Project Management
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Contents
Management Issues Facing the Project 5
Leadership style and governance 5
Adaptability and Flexibility 5
Organization of the Management Team 6
The Main Risks Associated with the Project 7
Actions Required to Avoid the Risks 8
Stakeholder Analysis Communication Strategy 8
The Case study of Old Fire Station in Bristol has provided numerous ideas on how to channel full human and monetary resources to come up better organizational results. The combination of various interdepartmental programs can help a dying organization to flourish and break the success barriers regardless of the poor state or conditions they face. The real question is how ready and willing the people are to tackle the various challenges that they face in the course of achieving the desired goals and objectives. The Case Study of the Old Fire Station introduces a wider aspect of resource combination and coordination in a bid to tackle any challenge that comes on the path to organizational success. It not only provides solutions to project management problems but also recommends alternative methods of solving or overcoming the future occurrence of similar problems.
The Old Fire Station was built in the late 1890’s, in the middle of Bristol city. The fire station gained popularity during its active day and by 1930, it was labeled as the most advanced and largest fire station in Britain. It had well-equipped facilities and firefighting equipment that enable the firefighters to do their job effectively. The ground floor of the fire station served as the general control room. It was also big enough to serve as a garage and a storage facility for the vehicles and firefighting tools respectively. The nine flats on the other floors of the building served as rooms for the superintendent and the sergeants (Bristol Post, 2014). The Fire Station at Bristol provided a home for firefighting services for many years up to 1971, when the services were put to a halt. It was forced to close in 1973 since the brigade shifted its headquarters to Temple Back. As the years passed, the Old Fire Station in Bristol completely lost its fame and become abandoned. Property developers tried to convert the old fire station to rental flats, but the unstable economy made it difficult for successful establishment of a reliable business opportunity.
In September 2014, the Old Fire Station in Bristol was reopened, and the public was allowed to visit the premises. It has been transformed beyond remarkable measures, with a new and better image. The Old Bristol Fire Station has become home to many forms of art in the city. It has established a second chance for the homeless and untrained or educated yet talented individuals (Menakis et al., 2002). The Allen Construction Consultancy in conjunction with the Bristol City Council decided a mission to provide job opportunities for the homeless individuals as well as create a place where art can be created by the youth. Part of the vision was to provide a place where the youth can be trained, educated, and advised on the challenges of life and the importance of giving back to the society. The establishment of the Crisis Skylight Café has improved the catering industry in Bristol. The trainees can acquire both basic and complex catering training that can be applied in the catering industry (Bristol Post, 2014).
This paper will seek to recognize the major management issues associated with the different aspects of the project. It will also try to show the best organization strategies that the management team can use to achieve the success of the project. This paper will identify and analyze the principle risks associated with the entire project. It will also show the possible solutions that can be applied to avoid the risks. A stakeholder analysis and a communication strategy are very important for the success of the project (Bristol Post, 2014).
One of the major management issues that could be affecting the different aspects of the project is the way the overall project governance is conducted. Most project leaders do not know how to deal with pressure from the various project stakeholders, and they end up transferring the pressure to the staff members through harsh and over strict treatments. This issue negatively affects the employees and the project team members. The people become unhappy with the leadership style; hence they become demoralized. This affects the success of the project (Mckinney & Barker, 2005).
The old fire station's adaptability to the changing work environment is very important in ensuring project success. The management of the project is always faced with the challenge of been able to adjust to the changing organizational structure and objectives. The failure to have experienced people in the project team can prevent the successful implementation of the project plan about its size (Sink, 2007). The success of the Bristol Old Fire Station relies on the ability of the project team to have a good administration, coordination, planning, facilitation, governance, and coordination.
This management challenging factor mainly includes the unavailability of project sponsorship. Lack of executive commitment poses financial problems to the project. The executive commitment is necessary for reminding the project management team on the key objective of the project. It also gives the project team the necessary emotion support needed for the project success. Lack of positive executive support in the project will have a ripple effect on the management’s overall commitment to managing the operations of the project (Small Business - Chron.com, 2015).
Project managers need to stick to the set project goals and objectives. Commitment to planning is always a difficult thing to do, especially when the project is facing challenges in its operations. Managers set both long and short term plans and objectives. Any changes in the short term goals may prevent the project from achieving its long-term goals. Managers must track their plans to ensure project competence before the project loses its meaning and purpose.
Understanding the complete value of a good management team is the first step towards achieving project success. Each member of the management team must have a well-defined role. The responsibilities and duties of each member must be followed to avoid project failure or resource wasting. The project board must have at least representatives of project leaders, coordinators, facilitators, administrators, and planners. All these people are very crucial in the project. It is therefore very important to merge the services of these entire individuals so that the project can progress towards meeting its goals. The chief executives will the general leaders of the project. The second in the hierarchy of the project organization will be the various team leaders. These team leaders will handle coordinating the functions of the different departments related to the project. The final group in the project team will be the individual project members (Mckinney & Barker, 2005).
The project faces financial problems due to inadequate financial support from the different stakeholders. Money is very important in the running of the project activities. The money is needed to run the daily jobs in the Old Fire Station, pay the electricity/ water bills, and cater for the employees' salaries. The financial risk is a huge problem for the project since the contractors also need to be paid. Poor circulation of funds for the project may cause the project to lag, delay or stop its services (Smit & Cronje et al, 1992).
The environmental risks correlated with the project are the traces of substantial amounts of asbestos in the building. The asbestos is a good chemical for preventing fire, but it can also cause serious health issues. The chemical can cause lung cancer or asbestosis. This health risk was not identified in the early asbestos surveys that were conducted on the premises (Badri et al., 1998). These issues have not only caused health threats to the people but also delays in the project development as the chemical had to be removed.
Managerial issues face the Old Fire Station at Bristol. The constant changes of contractors indicate that there is poor coordination between the managers and the contractors. The managerial risks also pose a problem of service delivery and project planning. As the managerial post changes hands, so does the general project plan and objectives. Each new project leader will come up with their project plan modification.
The external risks involved with the project are the economic issues and legal issues. The project must conform to the legal requirement to avoid a permanent shutdown. The project must also be flexible and adjust to the changing economic trends.
Most of the risks mentioned can be avoided or prevented. The utilization of financial aid and charity funds can help in preventing the project from suffering financial risks. Project managers must practice professional ethics and avoid embezzling the project funds. Good project plans will also ensure that the money is used well, and every financial activity is recorded for future reference. Managerial risks can be reduced and prevented by the employment of well-trained personnel to handle the project activities (Scott & Myers, 2005). The environmental risk can only be eradicated if the traces of asbestos are removed from the building and its surroundings. The building should be safe for work. The project must be flexible enough to adapt to the changing economic changes. The project managers must employ the best managerial strategies to ensure that the project survives through any economic problem (Smit & Cronje et al, 1992).
Stakeholder analysis involves the process of finding out the information about how the stakeholders can benefit from the organization. It also involves determining the key role that the different stakeholders play in the functions of the organization or project. A good stakeholder analysis communication strategy will mainly depend on the degree of control a person or organization has over the project. It also included the magnitude of interest or attention that an organization or person has in the project (Transformed.businesscatalyst.com, 2013).
The good stakeholder communication strategy for the project will involve the establishment of communication goals and the identification of both internal and external stakeholders. The internal managers and workforce can help in determining the project’s internal limitations. The integration of proper protocols for effective leadership and communication in the organization can help in coming up with good internal stakeholder understanding (Whisenant, 1990). The target audience for status reports can be through the sponsors and the project managers. The external business associates, legislators, and public form the external stakeholders. The means to be used in communicating the project’s progress and status is very important in establishing a good communications strategy. There are three major parties involved in the project; the homeless charity Crisis, Bristol City Council and Arts in the Old Fire Station, and project managers Allen Construction Consultancy (Schindhelm, 2012).
The homeless charity Crisis needs to get information on the progress of the project in a formal manner. The project managers can use email or official letters to pass information to their first audience, Crisis. All the detailed information must be passed by the managers and the audience at this point must be convinced that the project is on the right course. The Bristol City Council and Arts in the Old Fire Station have the obligation to ensure that the services have a steady flow as required by the other stakeholders. Communication between the City Council and the Arts organization must be done in a formal way. The channel of communication can be through emails or official letters. Information can also be posted on the Old Fire Station's website in the form of newsletters or articles. This ensures that there are different modes of communication to the various audiences (Schindhelm, 2012).
The Allen Construction Consultancy project managers have a key obligation of ensuring that the project goals and objectives are met. The communication strategy needed from this group must be formal and convincing. The timing of the communication must be precise to avoid poor coordination among the different stakeholders. Feedback from the different stakeholders must be gathering from the same channel used to pass the information. Meetings can also be held by the project managers on the various project issues, challenges, or progress.
The success of the project of Old Fire Station in Bristol mainly relies on the commitment of the different stakeholders. The coordination portrayed has helped in transforming the activities of the building, and the overall public's look. The success of the project has enabled the place to be a well-known art institution and training facility. The government, through the city council, can help the youth to showcase their work in different regions of the country. This will help them to grow their skills and get recognition. The management aspect of the project has showed how an organization can reduce or prevent the challenges that affect its operations. The utilization of different resources to achieve project success is the key function of every management structure.
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