Overview of the Glasgow Science Centre tower project
Question:
Discuss About The Management Professional Exam Study Guide?
Projects are usually designed to achieve specific objectives that are deemed significant by the project sponsors. The Glasgow Science Centre tower is a state of the Art Science and technology based in the city of Glasgow. Upon its inception, the owner of the project had three primary objectives including using the tower as an exhibition center, to use the center as a housing unit for the science center’s telecommunication links and to provide a viewing cabin on the upper part of the tower. The project was a great idea whose implementation would put the City of Glasgow on the global map. Although the project was expected to run smoothly, it suffered myriad challenges right from its inception to the period after its official opening. These challenges can be attributed to the changes in the time, Quality, and scope of the project.
Time concept refers to the period between the initiation of a project and its completion. Time is of a high essence in any given project. For a project, all aspects involved in the project should be considered before setting of the time that a project should be completed failure to which time-related challenges are bound to arise in the course of the implementation. Because time is of significance in the success of a project, it must be accurately determined and stated in the project document before actual implementation. For the Glasgow Science Tower project, however, time of completion of the project was not initially indicated. Lack of a specified deadline can be viewed as one of the aspects that caused the problems that were experienced during the implementation of the project. The setting of specific timelines ensures that all projects deliverables are achieved before the project is completed and officially opened. It also ensures that the project’s quality standards are maintained.
Several aspects can lead changes in the timelines of a project. Such changes include narrowing or widening the scope of a project. Scope widening means that the duration of a project will also need to be extended. It would also require the approval of an additional budget if the span of a project is minimized. Changes in the time of a project can also affect the quality of the final product. On the other hand, the time of a project can be reduced as result of a narrowing of the project scope. Such a change might lead to the completion of a project earlier than anticipated and also cut the initial budget for the project. Failure to establish timelines for the project in the planning stage caused delayed the opening of the Glasgow project. It is also one of the reasons why the project experienced a budget overrun of over $15 million. Had the scope of the project been appropriately defined before its implementation its duration would not have been affected. Other techniques that would have been used include the addition of an additional budget and establishing sufficient scope creep and risk management techniques (Heldman, 2013).
Challenges caused by lack of time management
The cost of a project is the money required to run a project from its inception to its completion stage. Cost is an essential consideration in project management as it ensures that both deadlines and quality deadlines are met. The cost of a project should be set after all the factors likely to be involved in a project are determined separately and collectively. Appropriate cost estimation avoids possible cost overruns that can be experienced if such measures are not put in place. Proper budgetary allocation should follow necessary changes introduced in a project. One of the main reasons for the challenges faced in Tower Project was incorrect cost estimation. Project changes can either be beneficial or come as a disadvantage to a project.
The failure to approve an additional budget for the project resulted to its scope being changed by the owner. This was the point of contention between the owner of the project and the initial Architect. Changes in the cost of the project, led to the opening of the project later than it was anticipated, it also affected the quality of the project as was witnessed in the failure of the elevator multiple times, it also led to strained relationships between the project owner and original architect of the project. The cost of projects is managed through maintenance of the initial project scope by rejecting any proposed changes or through the elimination of unnecessary activities to narrow the scope of a project (Snyder, 2013). The owner of the project could have also set a budget for the pre-implementation activities such as the testing that was involved. The cost of the project could also have been managed through adequate cost estimation that would have resulted in the adoption of an appropriate budget for the entire project
A project is said to have met quality expectations if it achieves all the desired objectives. It must also be delivered within the timelines and budget estimations of a project. The quality must also be delivered within the estimated project time and budget. Widening of the scope of a project without increasing the budget, time or sometimes both can have a significant impact on the quality of the project (Project Management Institute, 2013.Lack of sufficient planning for the project for the project also affected its original quality
Dilution of the original quality in order to minimize cost led to multiple problems including delaying the official opening of the project. In the first instance the opening day was moved forward because of the failure of the elevator. Failure to observe the quality that was spelt out in the initial plan also led safety concerns for the project users. Change in quality also led to the postponement of the official opening date of the project by dignitaries. An excellent example of the impact of the change of quality is the trapping of 10 people when both elevators failed four years after the project had been officially opened. This tainted the image and reputation of the project. The quality of the project could have been controlled by implementation of the initial scope of the project, establishing clear quality management strategies, approval of sufficient funds for implementing the project. Adoption of efficient risk analysis and risk management strategies, this would have ensured that all risks such as the collapse of the elevators and the challenges of power failures were foreseen and sufficient measures put in place to address them. Another technique that can be used to manage quality of a project is continuous monitoring .This technique ensures that all possible deviations in all stages are identified and rectified early enough.
Importance of accurate cost estimation
Project change refers to all alterations that occur to the initial scope of a project. Such changes may be as a result of a request from the client or caused by other factors beyond the control of the project team. Several options can be used to satisfy demands for change.
Filling of a change request form is usually the first step in the change request process. The clients or proponent of the change fills a change request form in which they explain the proposed amendment, the disadvantage of failing to implement the change, the anticipated outcome if the change is implanted, the expected value of the change and completion date (Wysocki,2012).
After the request form has been filled, it should be presented to the project team for it to be reviewed. The team should then analyze the consequences of the request to make a decision.
Upon reviewing of the change request form, the project team should then respond to the change requested by the client. In their response, they should explain their proposed solution and its timelines, the consequences of the change to the project including the time and cost impact as well as the duration in which the client is required to respond (Snyder, 2013).
The client is then required to make a final decision based on the response from the project team within the timelines specified by the project team. After that, the resolution is approved by the project team for implementation.
Several risks can occur as a result of changes in the cost, time and quality of a project. Such changes can result in the abandonment of a project or its failure to achieve the intended quality and deliver the expected outcome. Changes in the initial scope of the Glasgow project led to the emergence of a conflict between the Architect and the owner of the project. As a result of the conflict the original architect abandoned the actual implementation of the project because according to him, the original idea had been diluted. The changes can also confuse the members of the project team besides affecting their morale (Heldman, 2013).This was witnessed by members of the project leaving the scene before the initial testing of the elevators was carried out Changes in the project also affected the overall cost and timelines.
Scope creep refers to uncontrolled changes that occur in the scope of a project in the course of its implementation. Such changes are continuous and are caused mainly by failure to define appropriately, document and control the scope of a project. An example of scope creep is where a project begins with two features ends up with nine elements in the course of its implementation. Scope creep can occur where there are disagreements or lack of proper internal communication among members of the project team. It can also be caused by changes in the requirements of a project prompted requested by the project owner (Project Management Institute, 2013).The Glasgow science center project is an excellent example of a project that was affected by scope creep. The change of the initial scope of the project by the project owner was the primary cause of several problems that were experienced during the implementation of the project. Another example of a project affected by scope creep was Denver International Airport Baggage handling system. The introduction of additional requirements into the project led to its failure. Scope creep can be managed through the following techniques
Defining the scope of a project clearly and having it documented appropriately can help in avoiding scope creep in a given project. The scope document should then be explained and made available to all parties to ensure that there is a general understanding of should be included in the scope of a project and what should not be included (Snyder,2013).
References
Heldman, K. (2013). PMP Project Management Professional Exam Study Guide (7th ed.). Indianapolis, IN Wiley
Project Management Institute. (2013). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK Guide®)(5th ed.). Newtown Square, Pennsylvania: Project Management Institute.
Snyder, C. S. (2013). A project manager’s book of forms: A companion to the PMBOK guide (2nd ed.). Indianapolis, IN Wiley.
Wysocki, R. K. (2012). Effective Project Management: Traditional, Agile, Extreme (6th ed.). Indianapolis, IN Wiley.
Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:
Turnitin Report
Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
