JP Phentar Construction Management Case Study

JP Phentar Construction Management Case Study

Information-Gathering Tools Effective On This Project and Activities That Would Need To Be Monitored

JP Phentar Construction is a mega construction project. According to Otundo Richard & Kemunto (2019), mega-construction projects are characterized by a wide range of project management issues that may arise at any project stage. Therefore, adequate planning is needed before beginning the project. One of the information-gathering tools that would be most effective for this project is questionnaires. Zadrozny (2020) defines questionnaires as a set of questions designed to get questions on specific concepts. The project management team may create questions on the anticipated changes in cost and reasons that could result in budget changes, factors that could contribute to project delays, and the most effective scheduling strategy. The second information-gathering tool is personal interviews. The project management team may interview contractors on the measures they would take to mitigate the cost estimation and scheduling issues and what the project team should do to maintain quality specifications.

Moreover, the success of the JP Phentar Construction project will be dictated by the project team’s ability to monitor important activities. One of the activities that should be monitored is project scheduling. According to Martinelli & Milosevic (2016), project scheduling is a vital activity in project management because it dictates the time required to complete the project and maximizes efficiency by providing a step-by-step guide to the completion of other activities within the project. The project team needs to define the project scope, create a reasonable timeline, and select the right personnel to complete the activities. Monitoring the scheduling activity would also be required to avoid project delays because enough time will be assigned for every project phase.

The second activity is budgeting. The project team needs to monitor the budgeting and resource allocation process to prevent cost overruns that could affect the project’s success. The third activity that should be monitored is procurement. According to Martinelli & Milosevic (2016), procurement is the backbone of a project because it helps ensure that there are enough resources to complete it. Monitoring procurement should ensure that contracts with suppliers are negotiated without bias and that resources are acquired on time. The fourth activity is the selection of the project success evaluation. The project team needs to monitor the steps followed to assess the project’s success to ensure that no misleading information is given to the project owner, especially in instances where the project may not be meeting the project owner’s expectations.

Types of Analytical Tools That Could Be Used To Determine Project Status

Determining project status is important to avoid wasting resources on a project that may not be successful. It also helps in determining strategies that can be implemented to improve project success. One analytical tool that could be used to assess project status is a Gantt chart. According to Croft (2022), a Gantt chart demonstrates the time of the tasks in the project in weeks, days, or months by showing the project start time, the time that has elapsed, and the time each task within the project was completed. A Gantt chart can effectively determine project status by comparing the days required to complete a task and reaching a breakthrough with the projected or intended number. The project team can, therefore, target a possible timeline, failure points, or spillage and determine whether the project is headed in the right direction based on the estimated project completion time and the time that has elapsed.

Additionally, the second tool is a cause-and-effect diagram. The diagram represents the causes of various events in the project and their possible impacts. The project team can use the causes of the events in a project to determine whether the project is headed in the right direction or not. The impacts can be used to access the current project status. Lastly, the third tool is a risk diagram. The diagram summarizes the risks in a project. The project team may use the risks identified to determine project status based on whether the risk limits project success. The project team also needs to regularly update the risk register to determine risks that can be mitigated to improve project success.

Corrective Actions

Martinelli & Milosevic (2016) define corrective actions as any insulated action aimed at altering the direction of a specific project or task that may have strayed from the pre-determined direction it was supposed to take. The new track needs to be documented and should, upon implementation, redirect the project in a direction aligned with the expectations, goals, and final results outlined in the project plan. Corrective action may be applied at any stage of the project. In the JP Phentar Construction case, corrective actions can be initiated to deal with cost overruns arising from poor cost estimations. As mentioned in the case study, the contractors may experience cost estimation challenges, which means they may underestimate or overestimate the project costs. However, the likelihood of underestimating costs is high because they must provide a reasonable cost to get the contract. Therefore, corrective action will be required if the budget provided does not facilitate the successful completion of the project. In such instances, the corrective action would be reevaluating the project costs to accommodate any additional costs that emerge within the project implementation process.

The second issue that may require corrective action is the level of the quality of supplies provided to complete the project team. The contractors are concerned about the level of quality because they are not certain they will get the exact quality needed to complete the project. Therefore, they may opt to change suppliers as the project progresses to meet the project owner’s quality specifications. The third issue that may require corrective action is the inability to stay on schedule. The contractors have identified the ability to stay on schedule as a possible challenge that could arise within the project. Therefore, corrective action such as adding working hours or adding the workforce to complete the project may be needed to meet the project schedule. However, the project team needs first to identify and document all possible challenges that may require corrective action, implement temporary mitigation, fix or repair action, determine the leading cause of the difficulties identified, choose the most effective solution that will prevent the challenge or problem from arising again, implement the selected corrective action and ensure that every action is reported to the relevant parties such as the project owner and stakeholders and verify that the selected corrective action continues to be effective so that the challenge does not arise again.

References

Croft, C. (2022). Project management QuickStart guide: The simplified beginner’s guide to precise planning, strategic resource management, and delivering world-class results. ClydeBank Media LLC.

Martinelli, R. J., & Milosevic, D. Z. (2016). Project management toolbox: Tools and techniques for the practicing project manager. John Wiley & Sons.

Otundo Richard, M., & Kemunto, W. (2019). An examination of contemporary issues influencing mega construction projects implementation in the 21st century; a case of Westconnex motorways, Sydney. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3449479

Zadrozny, J. (2020). Questionnaires. Geography. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199874002-

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Review the JP Phentar Construction: Case Study in Ch. 11 of A Comprehensive Guide to Project Management Schedule and Cost Control and Review Questions Grading Guide.

Controlling Project Scope, Schedule, and Costs

Complete the following:
Determine which information-gathering tools would be most effective for this project and what activities would need to be monitored.
Based on data that would be generated from work activities, what types of analytical tools could be used to determine project status?
Can any corrective actions be initiated? And if so, how?
Answer these questions in a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper.
Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Separate-
Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:
Various processes can be used to monitor and control project scope, schedule and cost.
Discuss a method to monitor or control a project’s scope, schedule, and costs. How do these methods differ for different organizations?