Birmingham Revival – Project Execution Plan

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary
Introduction
Project’s Objectives and Priorities
Project Strategy
Procurement Plan
Managing the Design
Types of Communication
Project Controls
Conclusion
Reference List

Executive Summary

This report analyzes the major project execution plan meant to transform Birmingham city into the second largest city in the UK. The report seeks to advise the stakeholders on how to execute their duties effectively to ensure the completion of the project in the timeframes set. The report identifies the risk factors that are associated with project execution and highlights measures to mitigate them.

Some of the risks that are known to affect the contemporary construction industries today include cost overruns, design constraints, delays, physical, and acts of God. All the mentioned risk factors shall be discussed in this paper, and the mitigating factors have been identified.

Introduction

The big city plan refers to a developmental roadmap formulated by the UK government with the aim of reviving Birmingham to make it an international city. The city is located in a strategic location, and it is one of the major contributors to the country’s economy. The city suffered greatly after the Second World War making it lag behind regarding development (Huemann, Keegan, & Turner 2007).

Efforts to revive the city from the damage caused by the war have not brought significant changes. The big plan aims at making Birmingham the second largest city in the UK. The project is expected to be complete by the year 2031, and it is set to consume about $10 billion of taxpayers’ money.

For the project to be completed in the planned two decades there must be coordination and effective planning by the Project Manager and other stakeholders. Most projects fail during the execution stage due to the lack of proper execution plan and effective communication of the project plan to the stakeholders.

Additional factors that may lead to failure of a project include ineffective project implementers, the inadequacy of finances, and poor planning among others. In this paper, I will assume the role of the Project Manager and draft an execution plan that will guide the implementation of the project. The document shall serve not only as a guideline to the execution process but also as a communication channel to the stakeholders involved. Some of the major undertakings covered by the plan include

Turning the city into a 24-hour economy
Building enough roads across the city
Building public places such as parks, and libraries.

This paper shall focus on formulating an execution plan meant to ensure that the original plan formulated by the city’s local government is implemented. The execution shall guide the execution process to guarantee completion of the various projects in time. The plan outlines various construction projects that must be executed in the timeframes given thus the need for a project execution plan to ensure smooth flow of the operations.

Project’s Objectives and Priorities

The project is designed to ensure that all the activities involved in the revival of Birmingham are completed within the stipulated schedule and are within the budgeted costs.

The Approved Budget

The approved budget for the entire project is $10 billion that is to be spent at different times during the project’s lifecycle. The project presented in this paper is part of the big project that is set to be completed by the year 2031 (Gustavsson 2015). The preliminary budget figure for this mini-project is illustrated in the table.

Budget category	Amount in ($)
Construction cost	2,000,000
Capital equipment	2,500,000
Hiring/staffing	250,000
Permits, licenses, insurance and others	100,000
Emergencies	30,000
Logistics	50,000
Consultancy fees	20,000

The budgeted costs are estimates, and they may change depending on other factors such as inflation and unforeseen contingencies. All budgetary expenses shall require approval by the sponsor. Likewise, any changes in the budget items must be approved by the sponsor. The money shall be spent as follows

Implementation Costs

These are the initial costs incurred in the procurement of the necessary machinery and equipment in preparation for the commencement of the project. All the initial costs shall be capitalized and will be distinguishable from the recurrent expenses.

Annual Costs

The annual costs refer to the expenses that are incurred during the execution process, and they may include salaries, maintenance, ongoing training, and repair costs just to mention a few.

General Project Arrangements

The Project Manager shall determine the project schedule and the activities that will be undertaken in the various stages of the project execution. A network diagram shall be used to determine the activities that shall be prioritized and the ones that can be delayed. The Project Manager shall set the schedule for each task, the sequence of activities and mobilize the necessary resources to accomplish the task within the timeframe provided.

The schedules shall then be communicated to all the stakeholders, and their inputs will be invited. An agreement on the execution process shall be sort from the project teams to ensure that each stakeholder is comfortable with the schedule. Walker and Rowlinson (2007) argue that employees tend to work industrious, and they are motivated when they are allowed to set their targets.

Design Constraints

Due to the numerous activities that shall be ongoing, it is likely that the project shall suffer from constraints in the design. Design constraints emanate from poor communication between the stakeholders involved. Information sharing is essential in project management hence the need for timely delivery of the important information (Ruikar, Anumba & Egbu 2007).

Changes in the design of a project should be communicated to the relevant stakeholders in time to facilitate the prompt implementation of such changes. Communication between the various engineers and the Project Manager is essential since it allows the detection of issues and solutions are sought in time before they escalate to uncontrollable situations.

Physical Environment of the Project

The chains of activities that shall be implemented are set to affect the operations in the city. The changes shall affect different people in the city among them being the city council’s employees and the city residents. To manage the changes, the city council’s personnel shall be trained in their new roles during and after the completion of the project. The employees shall be made to understand that the changes are for the benefit of the city, and they do not target anyone’s job.

They shall also be trained on how to handle their new tasks to avert resistance that may crop up due to fear of losing their jobs (Koskinen & Pihlanto 2008). The changes are also set to affect the city residents due to the numerous activities that shall be going on during the project execution period.

Pollution may characterize the city in the form of loud noises and gas emissions. Businesses may also be affected, as the constructions are ongoing. The residents need to be prepared psychologically by informing them of the prospective changes. The residents shall be notified of the changes through TV and radio adverts.

Approvals and Consents

The Project Manager shall have the authority to approve the various transactions during the project execution process. However, in some cases, he may be forced to consult the sponsor. In cases where major changes in the budgeted costs are involved, the Project Manager shall seek approval from the government. Additionally, the overall budgeted cost for this project must be scrutinized and approved by the relevant bodies before the commencement of the project.

Critical Analysis

For the purpose of this project, a comprehensive risk assessment, and mitigating strategy has been formulated to help the management team to manage risks. The strategy is guided by the assessment of the various risks that project executors face in the contemporary business environment. The risks identified under the strategy include cost overrun, delayed completion, design, physical, and Acts of God, all of which are described hereafter

Cost

In most construction projects, the actual costs exceed the projected budget. The variances are caused by contingencies that present in the course of the execution processes. Cost overruns may affect the timely completion of the project due to the lack of finances. In that regard, there must be enough control measure to prevent the cost from going higher than planned.

Delayed Completion of Projects

Delays in the completion of projects are a major drawback, and it affects most projects in the globe. The delays are associated with increased costs not to mention that they may cause penalties (Hodgson & Cicmil 2006). Most construction projects often go beyond the stipulated time because of risks and contingencies not assessed during the planning stage.

To ensure compliance with the set deadlines, the activities that can be executed simultaneously will be identified and the necessary resources mobilized to have them completed in time.

The critical path analysis shall be important for managing the risk of delays since it will help detect the most important activities for prioritizing (Nicholas & Steyn 2012). All the activities that fall in the critical path shall be prioritized. The Project Manager shall make constant appraisals to assess the progress and seek an explanation for delays from the concerned individuals.

Physical

This category of risks is associated with injuries inflicted on the workforce or the residents in the course of performing their duties. The machinery and equipment used in the project execution processes are dangerous and may cause harm to employees in case they are ignorant when handling them. The Project Manager may be required to pay huge amounts of money to the affected employees as compensation.

Acts of God

This category of risks includes all the risks that emanate from nature and that cannot be controlled by the engineers. Such risks include may prolong the completion of the project or it may cause an increase in the cost. Heavy rains hamper the execution of the project hence causing delays in completion of the project. Natural calamities may also destroy the machines and equipment thus causing delays in the execution of tasks before another set of machines are procured.

Organization, Roles, and Responsibilities

The project is a long-term endeavor, hence, the need to define the role of each stakeholder. Division of labour helps streamline the operations given that the concerned individuals become well aware of what is expected (Gardiner 2005). It also facilitates controls and appraisals since an individual’s work is assessed. The major stakeholders in this project are described hereafter

Project Manager

There shall be a Project Manager to oversee the implementation process. The Project Manager is the topmost official in the hierarchy and s/he is responsible for the overall success of the project (Hillson, Grimaldi, & Rafele 2006). The Project Manager shall make constant appraisals of the progress in the various sub-projects and report the same to the stakeholders and the government. The Project Manager shall ensure that all the projects undertaken meet the set standards.

Moreover, the Project Manager in liaison with the functional managers shall oversee the recruitment process of staff during the project execution process. Besides, the Project Manager shall be responsible for the continuous planning of the project throughout the execution process. Other roles include authorizing and approving the project spending, reporting about the project’s status, and evaluating the performance of all the project activities.

Operations Manager (OM)

The primary function of the OM is to ensure that an organization’s financial resources are well managed. Since the Birmingham project involves huge amounts of finances, there is a need for proper controls to ensure that the funds are used appropriately.

In this project, the OM shall be responsible for data entry, preparing accounts payable, payroll, grant report entry, managing the organization’s HR, helping and creating organizational and program budgets, and other miscellaneous tasks as required by the Project Manager (Gasik 2011).

Other functions will include assisting the Project Manager in developing strategies and policies, attending meetings and interacting with other stakeholders, coordinating with the quality assurance personnel to guarantee compliance with the standards, ensuring procurements are made within the budget, and formulating suggestions for improvement of the operations.

Procurement Specialist (PS)

The project aims at transforming Birmingham into a modern city of international standards. To achieve this, some of the materials useful for this project shall be outsourced. Local and international purchasing requires procurement experts due to the numerous legal formalities involved (Dinsmore & Cabanis-Brewin 2006). The Project Manager shall hire a specialist who will oversee the procurement of the necessary items.

The procurement officer shall determine the best procuring methods and oversee the bidding process. Other duties include procuring assigned product lines, recommending bid awards, preparing, checking, verifying and maintaining vendor records and supporting documents, providing guidance on order processing, and documenting activities according to municipal purchasing requirements and provincial/federal regulations.

Business Analyst (BA)

The project shall involve continuous planning due to the adjustments that may be needed in the course of the execution process. The Project Manager needs to consult with business specialists for effective planning of the contingencies. The business analyst shall be charged with the responsibility of assisting the Project Manager in major planning areas.

The business analysts shall analyze the objectives of the firm and the project needs and advise the client accordingly. S/he shall also analyze the various business models to give the most appropriate advice to the Project Manager. Finally, the business analyst in collaboration with the Project Manager shall offer solutions to the problems arising in the course of the execution of the project. S/he will be answerable to the Project Manager.

Chief Communications Officer (CCO)

Communication is an important aspect of project management, and it should be effectively managed to ensure that all the policies and strategies are effectively communicated. Communication allows the Project Manager to assess the situation on the ground and detect deviations from the set standards (Mantel, Meredith, & Shafer 2010).

Given the importance of communication, the project shall recruit a communication officer who shall oversee the implementation of a sound communication system in the firm. The CCO will be responsible for overseeing the planning coordination and the development of all publications and communication matters. Besides, the communication officer shall organize meetings with the managers and other stakeholders when necessary.

Communication shall involve the use of IT such as emails, Skype, and phone calls. The Project Manager may not be in a position to initiate the communication due to the tight schedule. The communication specialists shall pass information from the Project Manager to other stakeholders obtain feedback from the target individuals. S/he shall oversee communication both internally and externally and will be accountable to the Project Manager.

Project Strategy

The approach adopted to mitigate risks in this project largely depends on the ability of the team members to identify the inherent risks. It is a methodical approach whereby the project team shall identify, classify, and rank the risks (Thomas & Mengel 2008).

The risk managers shall provide regular updates on the progress of managing the risks and their chances of recurrence. At the end of the project, the risks together with the strategy adopted to mitigate them shall be analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the risk management strategy in place. The success of the strategy used in this project shall be used to inform future projects.

To mitigate delays in the execution of the project, teamwork shall be fostered among the workforce in the various workstations. Each team will have a team leader who will oversee the execution of the various duties. Cicmil et al. (2006) state that lack of support from the senior management is one of the major causes of project failure. In that regard, support shall be availed to each team when necessary to avoid delays emanating from technical problems.

Communication shall also be enhanced at each stage of the execution to allow the staff to air their concerns. The functional managers shall make regular appraisals of the progress and report the same to the program manager. Any deviations from the set standards shall be explained and rectified before they escalate to unmanageable rates.

Walker (2015) posits that the lack of an effective communication system is a major cause of project failure. In the execution of this project, there shall be well-defined communication channels that will allow employees to communicate their concerns to the relevant authorities. Communication shall not only be up-down, but it will also allow feedback from the junior staff.

Procurement Plan

Leach (2014) defines a procurement plan as the process by which an organization obtains goods and services as well as the legal formalities to be followed when placing orders. In this project, the Project Manager shall in consultation with the project teams determine the services and goods to be procured.

The Project Manager shall also identify the deadlines for the delivery of such goods to avoid delays in the execution of tasks due to late delivery of the goods. Once all the procurement requirements are exhausted, the details of the goods or services shall be communicated to the procurement officer who will institute the procurement process.

The contractors bidding for the tenders must charge costs that are within the budget failure to which they will be disqualified. The contractors must submit the following items alongside the application form

A detailed breakdown of costs
Outline of how the work will be performed
A report of the people set to perform the task
Contractor’s experience
A work schedule demonstrating their comprehension of the project
A report on their ability to meet the deadline

Managing the Design

Communications Management Approach

The Project Manager in liaison with the communication officer will establish a communication system that will ensure that all the stakeholders understand the key aspects of the project. The system shall ensure that the stakeholders get information regarding the project in time to avoid inconveniences that may emanate from lack of an appropriate communication channel.

Communication shall be mainly done through roundtable meetings between the Project Manager and the functional managers. In the meetings, various issues shall be discussed among them being a review of the progress in the execution of the various tasks making up the project. The communication shall achieve the following goals

Ensure timely communication to relevant groups or individuals
Ensure effective communication between groups
Ensure timely notices for requirements/meetings
Ensure optimum results for all communications and project expectations
Measure the results of the communication strategy execution and revise accordingly

Communication Types

The main communication that will be adopted for this project is the face-to-face meetings with the key stakeholders. The meetings shall be held on a weekly basis whereby the Project Manager and the functional managers shall meet to discuss the progress and the achievements made regarding the completion of key activities. Other communication channels that will be used include emails, informal word of mouth, team meetings, conference calls, executive communication, paper, the web, MS Explorer, and directory structures.

Types of Communication

Executives

This form of communication shall involve the passage of information from the Project Manager to functional managers and the junior staff. The information passed under this category will mainly be ordered regarding the execution processes. Employees will also be required to give feedback to the executives on the nature of the situation on the ground. This type of communication may take the form of a conference that will bring together the PROJECT MANAGER, the functional managers, and the junior staff.

Managers

This type of communication shall be between the Project Manager and the functional managers without the presence of the employees. The functional managers shall pass the message from the Project Manager to the employees. The functional managers will act as the bridge between the Project Manager and the employees. They will also collect the feedback from employees and table it to the Project Manager.

Project Team

Internal communication between departments is essential in an organization. It involves passage of information between the various departments. In this project, various activities shall be taking place contemporaneously hence the need for interdepartmental communication to deter duplication of resources.

The communication shall be internal and external. The external communication shall target the sponsors of the project (Winter et al. 2006). The sponsors need to be regularly apprised of the developments. Given that the projected budget is subject to changes, the sponsors need to be notified of such changes for their approval. In that regard, the Project Manager shall make constant contacts with the sponsors to ensure that they remain informed about the progress at each stage.

Project Controls

Managing Changes

Turner (2014) states that the effective management of changes involves consultation with all the key stakeholders. In this project, all the departments shall be involved in effecting such changes to ensure that every member feels engaged. A proposal by any member of the teams shall be considered and deliberated during the weekly meetings.

The project manager, with the help of the network diagram, shall determine the tasks that shall be affected by the reviewed schedule and communicate the same to the relevant teams. If the schedule change exceeds the boundaries set by the project sponsor, a request must be submitted by the Project Manager to the government. Such a request will only be submitted if the changes are inevitable, and they are likely to

Increase the completion time by more than 10%
Increase the individual work by more than 10%
Affect the execution of other activities along the critical path

The Project Manager shall authorize other changes that do not spark the identified effects without consultation with the project sponsor. Upon approval of the request by the sponsor, the Project Manager shall authorize the changes and communicate the impacts of the changes to the project team, project sponsor, and stakeholders. The Project Manager shall also ensure that the changes and the impacts are documented in the project records repository.

Managing Costs

Despite the best planning, the actual cost may still exceed the projected costs due to uncertainties not provided for in the budget. However, the costs must be maintained low to avoid huge variances that may affect the completion of the project. One of the ways that the cost overrun shall be prevented is by conducting regular appraisals to ensure that each activity only consumes the planned amount.

Any variances between the budgeted cost and the actual cost must be explained by the relevant authorities. The second way of maintaining the cost low is by ensuring that the contractors who apply for contracts charge an amount equal to or less than the budgeted amount (Meredith & Mantel 2011). Contractors whose charges are higher than the projected cost will be disqualified.

Progress Reporting

The project schedule shall be reviewed on a weekly basis whereby the project teams shall be asked to submit a report on the progress of each activity. The project controls shall be guided by the network diagram where the earliest and the latest starting and finishing times shall be determined in advance.

The baseline of completion of the projects shall be the earliest possible time as indicated in the network. However, due to the complexity and risks associated with construction projects variations will be allowed but with limitations. Activities along the critical path must be completed within the Earliest Finishing Time and the Latest Finishing Time. The Project Manager shall hold weekly roundtable meetings with the relevant team members in which the progress of the activities shall be analyzed.

Risk Management

There are two major risks associated with this project namely, the cost overrun, and the delayed completion (Kerzner 2013). Cost management and delays have been described in details in this paper. Other risks include physical risks and Acts of God. To mitigate the risks under the purview of physical causes, the employees in each department shall be trained on the safety measures to be adopted when dealing with the machine. Some funds will be set to deal with the consequences of Acts of God such as heavy rains and floods.

Project Organization

The workforce shall be organized in groups to foster teamwork. Incentives shall be formulated that suit both the group and individual work so that employees will be motivated to achieve the targets. Group and individual appraisal standards shall be set and the functional managers will utilize them to assess the various project teams.

Quality Control

The quality control of this project will focus on the adherence to the set standards while executing the various construction works. The operations manager will from time to time assess the projects and report his/her findings to the Project Manager. Additionally, there shall be external consultants who will be hired to make quality appraisals for different projects. The consultants will report to the Project Manager, who will then initiate investigations to find out the cause of the deviations.

Conclusion

The Big City Plan is a project launched by the municipal council of Birmingham in 2010 to address the developmental issues facing the city. The project, which is budgeted to consume about $10 billion, is designed to transform the city to the second largest in the UK. The city was highly degraded during the Second World War and since then, efforts to revive it have not been successful. This paper breaks down the execution plan that may be adopted when implementing the plan.

The paper outlines the objectives of the project and interweaves the same to the control measures that may be needed for the effective execution of the project. The inherent risks in the project are also identified, and strategies meant to mitigate them substantiated. The mitigating factors include constant appraisals, quality controls, and communication amongst the stakeholders.

The project stakeholders include the Project Manager, the operations manager, the procurement officer, the communication officer, and the junior employees. Their roles have been discussed in this paper.

Reference List

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Dinsmore, P & Cabanis-Brewin, J 2006, The AMA handbook of project management, AMACOM, New York.

Gardiner, P 2005, Project management: a strategic planning approach, Palgrave Macmillan, New York.

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Gustavsson, T 2015, ‘New Boundary Spanners: Emerging Management Roles in Collaborative Construction Projects,’ Procedia Economics and Finance, vol. 21, no. 4, pp.146-153.

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Huemann, M, Keegan, A & Turner, J 2007, ‘Human resource management in the project-oriented company: A review,’ International Journal of Project Management, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 315-323.

Kerzner, H 2013, Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling, John Wiley & Sons, New York.

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Leach, L. 2014, Critical chain project management, Artech House, Boston.

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Meredith, R & Mantel S 2011, Project management: a managerial approach, John Wiley & Sons, New York.

Nicholas, M & Steyn, H 2012, Project Management for Engineering Business and Technology, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford.

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Thomas, J & Mengel, T 2008, ‘Preparing project managers to deal with complexity–Advanced project management education,’ International Journal of Project Management, vol.26, no.3, pp. 304-315.

Turner, J R 2014, The handbook of project-based management, McGraw Hill, New York.

Walker, A 2015, Project management in construction. John Wiley & Sons.

Walker, D & Rowlinson, S 2007, Procurement systems: a cross-industry project management perspective, Routledge, Boston.

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