What Has Higher Priority Than the Superbowl? A Risk Based Project Management Case Study

Abstract

What Has Higher Priority Than the Superbowl? A Risk Based Project Management Case Study Apparently, high risk projects in the Darling Downs District do… This presentation is a case study to show that while the general focus for DTMR capital construction projects is on the cost and time functions of project management, it is very important not to let the other functions fall by the wayside. The construction project chosen for this case study is the Warrego Highway Gatton-Esk Interchange Heavy Vehicle Decoupling Facility, otherwise known as the Decoupling Pad. The reason this project was considered high risk was the need to manage significantly different stakeholder expectations. The need for this facility was identified during consultation with industry while the Toowoomba Bypass was being built. Without it, B-triple and Type 1 road trains would need to break down in Toowoomba and pay two tolls to get a load to/from Brisbane. The best location was identified as State-owned land held in trust by the University of Queensland (UQ) Gatton and leased to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) next to the UQ Gatton campus. The highest risks in terms of project management functions were: • Stakeholder - Managing internal and external stakeholder expectations (from District Director to Director General, local, state and federal politicians, UQ, DAF and HV industry) • Procurement – Resumptions of State land held in trust by UQ as well as private property, and construction contract/s needed to align with the delivery strategy to meet committed timeframes • Quality - Biosecurity concerns of DAF and UQ had to be accommodated due to proximity of the facility to a closed dairy herd being used for research into the milk industry's productivity • Time – Facility needed to be opened as soon as possible after opening of the Toowoomba Bypass to reduce impacts on the heavy vehicle industry • Communication – regular updates on progress of the project, including achieved and upcoming milestones, upcoming activities, risks and issues were required to be submitted to senior management • Safety – establishing and managing a temporary decoupling facility whilst construction of the permanent facility progressed, as well as safety of vehicles using the Decoupling Pad once completed • Scope management – approval for scope changes during development and implementation had to be sought from the TSRC Project Supervisory Board (the Customer) • Cost – the project needed to be completed within the total budget approved by the Customer • Finalisation - Future maintenance requirements had to be considered during both the development (design) phase and implementation (construction) phase