Updating the Metro Network of Adelaide: Audit Project Proposal

Organization

Auditing a project proposal is a critical aspect of project management. The auditing process allows for identifying the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed plan, as well as validating “whether the project teams are utilizing the appropriate project management processes” (Hossain, 2010, p. 29). The project proposal on the construction of the Adelaide Metro Railway road is well-organized in terms of the delivery of the information concerning the planning and execution. The project’s goals of updating the metro network of Adelaide are relevant to the requirements of the fast-growing city. The rationale for the project implementation is provided in a logical manner and properly supported by evidence. Also, the audited project proposal is presented in detail, with every aspect of the process being articulated and justified. All phases necessary for the process initiation and successful project completion are addressed and explained. The graphs, tables, and other means of visual presentation make the proposal appealing and comprehensive. This aspect of the proposal organization contributes to the clarity of the goals pursued. Overall, the organization of the project allows for formulating clear project goals and making an informed decision as per its feasibility.

Planning

The planning stage of any project is the core of the overall process since it identifies the scope of actions with respect to their potential contribution to the goal achievement. Although the perspectives to project management and planning vary depending on the type of project and the manager’s approach, planning remains an important issue when designing a project (Andersen, 2016). The interests of numerous stakeholders involved in the project are clearly stated, which contributes to the validation of the project’s necessity. The reconstruction and improvement of the metropolitan transportation net influence the performance of multiple organizations and individuals who use this transportation network on a daily basis. Therefore, the engagement of the community and key stakeholders is crucial for project planning. The establishment of relations with key stakeholders is demonstrated via stakeholder identification and prioritization matrix and alternative breaks project stakeholder matrix. Nonetheless, planning must involve the articulation of the responsibilities and tasks that are planned to be performed by the staff members (Kerzner, 2017). However, the staffing aspect is not addressed; the project team and their responsibilities are only described in the project meeting minutes.

Execution

The process of project execution is key to project success. It is important to attract necessary means and organize the project process in a way that would allow for achieving planned goals. Since the planning phase of the Adelaide Metro Rail Project is adequately presented, the execution phase is expected to be effective under the conditions of strict alignment to the plan. However, there are several drawbacks that might diminish the flawless execution of the project.

The specific project execution considerations are predetermined by the type of project. Transportation network reconstruction has particular features that need to be incorporated into the scope of project management. Traffic management is one of the biggest concerns when implementing a project related to transportation means (Alshalalfah et al.,2018). However, the Adelaide Metro Rail project proposal does not explicitly address this important aspect. General considerations as per the mitigation of possible challenges are introduced, but no specific measures concerning traffic difficulties associated with the reconstruction actions are explained. Therefore, the execution of the project might be incomplete due to the insufficient integration of challenging factors. “Travel forecast models” might be helpful in projecting the influence of traffic on the execution of the project (Alshalalfah et al.,2018, p. 84). At the same time, the project execution of the audited proposal identifies all the main steps that are required to complete the project.

Also, for a successful implementation of the planned processes, adequate addressing of crucial resources is needed. According to Kerzner (2017, p. 718), “managing time, cost, and performance trade-offs should emphasize the systems approach to management by recognizing that even the smallest change in a project or system could easily affect all of the organization’s systems.” However, the analyzed project proposal lacks the appropriate articulation of these issues. Trade-offs analysis must have been utilized to facilitate the execution process. The inclusion of trade-offs into the project management process will allow for achieving agility and efficiency (Conforto et al., 2016). Thus, the current project proposal for reconstructing Adelaide Metro needs improvement in the execution phase planning.

Schedule

In terms of scheduling, the project proposal is limited to a vague yearly description of the planned actions against the timeframe. However, to ensure that the project life cycle is justifiable by time and cost realistic considerations, specific tools must have been used.

One such tool is the Gantt bar chart that allows for graphic representation of small- and large-scale actions against the proposed time limits (Kerzner, 2017). The scheduling of controlling procedures of project quality is another vital aspect of project management and planning (Marier-Bienvenue, Pellerin, and Cassivi, 2017). Consequently, the Adelaide Metro project lacks detailed scheduling and requires proper utilization of scheduling tools to ensure the timeframe and the life cycle of the project.

Budget

The financial side of any project requires a thorough budget estimation in order to foresee the expenses required to lead the project to a successful closing point. The Adelaide Metro project does not explicitly define the budget for the planned processes. It only briefly addresses the planned actions aimed at attracting sponsors within the stakeholder engagement initiative. However, contemporary project management requires detailed budget planning to estimate and regulate the expenses for the implementation of every step in the project life cycle (Lee et al., 2019). Indeed, the budget is “the strategic planning of the company translated into numbers” (Soares, Magalhaes, and Mendes, 2020, p. 856). The tools that might have been used to project budget presentation are the investment budget management that would allow for identifying the costs of planned actions and the ways of financing them.

Feasibility

The overall feasibility of the project allows for identifying the risks and the resources for addressing them. The feasibility study might have been used to interpret the scale of efficiency of the project plan. Also, a SWOT analysis should have been used to foresee possible threats and opportunities, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the project (Andersen, 2016). Such an analysis allows for facilitating preparedness to the challenges and using the opportunities and strengths to succeed at project goals achievement in a timely manner. The evaluation presented in the proposal only provides the analysis of the meeting with the help of the plus-delta tool. However, it is important to expand the interpretation of the feasibility of the project as a whole with the help of SWOT analysis. In such a manner, the project managers will be able to forecast the possible challenges and difficulties and use available resources to mitigate them.

References

1. Alshalalfah, B. et al. (2018) ‘Traffic management of mega infrastructure construction projects: success story and lessons learned from the Riyadh metro project’, International Journal of Transport Development and Integration, 2(1), pp. 84-97.
2. Andersen, E.S. (2016) ‘Do project managers have different perspectives on project management?.’, International Journal of Project Management, 34(1), pp. 58-65.
3. Conforto, E.C. et al. (2016) ‘The agility construct on project management theory, International Journal of Project Management, 34(4), pp. 660-674.
4. Hossain, S. (2010) ‘From project audit to performance audit: evolution of performance auditing in Australia’, IUP Journal of Accounting Research & Audit Practices, 9(3), pp. 20-46.
5. Kerzner, H. (2017) Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. 10th and. John Wiley & Sons.
6. Lee, C.K. et al. (2019) ‘Status and Barriers impeding utilization of project management tools: epidemic for tripartite construction parties in Malaysia’, KnE Social Sciences, pp. 289-312.
7. Marier-Bienvenue, T., Pellerin, R. and Cassivi, L. (2017) ‘Project planning and control in social and solidarity economy organizations: a literature review’, Procedia Computer Science, 121, pp. 692-698.
8. Soares, C.A.P., Magalhaes, M.A. and Mendes, J.R. (2020) Investment capital budget method oriented to project management. Global Scientific Journals, 8(3), pp. 855-870.