Introduction
According to the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030, it is critical to develop and build a world-class public transportation system that will not only reach the expected levels of economic growth but also encourage stockholders to take benefits of the Emirate’s excellent access to utilities, transport networks and ICT (The Government of Abu Dhabi, 2008).
Therefore, the Department of Municipality Affairs, which is known as The Western Region Municipality, signed an agreement with the Engineering Consultancy Firm (AECOM). It aims to “provide internal roads and infrastructure facilities at a new residential area in Ghayathi, Western Region of Emirate of Abu Dhabi”, aligning with the objective 22 in Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030, which deals with the provision of the efficient and safe transport infrastructure (Department of Municipal Affairs & Western Region Municipality, 2015, p. 17).
The project maintained under this agreement should be decent for the Government of Abu Dhabi in economic perspective and be consistent with the Government’s strategy. Currently, the UAE requires an efficient public transport system to meet expanding tourist, business, and residential needs.
Brief Description
The project was initiated to improve the transportation system in Ghayathi, including but not limited to the liaisons with various organizations for acquiring approvals, the conduct of Traffic Impact Study, implementation of decent signage and traffic calming system, identification of service reservation corridors, improvement of the water drainage network, landscaping, street lighting, topographic and geotechnical evaluation, and design of simple structures. It also deals with a roadway, irrigation network, pedestrian realm, sewer network, Etisalat network, and electricity. The total investment was AED 2,449,102.00.
Initiation
AECOM is a major consulting firm that operates in this area and can improve the transportation system in the UAE, which is needed because of the streamlined development of the country. New internal roads and infrastructure facilities are intended to be designed according to the requirements of the Services Department and Authorities, which follow the Traffic Impact Study and Parking Requirement Guidelines Manual.
Special Features
The project has all peculiarities needed to bring management attention, including:
- Constraints – both time and resources needed for the project are limited but a huge amount of work should be done.
- Complexity – the project can be influenced by a number of different factors (peculiarities of the area, documents) and includes various services (traffic control devices, water network).
- Dynamic response – the time given for the implementation is limited.
- Multi-discipline – various disciplines are to take part in the project.
- Uncertainty – the amount of risks is high; various organizations are to cooperate and use new technology.
- Technology – new technologies should be applied to meet expectations.
- Economy – A huge investment is required.
- Environment – water network will improve the country’s condition.
The Main Driver of the Project
To meet Abu Dhabi’s vision 2030, the Department of Municipality should provide an efficient and safe transport infrastructure of the highest quality only within 8 months. The consultant is to be in compliance with ISO 9001:2008 requirements. The total investment of the project was AED 2,449,102.00, which covers all expenses. Therefore, the project was schedule-driven, quality-driven, and cost-driven. According to the project peculiarities, 240 days are given to complete all scope of works including design, securing NOCs, and document preparation.
Project Life Cycle
The project had predictive life cycles and consisted of such initially plan-driven stages:
- Concept design – it lasted for 75 days and started on Jan 2016 and included preparation & submission and concept design review, in particular, consultation, scheduling, development of proposals, and reports.
- Preliminary design – is also included preparation & submission but preliminary design review was added (drawings, design, cost and schedule reports, calculations). The stage lasts for 45 days and started in Mar 2016.
- Final design – it consisted of preparation & submission, detailed design review, and authority approvals (final drawings, design, cost and schedule reports, calculations). It lasts for 60 days and started in May 2015.
- Tender documents (payable) – estimated cost reports, drawings, design reports and calculations, and schedule reports will be gathered during 60days, starting with Jul 2016.
Project Phases Type
This project had consequently overlapping phases. They were mainly predictive and were not repeated. The phases were designed on the basis of the resources that were initially provided for the implementation of the project. Thus, time and money were given, and then the schedule was created. Still, some work performed in the phases was repeated, which presupposes iterative and incremental phases. This can be said about the preparation and submission part. Gathering tender documents is an adaptive phase, as it totally depends on the outcomes of the previous one. If the design would not be approved by the authorities, there will be no possibility to get the documents and implement the project.
Project Analysis
The project consists of 5 stages:
- Concept & Preliminary design (Asses)
- The final design (Select)
- Tender documents (Define)
- Project execution (Execute)
- Closeout (Operate)
The first three front end loading stages form the shape of the project, identifying its peculiarities. The execution stage is conducted in one year after approval (which is not granted) that is why it was not discussed in detail. The closeout and operation stage was not considered also but it does not require stakeholders’ attention in the scope of the project.
Lessons Learned
The transportation system is extended, and its improvement is an extremely complicated task. To start designing the project, the funds and time are to be defined so that the amount of work can be decently planned. Thus, such kinds of projects are likely to be predictive. Their implementation requires an enormous amount of documents, such as reports, agreements, and specifications. The procedures followed by the Department and Consultant were appropriate; however, the last stages of the project did not get as much attention as the first ones.
Conclusion
The first stages of the predictive project are focused on similar tasks as they are needed to prepare a decent design and receive authorities’ approval, which makes it look rather confusing and complex. The stages of the project are interdependent that it is why it is better not to start them at the same time.
The improvement of the coordination among consultants and project managers in different spheres could enhance the functionality of the project management.
This experience can be used to plan a new project, as it shows how to plan and organize the work having only a task and available resources.
References
Department of Municipal Affairs & Western Region Municipality. (2015). WRM/035/15.
The Government of Abu Dhabi. (2008). The Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030. Web.