MBA642 Project Initiation, Planning and Execution Report 1 Sample

MBA642 Project Initiation, Planning and Execution 

Your Task

Individually, you are required to prepare a 2000-word report in which you are to analyse the success and failure factors of a major Australian project by considering its ethical compromises.

Assessment Description

In this individual assessment, students will be given an opportunity to analyse the organisational factors that promote effective project management. The success and failure factors and ethical considerations for each of the 5 IPECC phases will need to be considered.

Assessment Instructions

Please choose one of the following projects as the basis for your research (Based on your choice, you are to focus on the construction and implementation of the project, following the IPECC phases, and not its current operations beyond what is required in closure).

Melbourne Metro Tunnel Project
(https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/projects/metro-tunnel)

Hornsdale Power Reserve and Upgrade
(https://arena.gov.au/projects/hornsdale-power-reserve-upgrade/)

Adelaide Oval Upgrade
(https://www.adelaideoval.com.au/news/multi-million-dollar-upgrade-for-adelaide-oval/)

Please note that the above links give only an initial outline of the project’s delivery, and substantial additional research will be required to complete your assessment successfully.

Once you have conducted thorough research about your chosen project, you are then required to prepare a 2000-word report in which you are to:

• Analyse in detail both the steps critical for your chosen project’s success and the critical pitfalls that could have led to its failure. Relate the specific success and fail factors to your nominated project, and do not just describe a generic theory or simple definitions.

• For each of the 5 IPECC stages, you are to analyse the success and failure factors for each of those stages. You are required to analyse at least one success criteria and at least one failure criteria for each stage. If you are unable to identify success or failure criteria for a particular stage, you are required to postulate at least one criteria. Still, it must be based on sound theory and your knowledge of the case study.

• Integrate the ethical considerations into each of these steps and show how ethical considerations may impact the success or failure of the chosen project. In preparing this report, you will need to use at least 10 sources of information and reference these in accordance with the Kaplan Harvard Referencing Style. These may include websites, government publications, industry reports, census data, journal articles, and newspaper articles. These references should be presented as in-text citations and a reference list at the end of your proposal. Wikipedia and other ‘popular’ sites are not to be used.

Solution

Introduction 

The Melbourne Tunnel Project is an underground project in Australia and is also considered the biggest project of Melbourne railways.  As per the MBA Assignment Experts, This metro project is regarded as one of the most important railways projects that are responsible for more suburbs with more train line services as well as reducing travel times for the citizens. 

This assignment talks about the 5 stages of IPECC phases: initiation, planning, executing, controlling, and closing along with at least one success and failure criteria as well as some ethical approach towards the ethical consideration. This assignment is fully responsible for showing these approaches along with an analytical point of view. 

Main Body 

Initiating 

The initiation phase refers to the starting time of the project when the ideas regarding the project are designed and defined as well as evaluating the project getting permission from the authorization along with deciding on the project sponsor and the other important works. Thus the initiation phase can be considered one of the important phases of a project. The Melbourne Metro Tunnel project is built by John Holland, AECOM, and CPB Contractors in partnership with Rail Project Victoria and the Metro Train Melbourne. 

Success Factor

Regarding the success factor of the Metro Tunnel project initiation phase in Australia, several factors can be counted in this case. The approach of getting the statutory assessment and approval along with taking a serious attempt towards the environment that are effected statement, environment management framework along with sufficient planning scheme amendment. Other success factors lead to the success of the project such as giving sufficient effort towards making the project area along with the proper alignment, making proper development plans as well as the designing and development overlay (Melo Zurita 2020). The Metro Tunnel project focuses on sustainability strategies along with the approach towards the heritage permit which gives a huge benefit regarding the success factor of the project. Overall it can be said that the Metro Tunnel project of Australia has been assessed through a well-tested method along with the robust and transparent planning that gives it the related boost that is needed for success factor. 

Failure Factor

There are failure factors regarding this initiation project that can be recognized. However, this can be assumed that if the project does not follow the statutory assessment and criteria and also does not maintain the sustainability approach as well as the environmental effort statement the project could have been a failure (Victoria's big build 2022). There is also an approach towards the planning scheme management that can be found regarding this Metro Tunnel project that also can be considered as the crucial factor regarding the initiation process.

Ethical Consideration

Regarding ethical consideration, the approach of sustainability regarding the initiation process and making it one of the parts of the project can be considered as one. There is also the approach of saving the heritage along with making the metro tunnel that also shows its ethical approach.  
 

Figure 1: Metro Tunnel
(Source: Victoria's big build 2022)

Planning 

Through the help of the planning process, it helps to easily manage this plan that helps to achieve all those goals of these projects. It also identifies all the scopes of this project plan and also makes a proper schedule that helps to identify all the resources such as time management, roles and responsibility, performance measurements, and also other risks and resources that impact the planning process of these projects (Manawadu 2021). It also helps to make a strong communication plan to increase this project's effectiveness and helps to develop the planning process. 

Success factor

Through the help of this proper planning, these projects try to make 5 new underground stations their planning and this team of Metro Tunnel also takes more initiative for this project. AS their proper planning with sufficient team, resources, and time management, they easily increase this planning process as success. The help of all these resources properly also impacts this project and makes it more successful in this stage and helps to move further steps on completion. 

Failure factor

If the team of Melbourne metro tunnel does not manage their plan properly at the time and also use all their resources to achieve their set goals accurately, then it also hits their planning process. It also negatively impacts these projects and also makes failure in this stage. So, all those factors that are essential for making a potential plan for this project and the lack of any one fact easily reduce this stage's impact on this project.

Ethical consideration

Some ethics are maintained for completing this stage of planning according to these projects. Those ensure all the facts about the planning that easily make a proper alignment and through the help of these ethics, it also increases the project's importance and also the value (Ozcelik & Aydemir 2021). For this reason, all the team members also take it seriously that they easily increase their performance. It also helps to manage the truth and honest relations among the team members by managing their communication so that they can easily lead this project in a professional view that helps to make success. 

Executing 

After making proper planning of these projects it comes to the next step which is executing. This stage also reflects the plan that comes into action and helps to start this project enthusiastically among all the members. It also maintains all the tasks according to the plan that make them properly deliverable. Through the help of this stage, also makes communication among all the stakeholders that helps to increase the initiative and also maintain the budget and resources that are planned for completing this project. 

Success factor

As per this project of the Metro tunnel in Melbourne, this execution process also completes with success and this project also goes positively. This project of the metro tunnel will open soon in 2025 and for this reason; the team executes the plan more encouragingly. This stage also comes as a success because there is strong communication among the stakeholders and also they easily manage and use all the resources as per their budget that cannot hurt or make any barriers to its completion process. 

Failure factor

There is also a chance for this project to become a failure of this management team and other members of this project cannot manage all the facts that are essential to complete it. They break their communication with stakeholders, use all those resources without any planning and also lack decision-making skills to use innovative ideas in this project (Ninan et al. 2019). For this reason, it also increases their expenses as per their planning budget that needs for completing this. It also negatively impacts this project and also makes it a failure process. 

Ethical consideration

In this process of completing this stage positively, some ethics helps the management team to easily complete these projects. Those factors are always making a decision after discussion with other members and stakeholders that helps to maintain a strong bonding in the team (Drouin et al. 2021). Always plan for further steps and then take any steps that help to maintain all the risk factors about this plan. Through the help of all those ethics, they easily reflect a positive outcome from these projects and make them successful. 
 
 

Figure 2: Project execution according Planning
(Source: Victoria's big build 2022)

Controlling 

The controlling phase of a project is mainly regarded as the time when the project is managed appropriately and also on track according to the project plan. There are also some other areas in the controlling phase that can be identified such as the on-schedule program along with the monitoring approach regarding plan and adjustment (Mottee et al. 2020). Regarding the Melbourne Metro project, the controlling factors are also considered as successful as it specifies some areas that are also crucial areas regarding the project. At present, the project is one the way and the 9 km tunnel is being made and the others are also in the scope of the construction process.  

Success factor

Regarding the success factors the main thing that can be identified is the speed of completing the tunnel-making process without any mistakes or casualties. The completion of the 9 KM tunnel along with the high-quality signaling system that enables the passengers to turn up and go services can be counted as one of the success factors. There are also several scopes apart from these that enable this phase to be successful in the whole project such as the up gradation of the suburban rail lines as well as proving safety features and the work is going well regarding these categories.  

Failure factor

Regarding the failure factors, it is generally not identified such failures this in phase. However, there are also some approaches such as making delays in the construction process that may cause some casualties that put the project in an ultimately negative way. It not only slows the overall process of the project but also there are also some losses of funds can also be noticed (Murakami et al. 2021). There is also the approach of high-quality capacity signaling that can also be regarded as the vulnerable factor that can make the project to its failure because the whole base of the metro tunnel is dependent on the signaling system.  

Ethical consideration

As for the ethical consideration part, the approach of this project towards joining several underground stations and also providing several signaling capacities along with the interchange of the stations and domain interchange can be considered as the ethical consideration.   

Closing 

After completing all those stages, this stage comes as the last one that is closing, and through the help of this stage, it maintains all the processes of these projects and also helps to come into the last stage of completion (Olugbenga et al. 2019). It also easily describes the final point of this project that comes after the completion of all the stages successfully also delivers the project as their commitment and also releases all the staff and resources that reflects it as a complete one throughout this project. 

Success Factor

This stage also reflects as a success factor after completing all the stages of this complete planning project for making these stage as a success on there are some basic facts are without cancelation of any contract, make a proper and final budget as per the start project budget, after completion handover this project to the authority and make a complete view that easily make it as a deliverable. The help of this procedure easily reflects this project as a success at this stage. 

Failure Factor

After completion of all those stages of this project, it comes on this stage and it also reflects some basic factors that make it a failure. If the team management cannot control all the processes such as the exact budget, and resources such as employee involvement, and cancel any contract in a way that easily impacts this project negatively. This team is unable to deliver this project completely to the authority and has issues with this metro tunnel project. Then, this project was presented as a failure after the completion of all the stages. 

Ethical Consideration 

Throughout the process of this stage, some ethics also helps to increase its importance and also make it a much more positive stage. They always try to manage a healthy workplace culture in the project that also helps all those employees to easily maintain an encouraging culture through the project (Qiu et al. 2022). Always try to maintain the health and safety of the employees and workers who take part in this project and also contribute to the project and also take responsibility to complete this as a success. 

Conclusion 

From the above assignment, the discussion is based on the Metro tunnel in Melbourne and through the help of this metro tunnel; it implements five new stations in the twin 9 km rain tunnel that is new Sunbury to Cranbourne. In this assignment, the discussion is based on this project and also discusses the 5 initial stages of this project that helps to make this project complete as a successful one. After that explain all the stages with their success and failure factor and also discuss the ethical consideration to maintain through completing this project. All those impact this project to make it a successful project. 

Reference list

Build, V.B. (2022) Victoria's big build, bigbuild.vic.gov.au. Victoria's Big Build. Available at: https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/ (Accessed: November 26, 2022). 

Drouin, N., van Marrewijk, A., Sankaran, S. & Müller, R., 2021. What is done through the lens of megaproject leaders life stories. In Megaproject Leaders (pp. 2-11). Edward Elgar Publishing.

Manawadu, N., 2021. Melbourne metro 2: A boon for eastern Melbourne's public transport connectivity. Chain Reaction, (139), p.33. https://search.informit.org/doi/pdf/10.3316/informit.900047061816884

Melo Zurita, M.D.L., 2020. Challenging sub terra nullius: a critical underground urbanism project. Australian Geographer, 51(3), pp.269-282. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049182.2020.1723829

Mottee, L.K., Arts, J., Vanclay, F., Miller, F. & Howitt, R., 2020. Reflecting on how social impacts are considered in transport infrastructure project planning: looking beyond the claimed success of sydney’s South West rail link. Urban Policy and Research, 38(3), pp.185-198. https://doi.org/10.1080/08111146.2020.1730787

Murakami, J., Villani, C. & Talamini, G., 2021. The capital value of pedestrianization in Asia's commercial cityscape: Evidence from office towers and retail streets. Transport policy, 107, pp.72-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2021.04.017

Ninan, J., Clegg, S. & Mahalingam, A., 2019. Branding and governmentality for infrastructure megaprojects: The role of social media. International Journal of Project Management, 37(1), pp.59-72. https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10080650/3/Ninan%20Manuscript_UCL%20Deposit.pdf

Olugbenga, O., Kalyviotis, N. & Saxe, S., 2019. Embodied emissions in rail infrastructure: a critical literature review. Environmental Research Letters, 14(12), p.123002. https://doi.org.10.1088/1748-9326/ab442f

Ozcelik, M. & Aydemir, M.C., 2021. Evaluation of uncertainties in travertine rock mass for the Antalya (Turkey) Metro tunnel excavation. Journal of Taibah University for Science, 15(1), pp.295-302. https://doi.org/10.1080/16583655.2021.1978832

Qiu, J., Fan, F., Zhang, C., Lai, J., Wang, K. & Niu, F., 2022. Response mechanism of metro tunnel structure under local collapse in loess strata. Environmental Earth Sciences, 81(5), pp.1-18. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-387129/v1