Individual Reflection: Project Performance Improvement - Coursework Example

Individual Reflection: Project Performance Improvement Abstract This paper is a personal reflection regarding my attachment experience at a construction company that was constructing a 13-storey building for a government department in China. The project faced a number of challenges, some of which led to a delay in completion of the project. In the paper, which is based on Gibbs’ reflective cycle, I have explained the details of the project, and stated what my feelings were about the project. I have also presented an evaluation of the project’s successes and failures. Based on the evaluation, an analysis of the sense that can be made from the details of the project and what could have been done is also presented. In the conclusion part, the paper has discussed what else could have been done to deal with the problems that affected the project. The action plan presents what I could do given if presented with a similar project scenario in the future. Overall, the main problem identified which led to some failures or delay of the project is poor leadership. Notably, there was poor leadership in terms of the direction provided by both the manager of the construction project and the representatives from the government department which was the client. This led to several misunderstandings that partly contributed to the delay of the project. The action plan that is outlined on the paper presents a way of dealing with such projects by focusing on performance improvement to ensure project success. Key words: Project management, performance improvement, construction contracting firms, construction project, planning. Introduction Oftentimes, construction projects face numerous unanticipated challenges. Such challenges include problems in organisation such as defining purposes and developing an overall management structure of all elements involved in the construction. There could also be problems in planning, where some elements of the project are not taken into consideration at the planning stage. As well, design problems might arise, where for example the design fails to effectively meet the operational requirements of the envisioned building – which may necessitate changes to the initial design. Another set of problems may arise at the construction stage, for instance where the project manager or the contractors are not in good terms with the client. Also, a construction project may face management challenges such as failure to provide prompt management actions, communication failure between members of the project team (including the contractor and the client), failure to manage costs related to the project, and failure to complete the construction project within the stipulated time frame. The aforementioned problems can be dealt with by revisiting what performance improvement in construction projects entails. In this paper, I reflect on my experience in a construction project in which I observed a number of problems that obstructed proper management of the project. I reflect on how project performance improvement could have been applied to ensure a smooth flow of the project’s operations. The reflection is based on Gibbs’ reflective cycle, which involves describing what happened, what the person involved thought about the experience, evaluation of whether what happened was good or bad, analysis of what can be made out of the situation, conclusions on what the person involved could have done, and formulating an action plan that could be used to deal with any problems experienced in the project in case they occur again. Description of the project and my experience The construction project was a building designed to have 13 storeys being developed in China. The project’s client was one department of the government of China, with the building meant to provide new office space for the department’s operations. The main players in the project were the client (the Chinese government department) and the construction company. The project was estimated to cost eight million Chinese yuan. The scope work of the project included demolishing the existing building and constructing a new one with features as described above. I was involved in the project as part of my internship during my university vacation. As a bachelor’s degree student, I was playing the role of a site manager assistant for the construction project. During the construction activities, I observed a number of challenges that hindered a smooth flow of operations. To start with, the construction site required demolition of some structures, basement excavation and dewatering to remove underground water from the site. However, the construction engineer was concerned that basement excavation and dewatering of the ground would affect the stability of the neighbouring structures, especially because of the large amount of underground water in the area. Indeed, it has been indicated in literature that one of the most significant considerations to be made when performing basement excavation is the effect that the process has on adjacent structures (Kiefer & Baker 2013, p. 233). The same authors note that damage to structures due to ground movements has been a major source for lawsuits in geotechnical engineering and as such, there is need for caution when performing basement excavations. Further, dewatering may affect neighbouring buildings, especially if an open cut excavation method is used and considerable dewatering is required (Kiefer & Baker 2013, p. 233). To remedy the problems, it was suggested that a pipe be used to draw the underground water and that the pilings be used to make the foundation more stable and to protect adjacent structures. However, the main problem here was that the cost of the extra length of pipe required to draw water as well as the pilings had not been included in the initial project budget, hence, the project manager needed to negotiate the new requirements with the project’s client. The second problem was related to the fact that the project construction lifecycle would go through a rainy season. This would cause possible delays. More importantly, it was found out that the rain would occur for a longer period than had been anticipated, and this would lead to accumulation of more surface water at the construction site. The effect of this is that the construction project would require more dewatering, which would not only increase costs but also result in further delays. Thirdly, there was some misunderstanding in terms of the actual details of the project since the client did not give complete details of what was expected the construction to the project manager. Also, there was uncertainty in regard to which official from the client (the government department) would be contacting the project manager. Hence, there were problems in terms of lack of proper negotiation as well as lack of knowledge sharing between the project manager and the client. Another issue was in terms of payment delays. To begin with, the client took too long to approve the increases in the budget for the construction project. As well, the client failed to make payments periodically as required, which means that the project was at times halted because of non-payment. As a result, the project was delayed even more – seven months to be exact. My feelings about the project The internship experience gave me a lot of exposure to construction projects. In particular, I gathered a lot of information regarding what construction projects entail and the problems that are likely to face such projects. Initially, I thought that construction projects usually run smoothly given the amount of resources involved and the meticulous planning that it takes to manage them. Even in my first encounter at the project, I was thinking that since the construction was considerably large, there would be no challenges. This is because my feeling about any kind of project was that any problems that might arise are usually anticipated in the planning stages and ways to resolve them sought. At the start, I was particularly convinced that projects in which a national government is involved are more likely to flow smoothly since the government has the means and other resources (including how the leadership of the project is managed) to deal with any problems that might arise during the project. However, it became clear to me that it is not possible to anticipate all problems that are likely to be encountered in a project. The experience was also a revelation to me that when problems arise in construction project, the manner in which the problems are approached has a lot of bearing on how they are can be resolved and how they will or will not affect the success of the construction project. Evaluation of the project’s successes and failures From my own assessment, the construction project had a number of goods things and others which were not pleasant. One of the good things about the project is the manner in which it had been planned, which took into account a number of issues that could arise, including the need for demolition of the old building at the construction site, basement excavation and dewatering, the challenges that would be posed by the rainy season, and the initial estimate of the cost of the project. On the other hand, I can assess the bad side of the project in terms of a number of issues. The major one is that there was a lack of clear leadership in regard to how the project would be managed and how any emerging challenges could be dealt with. According to Muvunzi (2013, p. 1), leadership is an important component of project management in any development industry. Nevertheless, developing countries (China included) have characteristics that make leadership even more important. In particular Muvunzi (2013, p. 1) notes that construction projects by governments call for huge technical and financial resources, and project teams are normally big and diverse. As well, the process of managing construction projects is long and encompasses a large number of separate and linked tasks. In case of poor leadership, the challenges can have significant repercussions. According to my view, poor leadership in areas such as planning and resolving problems was the major cause of the changes that were encountered in the construction project. Poor leadership was also largely responsible for the misunderstandings that occurred between the project construction team and the client and which ultimately led to the delay in completing the project. Analysis of the situation I am convinced that the problems that affected the construction of the 13-storey building were not very unique and could have been overcome with better planning and leadership from all parties involved in the project. I understand that challenges are likely to arise from various points in the course of implementing a project. From the events that occurred, I have realised that teams involved in construction projects sometimes tend to ignore the problems that are likely to arise once a project has started. This view is shared in literature by Wong and Cheung (2015, p. 77), who argue that construction contracting firms have been accused of being unable to solve unprecedented challenges, capitalising on unforeseen opportunities, and becoming accustomed to the dynamic business environment. The same authors also note that construction contracting organisations have been portrayed as inflexible and slow at responding to the increasing changing demands of customers. It is for this reason that construction contracting organisations are required to embrace performance improvement (Wong & Cheung 2015, p. 77; Dainty & Loosemore, 2012, p. xv). My perception of the problems that caused the delay of the project is that the problems could have been resolved timely had the construction team assessed the scenario well during the planning stages. Although the client takes some blame for being complacent in remitting payments, much of the blame can be apportioned to the construction company. This is because the team was well aware that some demolition was required at the construction site. With proper assessment of the site, the construction team could also have realised that the site needed excavation and possible dewatering because of the low water table in the area. The team could also have anticipated that with the onset of the rainy season, the dewatering problem could be exacerbated by accumulation of water from surface runoff at the construction site. Therefore, the teams involved could have focused on performance improvement by integrating of actions all stakeholders in the supply chain, as noted by Forbes and Ahmed (2011, p. 305). This approach could have been supported by applying various analytical techniques that could have made it possible to anticipate the project’s outcomes in a better way. Conclusion: What else could have been done Since the main problems that faced the construction project (such as poor planning) can be attributed to leadership failures, I suggest ways through which the leadership could have been more engaging to deal with the challenges. According to Kidd (2009, p. 66), there are three leadership competencies that are related with success. The first one is conscientiousness, which is an emotional competency whereby the project manager depicts utmost commitment to a laid out plan in the face of any problems that arise and matches words with actions in encouraging the team members to support the direction that is being pursued. For instance, to reduce the amount of dewatering could have been required, the project manager could have suggested that the excavation of the construction site be done during the dry season. Another competency is interpersonal sensitivity, where the project manager is supposed to be aware of, and take account of the perceptions and needs of others in arriving at decisions as well as suggesting solutions to challenges and problems (Kidd 2009, p. 66). For example, the project manager should have been more responsive to the needs of the client of the project. Before arriving at the decision to have project costs increased, the project manager should have consulted the client on what other options could have been explored to avoid an unnecessary increase of the cost. Another aspect is to be involved in engaging communication (Kidd 2009, p. 66). By this, the project manger should have been more approachable and accessible, engaging others and winning their support. Notably, engaging communication should have made the process of negotiation regarding the details of the project more detailed and clear to accommodate unanticipated events in the course of the project. I believe that the aforementioned leadership qualities would have helped deal with the challenges that faced the project and that the project would have fared in a much better way. In particular, with better leadership, the project construction teams would have come with a better plan to manage the work and deal with emerging issues. Action plan: What I could do given the same project scenario in the future If I were to face a project similar to the one that I was involved in, I would advise the project teams to plan and implement effective leadership to ensure that the project runs smoothly in spite of any problems that might arise in the course of the project. I would pursue the performance improvement process by adopting the Plan-Do-Study-Respond cycle as outlined by Wong and Cheung (2015, p. 78). See figure 1 for n illustration of the cycle. Figure 1: the Plan-Do-Study-Respond cycle Source: Wong and Cheung (2015, p. 78). The cycle begins with ‘plan’, which entails the construction contracting firm developing a detailed plan that has steps to be followed to achieve the required performance objectives. The plan is then executed in the ‘do’ stage. At this stage, there is need to measure a variety of metrics including performance in terms of cost and time required to complete the work as well as quality targets. The achievement or failure of the aforementioned metrics is used as the measure of the project’s performance. As well, a feedback loop is used in the management cycle. Performance records can be used as the basis of feedbacks from which lessons regarding the project can be learnt. For instance, feedbacks regarding challenges that emerge as the project progress can be used as a basis for formulating ways to deal with the problems. Issues such as unforeseen increases in the cost of the project can be dealt with by weighing alternatives ways of dealing with the arising challenge in order to settle on the most cost-effective solution. Issues such as negotiations regarding the project details, payment and other related issues also need to be handled in the course of dealing with the feedback. Had such as approach been used, the issue of non-payment which ultimately led to some halting of the construction work would not have arisen. Further, an elaborate plan such as the one mentioned above would have helped address the misunderstanding that arose between the project construction team and the client of the project. References Dainty, A & Loosemore, M (eds) 2012, Human resource management in construction projects, Abingdon, Oxon. Forbes, LH & Ahmed, SM 2011, ‘Selected performance improvement tools and techniques’, in Modern construction: lean project delivery and integrated practices, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida. Kidd, TT 2009, Handbook of research on technology project management, planning, and operations, Information Resource Reference, Hershey, PA. Kiefer, TA & Baker, Jr., CN 2013, ‘Foundations and basements’ in D Parker, & A Wood (eds), The tall buildings reference book, Routledge, Abingdon, Oxon, pp. 225-240. Muvunzi, T 2013, Dealing with project management challenges through effective project leadership: the case of Zimbabwe’s construction industry’, Research Paper, viewed 11 November 2015, . Wong, PSP & Cheung, SO 2015, ‘The concept of organisational learning in construction and its effect on project performance’, in SO Cheung, PSP Wong, & TW Yiu (eds), The soft power of construction contracting organisations, Abingdon, Oxon, pp. 77-79. Read More