contractors were supposed to submit proposal based on the scope in general terms and what they had to provide based on the contract. Similarly for the Glasgow Tower project, the project delivery was based on Design-Bid-Build. This is where the tower owner hired architectures and engineers to design the tower based on goals, budget and aspirations. The contractor was then selected based on a bidding process to construct the tower based on the set price. 3.2.2 Differences The Using the GPS in the WTC Clean-up Project was based on government funding as an emergency project. For the Glasgow Tower was build using public funding, Glasgow science centre, sale of national lottery tickets and the budgetary allocation from the European Union (Anbari et al., 2006). The tower was based on phased construction while the clean-up at the WTC involved parallel activities taking place at the same time with various contractors. 3.3 Project planning 3.3.1 Similarities Both projects required schedule planning due to the complexity, scale and projects timelines. 3.3.2 Differences For the Glasgow project, there was flawed scope planning during the initial stages. This led to extended closure and safety concerns at the end. There was insufficient planning where a lot of efforts were placed on the public relations and inadequate efforts on planning. There was no formal quality planning at the Glasgow project. Scope development for the Glasgow Tower project was poorly done while led to costs risks and poor schedule (Anbari et al., 2006). This may have affected the funding for the project. The cost estimation was poorly done leading to cost overshoot. Risk management planning was poorly done and was introduced at a later stage. On Using the GPS in the WTC clean-up Project, there was adequate planning. The contractors did a good job in their planning on what to achieve. This is despite the fact that planning was done with time constraints. The planning and management of resources was well done despite the fact that the project was planned in an emergency. The resources were well managed using the GPS to track the trucks (Emigh, 2002). The appropriate planning ensured the success of the GPS managed project. 3.4 Project control 3.4.1 Similarities Both projects conducted regular reviews and used tools to make attempt of ensuring that the project was on track. Both projects relied on quality control to ensure that all critical success factors were of high quality due to sensitivity and importance of both projects. There were meetings in both projects to ensure that the progress was in line with set standards. 3.4.2 Differences For the Using the GPS in the WTC clean-up Project, the improvement of efficiency was the main option which was under the DDC control. The coordination of various groups involved required a lot of efforts which went into monitoring and control. The project performed well in terms of control in comparison to the Glasgow Tower project. KPIs were used and this was done while ensuring that the work done was of high quality. For the Glasgow Tower project, there were a lot of conflicts in quality control (Anbari et al., 2006). The conflicts threatened the quality control aspect of the tower (Dennis, 2001). Despite using the quality controls and relevant ISO standards by the contractors, there was no clear indication on how quality was being managed. Despite the quality performance, there were cost overruns and delays which did not satisfy the client. There was poor quality of project management and lack of formal quality planning unlike the Using the GPS in the WTC clean-up Project. Due to poor project control at the initial stages, it was hard to track work performance for the Glasgow project as compared to the WTC clean-up project. 4 Project management evaluation 4.1 Using the GPS in the WTC Clean-up Project Through use of project management evaluation, it becomes possible to determine the strengths and weakness of the project management methods used (Munns & Bjeirmi, 1996). 4.1.1 Project selection The Using the GPS in the WTC clean-up Project was selected out of necessity and the emergency needs in times of crisis. At this time, the WTC had been bombed and there was need to remove the debris and clean up the area. This was unplanned demolition site created by the act of terrorism and there was a large scope of clean up. Contractors were mobilised immediately to participate in the clean-up project. The organisers were correct in selecting the non-numeric model in the project based on the scope and urgency. 4.1.2 Project delivery system The use of traditional Design-Bid-Build was more beneficial since it ensured that only qualified contracts with GPS abilities were selected (Munns & Bjeirmi, 1996). The method made it possible to have the design and construction phases of the project to be outsourced in a professional manner and outsourced effectively. This may have contributed highly to the project success. 4.1.3 Project planning The project planning at the Using the GPS in the WTC clean-up Project was done based on crisis. It is important to note that the clean-up was not a planned process but a project that arose due to terrorism activity. The project managers relied with the contractors to come up with the best plans for the clean-up exercise. The project objectives were well defined in the short time and delays avoided. The use of GPS made the planning process smooth and eliminated delays which were evidenced when there was no use of GPS at the start of the project. The GPS thus helped a lot in improving the planning and hence ensuring that there were no delays or cost overruns (Cioffi et al., 2000). Being an emergency project, it is important to note that the management worked together with the contractors in the planning process with minimal conflict. The contractors planned the project starting with risk identification and categorising them. The risk categories were: technical, installation, financial, coverage, operation and customer risks. It is therefore correct to say that the contractors did a good job in their planning. The project was able to set a baseline on the necessary planning on related projects. This can be used in future when dealing with emergencies. 4.1.4 Project control For Using the GPS in the WTC clean-up Project, inception and scope were well developed. This made it easy for the project to be monitored. The use of GPS reduced the workload on the officials who were expected to monitor multiple fleets. Initially, monitoring was being done with the use of multi-copy manifests, and police who in collaboration with others monitored truck movements in “Ground Zero” (Cioffi et al., 2000). Use of GPS made this easier and the project was controlled in a seamless manner in real-time. The project management did not have adequate time to consult all stakeholders and interested parties. A communication system was used by the RFQ, Products and services with an aim of increasing the efficiency of the project during the start-up. There was no formalised plan to engage all the stakeholders and enhance their relationship. 4.2 The Glasgow Tower Project 4.2.1 Project selection Being a complex project with a lot of stakeholders, the use of numeric model was used. This was a suitable model to ensure that the project had economic benefits. However, due to poor planning and coordination the overall management and decision making was a disaster (Kerzner, 2013). The project decision making was poor due to lack of appropriate communication and disagreements. The closure phase was not a success as expected despite the use of numerical model. This is due to fact that despite selecting the numerical model, it appears that it was not well implemented. 4.2.2 Project delivery The project was based on the use of Design-Bid-Build. This is a traditional method of project delivery where the architects and engineers are hired first to develop the design and plan. This is based on the owner goals and budget. After the plan was completed, the contractors were selected on a bid process. The method was great since it enables the owner to attain the best quality in design and construction of the project. It ensures that the architect and engineers designs a project based on the owners’ interests. This also made it possible to have contractors based on merit and the owners were active participants in the process. It is important to note that final construction costs cannot be known until the project is complete. It appears that the contractor handling of the project was done well and the problems occurred on the flawed initial planning, cost estimates and risk management by all parties involved. The design phase was flawed and the contractors could not be blamed on the failings. It would have been recommendable to use the Design-Build approach. This is where the owner would have contracted with single entity on both the design and construction. The approach would have avoided the falling witnessed where the design phase was flawed and the contactor had to follow a design that they had not participated in. It would have allowed a collaborative process where the contractor works in collaboration with others in the entire project (Lahdenperä, 2012). The method is also fast and would have ensured that the project did not suffer delays (Kerzner, 2013). 4.2.3 Project planning The project planning was poor in Glasgow project. The initial planning was flawed which marred the incredible tower design and the efforts used in its construction. The flawed planning during the early project phases was the main cause of extended closure and the safety issues experienced. The project was poor in scheduling. To improve on scheduling, the Glasgow Tower would have benefited from project management tools. This includes the use of Activity on Node (NOA) and the Precedence Diagram Method (PDM). It is also clear that risk management was not done in a comprehensive manner which exposed the project to failure. It would have been important for the project to have risk management plan designed at every phase. The project would have avoided risks through appropriate management and consultation with all stakeholders (Jaafari, 1997). It is important to note that most of the risks that occurred were due to poor planning but not lack of risk management (Kerzner, 2013). 4.2.4 Project control The main areas where the project failed in control are the budget and cost estimation. The poor planning made it hard for the project to have adequate cost control. The project was completed with cost overrun and late. Having poor planning made it hard to have appropriate project control (Kerzner, 2013). Despite this, there was appropriate setting of standards which included the relevant ISO standards. The contractors adhered to the set standards during the entire project. The main issues that occurred on the quality included the failure of the glass lifts and chamfered entrance was not as expected. Quality was met in most parts of the projects. The main problem occurred in the management of the final project. The project also failed in the project management where the control was poor leading to reduced quality of management. It would have been advisable to have in place a formal quality planning to enhance project control (Turner, 2008). 5 Summary This report has analysed two large projects, Glasgow Tower project and Using the GPS in the WTC clean-up Project. This analysis is based on the project management principles. The analysis has been based on project selection, delivery systems, planning and control. The analysis has made it possible to come up with issues concerning both projects in the named areas. Project management is a vital element of management and these projects have implemented it to varying degrees. For the Glasgow Tower project, the main problem lies on poor planning which almost derailed the entire project (Anbari et al., 2006). The main failures identified originate from poor planning. For the WTC clean-up project, it is clear that a lot of efforts were made in a short time to ensure project success. Using GPS, it was possible for the project to commence smoothly with appropriate planning. All these issues points out on the importance of planning in a project. From the analysis, it is clear that planning should be well executed to ensure that the rest of the phases progress smoothly. Moreover, cost planning is very vital to help in determining the approach to be used in a project (Kerzner, 2013). Risk assessment must also be done to ensure that the project is not faced with risks which could have been avoided. The analysis shows how project management can lead to success or failure based on implementation. 6 References Anbari, F. T., Kwak, Y.H., Chernyaeva, O., Spector, T. & Wu, A.H., (2006). The Glasgow Science Centre Tower Project. Project Management Institute. Cioffi, D.F, Gokhale, A., Grant, J., Logan, E. MacLeod, R. & Payne, S. (2000). Using the Geographic Positioning System in the World Trade Center Clean-up Project Case Study. Project Management Institute. Dennis, G. (2001). Architect disowns new Glasgow tower design. London, UK: The Sunday Times. Emigh, J. (2002). GPS on the job in massive World Trade Center clean-up. Electrical Construction and Maintenance, 1. Huyck, C. K., Adams, B. J., & Kehrlein, D. I. (2003). An evaluation of the role played by remote sensing technology following the World Trade Center attack. Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Vibration, 2(1), 159-168. Jaafari, A. (1997). Concurrent construction and life cycle project management. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 123(4), 427-436. Kerzner, H. (2013). Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. London: John Wiley & Sons. Lahdenperä, P. (2012). Making sense of the multi-party contractual arrangements of project partnering, project alliancing and integrated project delivery. Construction Management and Economics, 30(1), 57-79. Munns, A. K., & Bjeirmi, B. F. (1996). The role of project management in achieving project success. International journal of project management, 14(2), 81-87. Turner, J. R. (2008). Handbook of project-based management. London: McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing. Read More