Farndale's PM Lessons Learned
UPS Worldport Hub
In 2006, after a $1 billion investment and five years of work, the United Parcel Service Inc.’s (UPS) expansion of their Worldport Hub (UPS air hub) in Louisville, Kentucky was completed. The facility is currently the size of 80 football fields and capable of handling 115 packages per second. The project was delivered on schedule and below budget because of the establishment of clear rules with contractors before work has begun, ensuring adequate space usage during project execution as part of planning phase and setting monthly meetings to ensure clear communication between all parties.
This is part of a series of blogs about recently completed projects, thanks to my University of Toronto Master of Engineering students for their much more detailed reports.
Edinburgh Trams
Edinburgh Trams is a 14 km tramway linking between Edinburgh’s airport with the city center. After construction began in 2007, the project rapidly experienced schedule delays and far over budget expenditures and is widely regarded by politicians and the public as a failure with respect to quality and scope. The project’s initial budget was £545m, and the tram was supposed to enter operation in February 2011. The trams are now projected to become operational in summer 2014, with an estimated overall cost of over a billion pounds. Lessons Learned: consider environmental constraints when making product decisions and re-assess when information changes and always verify assumptions and clarify scope prior to publicizing project budget or requesting funding.
This is part of a series of blogs about recently completed projects, thanks to my University of Toronto Master of Engineering students for their much more detailed reports.
Columbia Space Shuttle
The Columbia Space Shuttle was the oldest and most flown spacecraft in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Columbia was destroyed over east Texas on its landing descent to Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 1, 2003, at the conclusion of microgravity research mission STS-107. The disastrous failure resulted in the deaths of all 7 crew members. One of the most important causes of the disaster is NASA’s poor project management practices. Lessons learned: Do not let budget and schedule pressures dominate the project over safety and do not oversimplify technical information in decision-making as this might end the project catastrophically.
This is part of a series of blogs about recently completed projects, thanks to my University of Toronto Master of Engineering students for their much more detailed reports.
Storebælt
Completed in 1998, the Storebælt project was considered the biggest construction project in the history of Denmark. The project is a 118 km link connecting the eastern and western parts of Denmark. The link consists of three main components: the West Bridge, the East Bridge and the Tunnel. Thanks to the extensive planning conducted at the early stages of the project, Storebælt has been successfully completed. Also, the PM overcame the risks of delays through effective stakeholders’ management plan and fast-tracking of critical path’s activities.
This is part of a series of blogs about recently completed projects, thanks to my University of Toronto Master of Engineering students for their much more detailed reports.
Chief Peguis Trail Extension
Completed 1 year ahead of its estimated completion date, The Chief Peguis Trail Extension Project is considered a very successful example of project management. The project was completed by Public-Private Partnership using Design-Build-Finance-Maintain delivery model. Public involvement in the project’s early stages and good communication between the stakeholders were the main factors for the project’s success. Additionally, the quick response of the design team when problems arise had positively contributed towards a better project performance.
This is part of a series of blogs about recently completed projects, thanks to my University of Toronto Master of Engineering students for their much more detailed reports.