Project Management:

SECTION A [40 MARKS]

Read the case study below and answer ALL the following questions

BUILDING PROJECT FAILURES

Buildings through the ages have been a significant part of the socio-economic development of civilisation. Olusola et al. (2011, p. 462) record that the first documented building collapse was that of the Tower of Babel. In the modern age, it is not uncommon to hear of building collapse as an everyday issue in various countries around the world. At 7:05 pm on Friday, July 17, 1981, the atrium of the luxurious and most modern hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America (USA), the Hyatt Regency collapsed with a human life cost that totalled 144 fatalities with approximately 200 recorded injuries. In this particular accident, it was decided that the responsibility for the collapse could mainly be attributed to the structural engineers. After further investigation, it was discovered that dangerous design suggestions had been made by the contractors, aimed at simplifying the construction of the walkways which later collapsed, proving fatal because these suggested changes had gone unnoticed by the design engineers.

Furthermore, on 11 May 2013, a four-storey building project collapsed in Nigerians commercial capital Lagos, killing at least four construction workers and leaving around 50 injured. The incident occurred during construction on the prestigious Victoria Island, in a lagoon set back from the Atlantic, home to some of Africans most expensive real estate. This caused massive economic and social losses. In another tragedy, 13 bodies were pulled from the wreckage of a building under construction that collapsed in a coastal village in the popular Indian tourist state of Goa on Saturday, 4 January 2014. In relevant news reports, this type of catastrophes highlighted substandard construction of buildings among other project quality related issues. Collected studies by the British daily newspaper, The Guardian indicate that 2651 people were killed across India in 2012 due to collapse of 2737 structures, including houses and bridges. Real estate experts in the area note that many buildings collapse due to construction codes not being adhered to and poor attention to construction health and safety (News24, 2014).

In specific terms, the frequency of building collapses in South Africa has been on the increase. On 18 August 2014, a building collapsed during renovation construction in the upmarket Meyersdal, Eco Estate, Johannesburg, South Africa (News24, 2014).

A total of seven people died and nine were injured. In reports, the building collapsed from the roof down, entombing workers who were busy renovating the R9 million building. One of the most recent events is the Tongaat Mall building collapse, which occurred on 19 November 2013, in the town of Tongaat, KwaZulu-Natal. It was recorded that a concrete slab collapsed on top of workers that were busy with activities on the site. The incident killed two people and injured 29 others and there have been various inquiries that have been conducted on this occurrence.

Extracted from: (News24, 2021)

QUESTION 1 (40 Marks)

1.1 With reference to the case study provided critically discuss the primary reasons contributing to the failure of building projects. Your response should provide relevant examples. (15 marks)

Comment:

• All definitions, major claims and concepts must be supported with references from reputable academic sources.
• In-text referencing should not be more that 5 years

1.2 In reference to the reasons provided in question 1.1 above, discuss the impacts of project failures and suggest solutions that can be considered by project managers to mitigate against future project failures. (15 marks)

Comment:

• All definitions, major claims and concepts must be supported with references from reputable academic sources.
• In-text referencing should not be more that 5 years

1.3 With reference to construction projects, critically discuss the contents of a project quality plan. Your response should refer to relevant examples.

Comment:

• All definitions, major claims and concepts must be supported with references from reputable academic sources.
• In-text referencing should not be more that 5 years

QUESTION 2 (20 marks)

As a project management student, you have been requested to present a paper to a team of delegates from the department of public works and you are expected to describe the relevance of "Quadruple Constraints" of project management. Discuss the contents of your response.

Comment:

• All definitions, major claims and concepts must be supported with references from reputable academic sources.
• In-text referencing should not be more that 5 years

QUESTION 3 (20 marks)

Critically discuss the contents of a project communication matrix. Your response should refer to any project of your choice.

Comment:

• All definitions, major claims and concepts must be supported with references from reputable academic sources.
• In-text referencing should not be more that 5 years

QUESTION 4 (20 marks)

One of the activities that are included in project risk management involves the identification of project risks. Examine the various tools and techniques that can be utilised in risk identification.

Comment:

• All definitions, major claims and concepts must be supported with references from reputable academic sources.
• In-text referencing should not be more that 5 years

QUESTION 5 (20 marks)

Darrel Smith the project manager at Group Five has requested you to provide him with advice on an effective model that can be implemented to effectively manage project stakeholders.

Comment:

• All definitions, major claims and concepts must be supported with references from reputable academic sources.
• In-text referencing should not be more that 5 years