In Canada, the private and governmental sectors can obtain engineering, project management, and organizational improvement services from Midgard Consulting, whose principal is Kursten Faller. Here he describes the strategy for turning an ambitious joint-use facility for the City of Weyburn into a reality supported by PRINCE2.
There are some projects in life that it is a privilege to work on. This was the case with the highly ambitious $50 million plan to build a facility that would serve both the South-East Cornerstone School Division and the City of Weyburn.
A community center featuring a half-size soccer field, a 200-meter running track, an art gallery, pottery studios, an indoor playground, a multipurpose gym, and simulation rooms was the goal. The Weyburn Comprehensive School, an elementary school with 650 pupils enrolled, would stand to gain the most from this.
It posed a high risk as a project. Numerous public money was at stake, not to mention significant public scrutiny. Our first objective was to deliver on time and under budget for the Ministry of Education, which had high expectations for the project’s management and the people’s return on investment.
To demonstrate that you can deliver a transformational program, we used a clear scope, transparent decision-making, and a highly structured form of project methodologies.
Our team has extensive training and expertise using PRINCE2, which offers the sturdy framework required for building projects of this scale. For these reasons, PRINCE2 was our selected project management methodology. Additionally, there is a cultural match; the local economy is aware of its advantages, making managing supplier relationships more straightforward.
Even though the Ministry of Education, the City of Weyburn, and the internal project management team weren’t PRINCE2 practitioners and, in some cases, had little project management experience, we combined our project management and PRINCE2 expertise with their familiarity with the educational system and the city’s demographics. This resulted in a working strategy that achieved everyone’s goals.
Their team has extensive training and expertise using PRINCE2, which offers the strong framework that building projects of this scale require. For these reasons, PRINCE2 was our selected project management methodology. Additionally, there is a cultural match; the local economy is aware of its advantages, making managing supplier relationships more straightforward.
Even though the Ministry of Education, the City of Weyburn, and the internal project management team weren’t PRINCE2 practitioners and, in some cases, had little project management experience, we combined our project management and PRINCE2 expertise with their awareness of the educational system and the city’s demographics. This resulted in a working strategy that achieved everyone’s goals.
When managing a project with many “owners”—in this case, the Southeast School Division, the City of Weyburn, and the Ministry of Education as the source of funding are essential. It’s impossible to build relationships and have everyone cooperating effectively without a framework. Additionally, having a framework ensures that everyone is aware of exactly what is happening when, their role in the decision-making process, what must be outsourced, how much the various delivery stages will cost, and the overall effects of a delivery delay.
Instead of waiting for a “lessons learned” wash-up at the end, you can make smarter decisions and improve project performance as you go. Because there is constant alignment to the overarching goals and a business case, using PRINCE2 to manage a project in stages aids in delivering this iterative approach. Information is continuously updated, which helps in modifying the following stages as needed.
Despite your best efforts, not all initiatives will turn out as you had hoped. It’s just how construction works. With this plan, occasionally things did go wrong; we had no control over them. However, employing PRINCE2 helped reduce bureaucracy and created resilience in terms of how employees responded to unforeseen challenges.
They were able to establish extremely clear expectations using PRINCE2 at every stage of the project, ensuring that everyone was informed and could make timely, high-quality decisions regarding contingency plans. Additionally, it offered a way to include tolerance in a large-scale construction project.
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The school was opened on schedule, within budget, and at a very high-quality finish thanks to the customized approach we took to the project and our efforts to ensure that all stakeholders were informed and committed.
Without a question, the public received a real return on their investment. It is a thriving community hub and a great place to study and play because of its dedication, passion, and organized project management.
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