MANAGING PROJECTS

Managing projects

Managing projects

Introduction

The main purpose of this research report is to make a feasibility analysis of new project for Touprom. In our life especially for those moving up their career ladder, at some point in time, one will invariably being called upon to lead and manage a project. Depending upon the nature of the work and the industry one is in, the size and magnitude, the intensity and rigor required of the method of project management may differ. At the simplest, it may just be the simple identification and definition of the various activities and tasks with assigned roles and responsibilities together with clear timelines and key delivery milestones. At the extreme, it may involve the full rigor of project management best practices utilizing robust Project Management (PM) methodology (such as those propounded by PM Institute, US or PRINCE, UK) and adoption of the various automated tools (eg Microsoft Office Project, complete with recruitment of fully qualified full time project manager or director to manage the complex process.

Construction of Touprom's new project involves building nine stations, a 32.5-hectare maintenance centre, and laying 88 km of track along a route line comprising 13.4 km of viaduct, 14.7 km of tunnels and 2.4 km of surface alignment (Figure 1). The project also requires the purchase of 154 new train cars, and the installation of a state-of-the-art “Seltrac” signalling system together with other tried and tested, modern railway systems along the line, including traction power and overhead line, telecommunications, main control system, etc.

Project Management of the Touprom Project

The prime objective of the project management strategy for Toupromis to ensure that the new railway is commissioned safely, on time, within budget, and to the satisfaction of all the stakeholders.

Contracting and Procurement Strategies

KCRC has established a procurement strategy for Touprom following fair, open and competitive tendering practices in accordance with the World Trade Organisation procurement rules. Contract conditions set out in the KCRC documents are based on ICE and FIDIC requirements, both being internationally recognised standards. The actual wording of the contractual clauses also draws upon the experience of Hong Kong's Airport Core Programme and the various terms of contract used by Government, the MTR Corporation and the Airport Authority. Tourprom adopts two contracting approaches, one is to combine the design and the construction works into a single design-build (DB) contract, and the second is to separate the design activities from the works, resulting in design-only contracts plus separate construct-only (CC) contracts. These two different approaches are used for improved flexibility and cost-effectiveness, the choice depending upon the nature, magnitude and complexity of the works involved. In terms of contract packaging, the detailed civil engineering design of Tourprom is split into 5 Detailed Design (DD) contracts. The civil construction works are split into two Design-Build contracts for the two major tunnel sections, plus 15 construct-only contracts for the stations and running lines. The contract split is based upon size, geographical location and nature of work, thus allowing economic use of plant and ...