Introduction
The construction of any modern stadium should be considered a serious challenge to the agency responsible for this task and the authorities monitoring the process and providing resources for it. The fact is that the complexity of the project comes from the high number of factors that should be taken into account with the primary purpose of achieving success and guaranty the in-time accomplishment of the goal and construction of the stadium. That is why it is essential to review the scope of the project correctly, conduct a risk assessment, and outline the main milestones that should help to determine the status of the construction.
The Project Scope
Scoping is a critical part of any project as it helps to determine its goals and avoid confusion that can precondition the deterioration of results. The first critical element of this process is the SMART test.
- Specific
Construct the stadium (clearly defined)
- Measurable
The quality of built construction can be managed
- Achievable
Achievable with existing resources
- Rewarding
The country will benefit from the project because of the sports event, fans, and improved reputation.
- The bound
The deadline is FIFA 2022 World Cup
The SMART test shows that the project is feasible, and the main goals can be accomplished using the currently available resources. Thus, the scoping procedure also preconditions consideration of such important constraints as time, cost, and quality.
As for the first element, time, the stadium should be built for the FIFA 2022 World Cup, which means that there is a specific period that can be devoted to all procedures needed to achieve the outlined goal, which is the creation of the construction.
The planned costs should be discussed with the government to create the budget required to create the stadium. It will include the price of materials, equipment, salaries, and other factors related to the project. In general, about AED 500-700 million can be demanded.
Finally, the quality of the build is another important element of scoping as it should meet all international standards for this sort of sports object. For this reason, it is critical to ensure the use of appropriate materials, equipment, and skilled specialists to avoid flaws or critical deterioration of the quality.
In general, the given factors will determine the scope of the project, its main constraints, and feasibility. Moreover, consideration of these aspects is critical to outline risks that might arise during the construction process and introduce appropriate practices or strategies that will help to manage these threats and achieve positive outcomes.
Risk Assessment
Risk assessment is another important element of any project as it helps to reveal the opportunity of various problems’ emergence and decrease the chance by introducing appropriate actions or eliminating some vulnerabilities. In big scope projects, this practice plays a fundamental role and should be integrated into the planning; otherwise, the inability to foresee or predict some risks might have a negative impact on outcomes and precondition the failure (Cakmak & Tezel 2019). That is why the analysis of the stadium’s construction helps to reveal the following risks that should be considered:
- Performance risk. It can be taken as the main problem of all projects, especially big ones, as there is a chance to fail to produce results consistent with specifications. It happens because of ineffective management, disregard of problems, cultural barriers between workers and problematic cooperation, and poor goal-setting (JetRuby Agency 2017). The minimization of the given risk is one of the pivotal tasks of any manager. It can be achieved via the monitoring of the status of the construction and its ability to meet specifications at different periods (JetRuby Agency 2017). That is why the constant meetings with managers and monitoring to guarantee that all requirements are followed are the effective approaches to minimize the risk.
- Cost risk. This is another type of risk that might be associated with any project and precondition its failure. Typically, escalation of costs is associated with poor estimating accuracy, management, or even fraud or illegal schemes used to generate additional income by unfair employees (Koutsogiannis 2019). The demand for extra financing without any serious reasons might deteriorate the image of the venture and distract stakeholders, investors, and even workers. The main method to reduce the impact of this factor is an effective accounting procedure and the monitoring of all costs that are devoted to various activities. Additionally, all spending should be consulted and accepted only if they meet the requirements of the general plan.
- Schedule risk. It is another critical problem usually associated with big projects and the construction of stadiums. The fact is that the prolongation of the main activities also preconditions the increase in costs, delays, and negative changes in the image of the project (Risk management in construction projects n.d.). Additionally, the world community might also be dissatisfied with the delays because of the need to organize the World Cup. That is why the main activity aimed at the reduction of this risk is the introduction of milestones that should be observed to guarantee that the status of the project meets the current requirements and the schedule is observed, which is one of the fundamental success factors.
- External hazards. The given factor should also be taken into account because of the complexity of relations in the Middle Eastern region, growth of terrorism, and attention attracted to the World Cup, there is a high opportunity of maleficent actions aimed at the destabilization of the situation in the country, the spread of panic, and use of this event as a platform to promote some ideas. Additionally, the large number of workers from various countries also increases this very risk (Koutsogiannis 2019). That is why an effective security system should be created to monitor all areas and check employees to protect the project. Cooperation with the government can also help to guarantee safety to people affected by the project and avoid critical issues.
- Environmental risk. Speaking about construction projects in the UAE, one should take into account the extremely high temperatures that can be problematic to people from other regions because of their unpreparedness or different expectations. This factor might precondition the decrease in performance levels, effectiveness, and deterioration of results (Koutsogiannis 2019). That is why a specific schedule should be created to consider the needs of people who cannot work in the hottest hours. They should be allowed to work at night or morning when the heat is not so severe. The given approach might help to solve problems with the climate and guarantee that various shifts demonstrate their best skills.
- Quality risk. The final product or stadium for the World Cup should be ready to meet all modern requirements for construction of this sort. It means that the successful end of the project should be followed by the outstanding quality of all elements. Deterioration of this aspect might mean the failure and the stadium’s inability to meet guests from various countries. The risk of poor quality can be minimized by using only reliable suppliers and products that can guarantee an outstanding final result (Types of risk in project management 2019). Moreover, experienced and skilled employees should be hired to attain high accuracy during the vital stages of constructing to avoid mistakes or poor results.
- Organizational risk. The given issue is closely connected with the schedule risk and should be taken as an aspect that might prevent all departments from their effective work. The fact is that the collaboration between all teams and members of the staff is a key to achievement, and a practical organization of the work can facilitate this very cooperation (Risk management in construction projects n.d.). On the contrary, the failure to align the interaction can promote schedule and other risks. In this regard, effective organizational patterns can be created via the consideration of the need of any department and formulation of the scheme that will be able to meet the requirements of various employees and provide them with the resources they need.
- Finally, management or governance risks should also be considered. The factors belonging to this cohort presuppose that there might be flaws in performance with regard to the organization of the whole project, the creation of the appropriate climate, respect for cultures, or cooperation with partners overseas (Szymanski 2017). The inability to achieve success in the given sphere preconditions the lack of attention to the project, it’s becoming unpopular and decreased motivation of all employees. For this reason, one of the chances to reduce this risk is the observation of the basic principles of strategic management that guarantee enhanced decision making, creation of the appropriate conditions, and cultivation of motivation and achievement (Szymanski 2017).
In general, the given risk factors can be considered the most common ones as they are associated with any big project and might result in its failure or achievement of unacceptable outcomes. That is why, speaking about the construction of the stadium in the UAE, these aspects should be considered and managed to mitigate risks and achieve positive outcomes. The contingency plan is another practical tool that can be used to work with problems and outline the course of actions that can be performed if any of the issues from the risk occur (Szymanski 2017).
Usually, it is designed to respond to a negative event that can cause substantial harm to the organization or a project. For this reason, the adherence to the alternative or a course of actions different from the current one can be taken as an effective method to avoid crisis (Novotny 2019). For the outlined risks, the plan might be the following one:
- Identify a risk
- Determine its probability
- Outline its impact on the project
- Select among the possible alternative solutions
- Share a new solution
- Devote all needed resources
- Revisit the plan
The given guide can be applied to every risk mentioned above and serve as a potent tool to eliminate threats and achieve a high level of performance.
Key Milestones
As it has already been stated previously, identification of the key milestones is critical for the monitoring of the progress and introduction of appropriate changes that might be demanded to avoid risks or guarantee the achievement of the positive result. For this reason, the following points are offered:
Design approval
The stadium should acquire an attractive appearance, and the whole project should be aligned in accordance with the design (Planning of a construction project n.d.). For this reason, this milestone is critical for the initiation of work and future decision-making.
Determination of funding and financial aspect of the project
This step is a milestone that is demanded to calculate all spending and investment that are needed to construct the building and achieve the goal. Additionally, the complexity of the given area requires an in-depth analysis of the whole venture to take into account all possible complications or emergencies (Planning of a construction project n.d.). For this reason, the obtainment of funding is an important phase of the project that indicates its correct development.
Recruiting
Employees are the main actors of any project as they precondition its success and the ability to meet the outlined goals. The recruitment of specialists for all positions and the creation of the conditions for their functioning is a key milestone that indicates the successful HR management and the creation of conditions beneficial for the cooperation of all cultures.
Contracts with suppliers
It is another critical element of any project as only after the partnership is aligned, the project can benefit from the continuous supply of machinery or equipment that is needed to construct the stadium and guarantee the high quality of the final product.
I am reaching core performance indicators
Specialists hired as supervisors or heads of departments should report about the current status of the project to ensure that it evolves in accordance with the plan established at the very first stage. The existence of specific indicators will help to meet these goals and reduce performance risk.
Quality assessment
The construction should be checked to ensure that all existing requirements to the quality of such buildings are met, and it can be used to host guests from multiple states.
Elimination of defects
Finally, this is a critical milestone indicating that all phases of the project are accomplished, and some small defects that are almost inevitable in big projects are improved to guarantee positive emotions for all possible users.
Conclusion
Altogether, the construction of the stadium is a complex and sophisticated project that demands consideration of multiple factors that might affect it. For this reason, it is critical to correctly realize all problems that might occur at different stages and devoted attention to them. Risk assessment remains one of the vital determinants of success that is needed to avoid fatal flows and ensure that the project will be completed in time. That is why the recommendations include:
- Regular analysis of risks
- Creation of alternative plans to solve problems
- Monitoring of the process to ensure that all milestones are observed
- Cultivation of diversity and improved cooperation with suppliers.
Reference list
Cakmak, P & Tezel, E 2019, A guide for risk management in construction projects: present knowledge and future directions. Web.
JetRuby Agency 2017, 7 common project management risks and how to avoid them. Web.
Koutsogiannis, A 2019, Risk management plan in construction – a practical guide. Web.
Martic, K 2018, Top 10 benefits of diversity in the workplace. Web.
Novotny, R 2019, The definitive guide to construction risk management for 2019. Web.
Planning of a construction project n.d. Web.
Risk management in construction projects n.d. Web.
Shemla, M 2018, ‘Why workplace diversity is so important, and why it’s so hard to achieve’, Forbes. Web.
Szymanski, P 2017, ‘Risk management in construction projects’, Procedia Engineering, vol. 208, pp. 174-182. Web.
Types of risk in project management 2019. Web.