Project Specific Challenges

In this project, as per the requirements of Deakin University, a particular piece of property in a backyard will be cleared and flattened. After the land is completely cleared of any remaining concrete structures and other obstacles like plants, a large shed will be built. The university has already created a 3D virtual model of the shed and is looking to implement the same design in the real shed that will be constructed on the piece of land.

In this report, several details of the project have been discussed according to their importance in the project. Before proceeding with the project plan, the strategic and operational challenges of the project have been discussed so that they can be mitigated before the project is initiated. Accordingly, an organizational structure has been developed so that work packages can be allocated to respective employees. Finally, an estimated schedule for the entire construction process has been developed and accordingly, a project plan has been created following the proposed work requirements.

Some of the strategic and operational challenges associated with the project have been categorized and discussed as follows.

Project Specific Challenges – There can be a number of project specific challenges occurring in the project depending on various factors. On such challenge is the location of the piece of the property. The property is located on a building backyard and hence, careless construction activity may damage the adjacent buildings and structures (Alias et al. 2014). Hence, it is a challenge for the construction workers to carefully execute the construction process. Another project specific challenge for the project can be poor management of the entire project leading to its failure and loss of massive amount of resources for the organization. This challenge may happen due to lack of experience of a stakeholder or poor communication system between the stakeholders.

Challenges Related to Parent Organization – Some project challenges may also originate from the parent organization. The first challenge that may occur is due to approval of a project from the organization that is not feasible in terms of scope or economy or any other major factor (Nicholas and Steyn 2017). Another challenge might be lack of proper strategic implementation of project plan resulting in failure of the project.

Challenges Related to AEC (Industry Standards) – Some challenges occur due to some specific attributes of the AEC Industry Standards. For instance, rapid change in the costs of materials and contracts may pose challenge to the project (Grover and Froes 2016). In addition, some specific standard guidelines may pose significant challenge in front of the project.

Challenges Related to Parent Organization

Project Management Discipline Challenges – There are certain project management disciplines that may be challenging if suitable management plan is not prepared (Kerzner 2018). For instance, lack of proper scope definition may result in scope creep whereas inaccurate budget estimation may result in fund drainage and loss of cost benefit of the organization from the project.

A suitable project team that can execute the project successfully is shown in the following diagram.

Figure 1: Proposed Organizational Structure

(Source: Created by Author)

The proposed demolition and construction plan is shown in the following table.

Background of the Project

The background of this project includes the decision of Deakin University to build a new large shed on a piece of property located in one of its backyards. However, this will not be a straightforward job as it will require clearing the land first before proceeding with the construction. There are a lot of concrete structures, walls and other objects blocking the path for further construction and hence, they must be cleared in the first stage of the project. In addition, the land is uneven and hence, the land has to be flattened before the construction starts. The design of the shed will be similar to the virtual model design as developed by Deakin University.

Project Scope

There are two distinct scopes of the project that include the two proposed works on the piece of the land. The scopes are defined and explained as follows.

Demolition of existing structures on the land is within the scope of the project.

Construction of the proposed shed is within the scope of the project.

Scope I – In this scope, the existing concrete structures and other obstacles will be removed from the piece of the land. Some of the structures mentioned are on the piece of land for some significant period of time and hence, they will need to be demolished and removed using demolition vehicles. Furthermore, due to the presence of these structures, the land has become rugged and full of concrete materials. Hence, it will be required to flatten the entire piece of land before construction.

Scope II – This scope includes the construction of the large shed after the demolition process is complete and the land is sufficiently flattened. As per the 3D model suggested by Deakin University, the shed will be built through standard construction methods and will take a certain period of time before the shed will be suitable for use.

Challenges Related to AEC (Industry Standards)

The objectives of the project are developed as follows.

To survey the site for future demolition and construction

To prepare a project plan document for the purpose of the project

To determine the scope of the project

To consult with a professional architecture consultancy company for suitable advice on the project

To release tender and call contractors to bid for the project

To hire a contractor with the lowest bid

To approve the progress of the project

To use construction vehicles and demolition equipments to remove all obstacles on the piece of the land

To level the land using suitable vehicles

To build the infrastructure of the proposed shed

To apply plaster on the shed

To apply colours and other required features on the shed

To complete the shed as per the pre set requirements

Work Breakdown Structure

The work breakdown structure of the project is as follows.

Figure 2: Work Breakdown Structure of the Project

(Source: Created by Author)

Estimated Budget for the Project

The budget for the project has been estimated in the following table as shown below.

Conclusion

Finally it can be concluded that the 94WBR-Shed will be feasible for Deakin University if suitable management plans are adopted. This project will require suitable level of expertise from the stakeholders who will be able to overcome some of the strategic and operational challenges associated with the project and complete all the required duties successfully. Furthermore, in order to ensure the success of the project, the estimated time schedule must be followed and it must be ensured that budget overshoot does not occur.

References

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Budayan, C., Dikmen, I. and Birgonul, M.T., 2015. Alignment of project management with business strategy in construction: evidence from the Turkish contractors. Journal of Civil Engineering and Management, 21(1), pp.94-106.

de Carvalho, M.M., Patah, L.A. and de Souza Bido, D., 2015. Project management and its effects on project success: Cross-country and cross-industry comparisons. International Journal of Project Management, 33(7), pp.1509-1522.

Grover, R. and Froese, T.M., 2016. Knowledge management in construction using a SocioBIM platform: A case study of AYO smart home project. Procedia Engineering, 145, pp.1283-1290.

Heldman, K., 2018. PMP: project management professional exam study guide. John Wiley & Sons.

Jalal, M.P. and Koosha, S.M., 2015. Identifying organizational variables affecting project management office characteristics and analyzing their correlations in the Iranian project-oriented organizations of the construction industry. International Journal of Project Management, 33(2), pp.458-466.

Kerzner, H., 2018. Project management best practices: Achieving global excellence. John Wiley & Sons.

Mancini, M., Wang, X., Skitmore, M. and Issa, R., 2017. Editorial for IJPM special issue on advances in building information modeling (BIM) for construction projects. International Journal of Project Management, 35(4), pp.656-657.

Mok, K.Y., Shen, G.Q. and Yang, J., 2015. Stakeholder management studies in mega construction projects: A review and future directions. International Journal of Project Management, 33(2), pp.446-457.

Nicholas, J.M. and Steyn, H., 2017. Project management for engineering, business and technology. Taylor & Francis.

Olofsdotter, G. and Randevåg, L., 2016. Doing masculinities in construction project management: “We understand each other, but she…”. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 31(2), pp.134-153.

Todorovi?, M.L., Petrovi?, D.?., Mihi?, M.M., Obradovi?, V.L. and Bushuyev, S.D., 2015. Project success analysis framework: A knowledge-based approach in project management. International Journal of Project Management, 33(4), pp.772-783.