How Can the Successful Delivery of Projects Be Enhanced - Case Study Example

How Can The Successful Delivery Of Projects Be Enhanced? Student’s Name Student’s ID No. Module name & Code Instructor’s Name Date of Submission How Can The Successful Delivery Of Projects Be Enhanced? Introduction Every day, hundreds of projects are undertaken by different people in different parts of the world. A project is defined as a series of task that are performed to ensure the achievement of certain objectives. Project also refers to the inputs and outputs that are needed to realize a particular objective. These projects vary in terms of scope and objectives. Turnera and Mu¨llerb (2003, p. 1) defines project management as the art or science of managing a project from planning stage to implementation stage to ensure that project objectives are achieved. In this respect, projects vary from simple to complex ones. There are a variety of different types of projects that can be undertaken by individuals or an organization. Some of the common typical project types include administrative, construction, product development, research, computer software development and equipment installation projects among many others (Cicmil et al. 2006, p. 676; Mu¨llerb & Turner 2007, p. 298). Although hundreds of projects are undertaken on a daily basis, not all projects succeed as many fell short of achieving their objectives and there are many reasons as to why some projects fail while others succeed. This paper discusses the ways in which successful delivery of projects can be enhanced. Project Success and Project Failure The main role of a project manager is to ensure that a project is successfully delivered and that all the objectives are met. However, in many cases, some projects are regarded as failure because they did not meet the objectives or goals for which they were being implemented. However, the definition for what constitutes a project success or project failure has been controversial because different people view project success and project failure differently. Projects success has been defined differently and as such these definitions have been classified into five tiers. First, project success has been defined as a situation where a project delivers all or most of its scope regardless of the time the project takes and budget performance (Pellegrinelli 2011, p. 232). This tier of definition implies that a project is considered a success as long as the purpose and the scope that it was meant to achieve have been realized and that time taken and budget does not matter. The second tier of the definition considers a project to be successful if its delivers the scope within schedule and budget agreed (Svejvig & Andersen 2015, p. 281). Therefore, under the second tier, a project would only be considered a success when the objectives are met within time schedule and the budget allocated. This implies that any project that is not successfully completed within schedule and budget would be considered a failed project even if it delivers what it was meant to deliver. The Sydney Opera house has been cited as a good example of a project that though was completed successfully, many considered it a failed project because it was not completed as scheduled and consumed more resources than budgeted. The project that was commissioned in 1957 and was scheduled to take five years to complete with an estimated budget of US$7 million. However, the project took longer than scheduled as it was completed after 13 years with the cost of the housing increasing to US$110 million (Ochieng et al. 2013, p. 59). Therefore, as much as the Opera house is considered an iconic building that receives hundreds of thousands of tourists that visit Australia today, some people still consider the project implementation for this iconic building a failed project as it cost more than budgeted for and took longer than scheduled. The third tier of the definition of project success considers a project to be successful if a project delivers what it was intended to deliver but within schedule, budget and quality standards (Cardinal & Marle 2006, p. 266). Those who define project success this way argue that the success of a project must take into consideration the three elements, namely time, budget and quality to the extent that a project that fails to meet this three elements are considered a failure. Others, however, defines a project success as that project that delivers to all the objectives agreed upon in terms of scope, budget, schedule, quality and outcomes (Mu¨ller & Turner 2007, p. 298). This implies that any project that failed to deliver on any of these objectives is considered a failed project. Lastly, some defines a project to be successful if the product generated by the project produce value for the organization after the project completion. This tier five definition contradicts all the other definitions of project success in the sense that it does not consider schedule, time and budget in determining whether or not a project is successful (Mu¨ller & Turner 2007, p. 299). Accordingly, whereas the second tier definition considers the Sydney Opera house a failed project because it was not completed within schedule and budget, the fifth tier definition would consider this Australian iconic house a success because of the value it creates for the Australian as it draws hundreds of thousand tourists to Australia (Ochieng et al. 2013, p. 61). Source: Ochieng et al. (2013) Challenges The difficulty in finding an agreeable definition for project success or failure is attributed to the interconnected dimensions in which projects failure or success is judged by different people. First is the "project management success," which has to do with delivering a project according to the objectives agreed upon. The other is “project success” which looks at the value that a project brings to an individual or organization after its completion (Svejvig & Andersen 2015, p. 278). Therefore, considering the two different dimensions, the Sydney Opera can be said to have been a successful project that encountered many challenges. Factors Responsible for Project Failures Successful completion of projects is important and project managers have the responsibility to ensure that projects are successfully delivered. Successful delivery of projects is critical as it ensures that the project is completed on time, within budget and that stakeholders are satisfied. However, as earlier indicated, a large number of projects fail to meet their objectives. Therefore, to deliver a project successfully, project managers must ensure that issues that lead to project failure are prevented (Pellegrinelli 2011, p. 236). There are many reasons hundreds of projects fails to achieve their objectives. Poor planning is one of the reasons cited in most literatures as the cause of project failures. When a project is not well planned, this is a recipe for failure as it makes implementation difficult. Projects also fail due to lack of resources in terms of both human resources, such as skilled personnel and materials used in the implementation of the project. For instance, a project to construct a building might fail if the project lacks the engineers, architectures and other skilled human personnel to undertake the project (Belout & Gauvreau 2004, p. 7). On the same note, a housing project might fail to meet the quality standards expected if low-quality materials are used or where materials are not enough to ensure successful implementation of the project. Additionally, most projects have been found to fail because of under budget. Successful implementation of a project requires effective budgeting to ensure no cost overruns that might result in a project being abandoned before completion. Lack of executive support is another reason most projects fail (Bredin 2008, p. 569). For a project to be successfully delivered, the executive support is needed as these ensure that everything that is required is availed to those implementing the project. Other factors cited in a large body of literature as being responsible for project failures include lack of user involvement, setting unrealistic expectations and change of expectations or requirements. Ways in Which Successful Delivery of Projects Can Be Enhanced As indicated above, projects fail for a variety of reasons. However, there are a variety of strategies that project managers can adopt to enhance successful delivery of projects. Belout and Gauvreau (2004, p. 4) cite the use of resources as one of the best strategies for enhancing successful project delivery. For any project to succeed, resources must be adequate both in terms of human capital and physical resources. Effective use of resources ensures that the project is successfully delivered from the start to finish. According to Bredin (2008, p. 568), successful delivery of a project requires that there be the right people with the right skills and competencies. This is important as it ensures that no errors are made during the project implementation. At the same time, the resources, such as materials must be adequate in terms of both quality and quantity. Burj Khalifa building in the United Arab Emirates is an example of a project whose successful completion. Standing tall at about 829.8 meters in Dubai, Burj Khalifa’s construction works began on September 21 2004 (Weismantle et al. 2007, p. 2) and was successfully completed in January 2010 within schedule. Effective use of resources was a critical factor that ensured successful delivery of this project. The project was implemented by skilled and experienced designer (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill), a team of engineers, architects and masons. Using skilled personnel ensured that everything went as planned from start to completion. Besides using human capital effectively, the project manager who implemented the project also ensured that there were enough materials in place. The materials were not just of the right quantity, but were also of the best quality. It is for this reason that despite being the tallest building on the planet, Burj Khalifa stands strong (Abdelrazaq et al. 2008, p. 2). Besides, control and monitoring ensures that everyone is productive and discharges his/her duty to ensure that the project is delivered on schedule. Successful delivery of a project can also be enhanced through failure mitigation. All projects are susceptible to failure. However, the difference between a successful and a failed project is the ability of the project manager to mitigate failure. Belout and Gauvreau (2004, p. 6) suggest that, to ensure the successful delivery of a project, a project manager needs to ensure that areas that might affect the successful implementation of a project are identified and corrected on time before they affect the successful delivery of a project. This is achievable through effective control. In this respect, a project manager must ensure close monitoring of how the project is being implemented so as to ensure that any deviation from the project scope is identified and corrected. In fact, it has been noted that merely having skilled personnel and resource is not enough to successfully deliver a project. As such, control and monitoring is necessary to ensure that a project is delivered as planned. Successful deliver of a project can also be enhanced through effective management of associated project risks. Every project has associated risks that if not effectively managed can affect the successful delivery of a project (Bredin 2008, p. 566). Some of the common risks that might affect project delivery that needs proper management so as to ensure successful project deliver is s product risk, schedule risk, and resource risk (Geraldi et al. 2010, p. 547). Regarding product risk, the technology being adopted might not be able to produce the desired result. Schedule risk might occur as the project might take longer than anticipated when there is no proper management of the project. Resource risk is where the available facilities and equipment may be inadequate to ensure the successful implementation of the project (Belout and Gauvreau 2004, p. 94). Besides, when some personnel leave abruptly, this might greatly impact the delivery of the projects. Although some of these risk factors are beyond the control of a project manager, anticipating and responding effectively to these risk factors through effective risk management ensures that the risks are minimized, thus ensuring the successful delivery of a project (Geraldi et al. 2010, p. 549). Additionally, successful delivery of a project can be enhanced through stakeholder involvement. The successful completion of a project is affected greatly by stakeholders that include project client, suppliers of materials, the government, and the community. Because these key stakeholders have an interest in a project or affected by the project, involving them is important and enhances successful project delivery as it ensures that there is agreement and that are no issues that might affect the successful implementation of the project. For instance, before the engineering work began for the construction of Burj Khalifa building, the developer had to seek approval from the relevant government authority with all the other key stakeholders, such as the Dubai community, suppliers, and project employees and suppliers greatly involved (Abdelrazaq et al. 2008, p. 6). This ensured that the project did not encounter resistance from key stakeholders that offered great support, thereby enhancing the successful delivery of the Burj Khalifa project. Conclusion Effective project management is critical to ensuring successful project delivery. As indicated, the successful project delivery requires proper planning, coordination, control and implementation. However, as much as all projects face the risk of failure, there are measures that project managers can take to enhance successful project implementation. These include effective use of resources, mitigation of failure through proper planning, proper management of project associated risks through controls, as well as ensuring that key stakeholders are involved in project planning and implementation. References Abdelrazaq, A., Kim, S. E. K. J., & Kim, J. H 2008, “Brief on the construction planning of the Burj Dubai project, Dubai, UAE,” CTBUH 8th World Congress, pp. 1-9. http://www.civil.ist.utl.pt/~cristina/EBAP/FolhasEdifAltos/burj-dubai/T10_Abdelrazaq.pdf Belout, A., & Gauvreau, C 2004, “Factors influencing project success: the impact of human resource management,” International Journal of Project Management vol. 22, pp.1–11. Bredin, K 2008, “People capability of project-based organisations: A conceptual framework,” International Journal of Project Management vol. 26, pp. 566–576 Cardinal, J. S., & Marle, F 2006, “Project: The just necessary structure to reach your goals,” International Journal of Project Management vol. 24, pp. 226–233 Cicmil, S., Williams, T., Thomas, J., & Hodgson, D 2006, “Rethinking Project Management: Researching the actuality of projects,” International Journal of Project Management vol. 24, pp. 675–686. Geraldi, J. G., Lee-Kelley, L., & Kutsch, E 2010, “The Titanic sunk, so what? Project manager response to unexpected events,” International Journal of Project Management vol. 28, pp. 547–558 Mu¨ller, R., & Turner, R 2007, “The influence of project managers on project success criteria and project success by type of project,” European Management Journal Vol. 25, No. 4, pp. 298–309. Ochieng, E., Price, A., & Moore, D 2013, Management of global construction projects. 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