The project was a success. The project was completed within the time budgeted. The initial plan was to have the building ready for occupation before the start of the fall of 2014 semester. Austin Hall was to be used by both faculty and students for the 2014 fall semester. Accordingly, the structure of the building was completed by 2nd August 2014 while the farming of the exterior of the building was completed by 30th August 2014. This implied that the building was completed on time, and this can be considered as one of the reasons the project can be considered a success.
Managing costs was a major part of ensuring that the project was completed successfully. The design envisioned originally by the architects was modified severally to accommodate the restrictions of funding for the project. According to Bryon Marshal, an Information Systems and Accounting professor in the Oregon State University, modifications were made throughout the project. That the funds available were well utilized is another reason the project was a success.
According to Marshal, plans to develop a new home for the College of Business in the Oregon State University had been in place for decades. However, these plans had been hindered by a lack of financial resources to implement the project. It was therefore a success for the project that enough funds were raised to successfully complete the Austin Hall project. As Marshal notes, it took a high level of dedication for the dean of the college to raise the amount needed for the project.
The Austin Hall, from the various interviews with professors and students, was focused on the needs of both the faculty and students. It had been identified that more classrooms were needed for students and centralized offices for faculty. The project, within the limits imposed by costs and architectural designs, delivered on these needs since the new building has more classrooms and offices for faculty. The project was therefore a success because the needs of students and faculty were met.
Three important lessons to be learned from the project and why they are important
According to Bryon Marshall, a professor of Information Systems and Accounting, one of the most important lessons from development of Austin Hall was that managing projects of such magnitude are complex than they seem from the onset. According to him, such projects require a lot of balancing off on the needs of different stakeholders with the constraints imposed both externally and internally. The ideal situation in such a situation would to make everyone happy, but since that is impossible, tradeoffs have to be made to ensure that the best is achieved within the constraints encountered.
Management of expectations is another important lesson that can be learnt from the project. Different stakeholders have different expectations from a project, and it is important to ensure that from the onset such expectations are known. From the interviews of Bryon Marshal, a professor and Robert Bloom, a student, it is apparent that expectations may be very different among different stakeholders. Gathering information from such stakeholders, as was evidently carried out in the Austin Hall project, is important because it brings to the fore the needs and desires of stakeholders. Adjustments, to the extent possible are made to accommodate these expectations and the needs that cannot be met are communicated to the stakeholders. Through this process of collecting information and feedback, expectations can be well managed and the needs of various stakeholders satisfied to the extent possible.
Another important lesson learnt from the Austin Hall project is the need for an integration of Information technology in a project. According to Doug Weir from the College of Business, Oregon State University, more often than not, information technology is not given the necessary attention in projects such as Austin Hall. The result of such oversight, according to Doug Weir, is that transition into the new building becomes very difficult since it does not simply mean that one moves his or her computer from one place to another. The new building should have the proper infrastructure to support IT. According to Malcolm LeMay, Austin Hall project has taken into account the information technology needs of the future users of the building. As such, wireless systems and fittings have been successfully integrated into the project. On his interview, LeMay talks about the installation of equipment to facilitate cell phone reception. From this, it can be concluded that integration of information system infrastructure is an important aspect of such a project.
Managing the schedule
Timeframes are usually set on the onset in any project. It is important that a schedule developed should be adhered to ensure that resources, financial and time, are utilized in the most efficient manner. Failure to keep to a schedule bears a risk of costs overshoots and late deliveries. The needs and expectations of stakeholders in a project will not be met if a schedule is not developed and adhered to.
In the Austin Hall project, schedules were under the watch of Brian Price, Senior Project Manager. In his interview, Price explains that a schedule was followed by setting dates for specific milestones in the project. Dates were set for the achievement of specific and measurable objectives in the project. Efforts would be made to ensure that these milestones were met, and the construction company employed a policy of flexibility. High number of variables in the project resulted in many changes in the implementation of the Austin Hall project, as explained by Price, and flexibility served to ensure that the schedule was followed, and delivery on time was possible.
Risk management
Risk management in the Austin Hall project was in various levels and stages of the project. According to Brian Price, Senior Project Manager, Anderson Construction, risk management occurs in pre-construction, construction and post construction stages of the project.
In the pre-construction stage, risk management occurs in the development of a conceptual framework. The needs of stakeholders are balanced with the budgeted resources. In this way, the risk of overspending is managed, since close attention is paid to the costs from the start of the project.
Another aspect of risk management regards safety. During actual construction of the project, safety from physical harm is important. In the Austin Hall project, safety of individuals near the construction site was the responsibility of the project manager. In his interview, the project manager, Brian Price says that they took measures to ensure that students and staff who were distracted did not come to harm in the construction site that was centrally located in Oregon State University.
Project design also took into account risk management. The risk that users of the building may suffer loss in the future was taken into account during the design phase of the project. In his interview, Bryon Marshal states that he believes that balconies on the fourth floor were removed from the design of Austin Hall because of safety concerns. As illustrated from the Austin Hall project, it is important that project managers take risk management into account at the design phase of a project.
Cost management is also part of risk management. It is important in any project that costs are well managed and a budget adhered to. Failure to manage costs will result in failure of delivery of aspects of the projects or even failure of the project as a whole. According to Brian Price, management of costs was an aspect of the Austin Hall project that they kept a close look at to ensure that they always worked within the budget.
