MGT4104 Project Management Fundamentals

Practice Week 07

Practice Midterm

Read the following case study and answer the questions provided.

Ottawa's O-Train Light Rail Transit (LRT) System

Ottawa'sO-Train Confederation Lineis a state-of-the-art Light Rail Transit (LRT) system and Ottawa's largest transportation infrastructure project since the building of the Rideau Canal. (City of Ottawa, n.d.)

(City of Ottawa, n.d.)

Made up of the east-west Confederation Line, which is currently being built, and the north-south Trillium Line (an existing line), the complete O-Train system will span nearly 64 kilometres and include 42 stations when Stage 2 launches in 2023. (City of Ottawa, n.d.)

Ottawa's O-Train LRT system is being built in phases:

• Phase I - Trillium Line (complete)
• Phase 2 - O-Train Confederation Line (currently being built)
• Phase 3 - Expansion of the Confederation Line and Trillium Line, referred to as Stage 2 (construction planned to commence in 2019 and launch in 2023)

The first two phases are illustrated below. The two O-Train lines will be the backbone of the new service network, offering quick, frequent, station-to-station train service on a dedicated rail line with no level crossings. The O-Train network consists of the Confederation Line (Line 1 in the diagram below), which will provide central service running from east to west through 13 transit stations, and the Trillium Line (Line 2 in the diagram below), which has been operating since 2001 and runs through 5 transit stations between Greenboro in the south and Bayview in the north. Line 1 and Line 2 will connect at Bayview Station. (OCTranspo, 2018)

(OCTranspo, 2018)

The O-Train Confederation Line (Line 1) will replace bus routes along the Transitway between Blair and Tunney's Pasture and through downtown Ottawa. Seventeen two-car electrictrainswill provide very frequent (every 5 minutes or less at rush hour) andreliable service, capable of accommodating up to 10,700 passengers per hour in each direction. More than100 bus routes will connectto the O-Train Confederation Line at one of13 stationsalong the line. (OCTranspo, 2018)

The Confederation Line will support Ottawa as an economically growing, environmentally sustainable and culturally vibrant global capital. Some of the features that support this vision include:

• Integrated pedestrian and cycling networks to promote healthy commuting.
• Installations celebrating the area's arts, culture and history.
• Welcoming public spaces to support new community development.
• Concourses with services for riders. (City of Ottawa, n.d.)

Background

The O-Train Confederation Line project website provides a background indicating how and why the project was initiated.

The genesis of the Confederation Line was theNovember 2008Transportation Master Plan (TMP)update, in which the Council of the day identified the bottleneck of transit service in the downtown core as the City's most pressing transit challenge. Council directed staff to pursue a rail plan that would provide a long term solution to the downtown bottleneck and set the foundation for development of a world-class transit network that would meet the City's needs for generations to come.

The TMP launched the planning phase of the project. Extensive public consultations were undertaken, rail technologies examined, different track alignments evaluated and financial models reviewed to determine affordability. All of this work culminated in December 2009 with theDowntown Ottawa Transit Tunnel (DOTT) Planning and Environmental Assessment Study - Recommended Plan, which established the functional design of the project. Approved by the City's Transit Committee in December 2009 and by City Council in January 2010, the functional design demonstrated the feasibility of a 12.5 kilometre, 13 station Light Rail Transit (LRT) alignment between Blair station in the east and Tunney's Pasture station in the West with a $2.1 billion project cost estimate.

With Council approval of the plan secured, work now began to receive Federal and Provincial Environmental Assessment approvals and funding agreements for the project. In addition, the project entered a design phase known as Preliminary Engineering, in which the City contracted a local joint venture (Capital Transit Partners) to advance the design of the project in order to prepare for the procurement phase.

In August 2010, the City received the project's Provincial Environmental Assessment approval, followed by contribution agreements for $600 million each from the Federal and Provincial governments.

In July 2011, the City presented Council with theImplementation of the Ottawa Light Rail Transit Projectreport. Council approval of this report commenced the procurement phase of the project.

A Request-for-Qualifications was undertaken between July and October 2011 and shortlisted three world-class consortia to compete in the Request-for-Proposal (RFP) stage of procurement. The RFP was undertaken from October 2011 to October 2012 and, following the evaluation period, the Rideau Transit Group was presented to Council in December 2012 as the preferred consortia to Design, Build, Finance and Maintain the Confederation Line project. During this time (July 2012) the City also received approval of the Federal Environmental Assessment.

On December 19, 2012 Council voted unanimously to move forward with the Rideau Transit Group's proposal and authorized staff to finalize the project contract. This was signed on February 14, 2013 and the Confederation Line has now entered the construction phase.

-Rail Implementation Office(City of Ottawa, n.d.)

Who is Building the O-Train Confederation Line

The City of Ottawa assembled a project team that is comprised of several private-sector organizations that have a proven history of success on comparable projects. This consortium is called the Rideau Transit Group (RTG) and consists of the following organizations:

• ACS Infrastructure Canada Inc. - global leader in infrastructure construction projects
• Dragados Canada Inc. - worldwide expert in the promotion, development, construction and management of infrastructures and services
• EllisDon - one of Canada's largest building contractors
• SNC-Lavalin - an engineering and construction group with worldwide experience in ownership of Design-Build-Finance-Maintain projects
• Adamson & Associates Architects - a full-service design group
• Alstom - an international conglomerate specializing in transportation equipment
• Dr. Sauer & Partners Corporation - leading consultancy for design and construction supervision of tunnels and underground structures
• bbb Architects - Ottawa-based firm responsible for the overall look and conceptual design of the stations
• Fast & Epp - a structural engineering design firm
• Hatch Mott MacDonald - a North American engineering consulting firm focused on the transportation market, including services for tunnels, rail and transit
• IBI Group - worldwide group of firms providing professional engineering and architectural services
• MMM Group - a Canadian firm with experience in major design-build and public transportation and building projects worldwide
• Sereca Fire Consulting Ltd. - fire protection specialists
• Scotia Capital - Canada's third largest bank
• Thurber Engineering Ltd. - Canadian engineering firm focused on providing geotechnical, environmental, and materials engineering and testing services for transportation and infrastructure industries (City of Ottawa, n.d.)

As part of a risk mitigation measurement and quality control strategy, the City of Ottawa created a strong partnership that includes financial commitments from the provincial and federal governments, in addition to the RTG mentioned above.

Working closely, this project team will design and build the Confederation Line and maintain the line until 2038. (City of Ottawa, n.d.)

Why is the O-Train LRT being built?

The City of Ottawa expresses the need for the O-Train LRT as follows:

As Ottawa continues to grow, we need a world-class transit system that will move our world-class city more quickly, efficiently and confidently. With public transportation at near capacity in the downtown core, and our highways at near capacity during peak hours, the time for that transit system is now.

But the $2.1-billion Confederation Line is more than the solution to our long-term transit needsit will also generate significant economic, environmental, cultural and social benefits for the City of Ottawa and its residents, today and in the future.

Our Transit Challenge:

• Ottawa's population is projected to grow 30 percent by 2031.
• Public transportation is already near or at capacity in the downtown core.
• Every new bus added in the downtown slows our existing buses.
• Ottawa's prosperity depends on moving people more efficiently. (City of Ottawa, n.d.)

Project Challenges

On June 8^th, 2016, a water main broke under Rideau Street, causing a five meter deep sinkhole and flooding approximately 300 meters of the city's light rail tunnel. The tunnel crews were 50 meters shy of completing the tunnel, but were made to evacuate immediately. (Amanda Pfeffer, 2016) This was the second sinkhole impacting the progress of the light rail tunnel.

(Burke, 2017)

During the days following the Rideau Street collapse, crews focused on pumping the water out of the tunnel so that the full extent of damage could be assessed and a new plan of action could be developed. (Amanda Pfeffer, 2016)

Before the section of Rideau Street collapsed causing the sinkhole, LRT crews were digging the 2.5 kilometer LRT tunnel under the downtown core using two machines digging in, one from each end, to meet in the middle. There was only 50 meters remaining to complete when the street collapsed. (Amanda Pfeffer, 2016)

Once the water was sufficiently pumped out, crews stabilized the ground by spraying in concrete. Only after the ground was stabilized could work continue.

(Amanda Pfeffer, 2016)

Mayor Jim Watson initially estimated that it would take months to determine if the LRT project activities caused the sinkhole and if so, the project team would be liable to cover the costs of any required repairs. (Amanda Pfeffer, 2016)

Current Status of the O-Train Confederation Line

The RTG is busily completing project activities. On the O-Train Confederation project website, the construction updates for the week of October 1, 2018 report the following:

• Confederation Line end-to-end testing will become a more frequent occurrence in the coming weeks with trains reaching slightly higher speeds than they have to-date.
• Architectural works advance at the western stations, includingglazingpanel installations, tiling, paving, landscaping and wood ceiling installation.
• At the downtown stations, components such as utility cabinets, escalators and elevators are being installed.
• Commissioning of systems is underway all along the alignment. (City of Ottawa, n.d.)

The Plan

The LRT isn't planned to stop at the launch of the O-Train Confederation Line. There is more work to be done. The next phase of the LRT construction was unanimously approved by Ottawa City Council in 2013. (City of Ottawa, 2018) Construction is planned to begin in 2019 and be complete in 2023, extending the Confederation Line east to Trim Road and west to Algonquin College or Moodie. In the south, the Trillium line will extend to Riverside South, while adding stations along the way at Walkley and Gladstone, along with a link that will take you all the way to Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport. (City of Ottawa, 2018) This expansion will bring will bring 70% of Ottawa residents within five kilometres of rail. (City of Ottawa, 2018)

(City of Ottawa, 2018)

The reason for the continued expansion? With Ottawa currently projected to grow to 1.14 million people by 2031, the city needs to make sure the nation's capital continues to be one of the best places in the world to live and work. (City of Ottawa, 2018)

References

Amanda Pfeffer, A. F. (2016, June 10). Rideau Street sinkhole floods 300 metres of LRT tunnel. Retrieved from CBC: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/lrt-tunnel-work-stalled-repairs-sinkhole-1.3628083

Britneff, B. (2018, September 10). Launch of Ottawa's LRT delayed until 2019. Retrieved from Global News: https://globalnews.ca/news/4437615/ottawa-lrt-delay/

Burke, A. (2017, April 5). Tunnel work likely loosened sandy soil, causing Rideau Street sinkhole: Report. Retrieved from CBC News: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/city-of-ottawa-root-cause-report-rideau-sinkhole-1.4054616

City of Ottawa. (2018). Stage 2. Retrieved from Ready for Rail - O-Train Confederation Line: https://www.stage2lrt.ca/

City of Ottawa. (n.d.). Major Projects. Retrieved October 9, 2018, from City of Ottawa: https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/planning-and-development/major-projects#overview

City of Ottawa. (n.d.). O-Train Confederation Line. Retrieved October 9, 2018, from City of Ottawa: http://www.ligneconfederationline.ca/page/2/

City of Ottawa. (n.d.). O-Train Confederation Line >Why? Retrieved October 10, 2018, from City of Ottawa: https://www.ligneconfederationline.ca/the-plan/why/

City of Ottawa. (n.d.). O-Train Confederation Line> The Plan. Retrieved October 9, 2018, from City of Ottawa: https://www.ligneconfederationline.ca/the-plan/who/

OCTranspo. (2018). Expanding O-Train service. Retrieved from OCTranspo: http://www.octranspo.com/ready4rail/expanding_o_train_service

Case Study Questions

Question #1:

Would you classify the O-Train Confederation Line a 1) project or 2) business operations? Support your answer by using characteristics of a project or business operations as defined in the PMBOK Guide and discussed in class.

Question #2:

The Rideau Transit Group (RTG) announced that the tunnel repairs were estimated to take no longer than a month and it did not expect the repairs to delay the 2018 deadline for completing the project. What techniques could the RTG have used to ensure that the delay did not impact the project delivery date?

Question #3:

Describe the organizational influences that you would need to take into consideration if you were managing this project? Provide supporting information that was learned from the PMBOK, class discussion and jigsaw exercise.

Question #4:

If you were managing this project, what characteristics would you need to demonstrate as a project manager in order to maximize your chances of being successful?

Question #5:

The contracts of the RTG members stipulate financial incentives for delivering the project deliverables as per the agreed upon target dates.

In September 2018, the RTG announced its second delayed deployment date. The original launch date of May 24, 2018 was not met, then the revised target launch date of November 2, 2018 was also not expected to be met. Currently, the target is to launch full revenue services sometime in 2019. (Britneff, 2018)

Describe how the Triple Constraint Theory applies in a situation such as this. Why is it important for a project manager to understand and apply the Triple Constraint Theory?

Question #6:

Imagine that you are managing this project. You are sitting in your site trailer when one of your engineers knocks on the door. She says that that there is an argument on site between an inspector and a builder. They are arguing about the quality level of the concrete used in the tunnel arch. Your engineer says that she has tried to reason with both individuals, but they will not listen to her. She asks if you could come and provide assistance.

When you reach the site, you hear the inspector say to the builder, "Your concrete didn't even conform to the mix design. Look at the damage it's done to the arch. I demand you remove this concrete immediately and replace it!" To which the builder replies: "That concrete definitely met the mix design. You don't know what you're talking about! We have done nothing wrong and I'm not causing any more delays by redoing this work. Get off my back or else!"

How do you first respond to the inspector and the builder?

List and describe the conflict management techniques that are available to you. If you wish to find a permanent solution to this conflict, which technique would you use and why? Substantiate your answer.

Question #7:

The LRT initiative has gone through several planning phases since inception. Describe, using specific knowledge areas and processes, what would be involved in the planning process for projects such as this?

Question #8:

Identify at least 5 stakeholders, which are not mentioned in the case study. What are each of these stakeholder's interest in the LRT (i.e. how are they impacted or do they impact the project?)