Project: Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme uses innovative technology to reduce the risk of flooding in the city centre

Executive summary

Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme has been to reduce the risk of flooding in the city centre and completed in October of 2017. Phase 2 of the project is expected to be completed by the winter of 2022. This report helped in investigating the most important tenets of project management including cost, time, risks, management and other factors. A comprehensive analysis has thus, been formed on the basis for drawing conclusions as well as recommendations that have been made here. The project management analysis for Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme has been done through the analysis of the stages of the project management and knowledge areas including time, scope, quality, stakeholders and others. The scope management has allowed the managers to effectively envision the objective such that to convert them into actionable inputs. 

From the analysis of the project, it can be evident that the risk involved with Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme has been high owing to the uncertain nature of rivers and water bodies around which the walls were required to be built. In addition, the unique proposition of using nature for reducing the risk of the flood was a potential hazard to the success of the project. The recommendations of procurement management like bidding could help in promoting competitive pricing and help in reducing the cost of the project. The time management of the project can be effectively done. This would allow the completion of the next phase to be completed earlier than before the initial phase. 

1.Introduction

The successful completion of any project requires extensive planning as well as different considerations to produce a well-defined and detailed structure for carrying out various tasks that are an integral part of the project. This report is being prepared to present the efficiency of project management by the Government of Leeds in the United Kingdom. It is being prepared for the assessment of flood management as well as for critical analysis of the management applied in the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme. The project would be completed in a series of phases and the project is going on currently. The phase 1 of the flood alleviation scheme has been completed in October of 2017 while phase 2 would be completed by the winter of 2022 (Yorkshireeveningpost, 2020).  

The details of this project will be prepared with the help of PMP that are available in the government websites as well as credible news outlets. The limitation of the project would thus be dictated by the availability of detailed information about project management. This report would investigate the most important tenets of project management such as cost, time, risks, HR and other factors. A comprehensive analysis would thus form the basis for drawing conclusions as well as recommendations that could be made here.

2. Project background

The background of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme is as follows: 

Table 1: Project Background

(Source: Created by the author)

3.Critical analysis of management of Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme

According to Kerzner (2017), the project management of any operation requires careful consideration of integrated tasks as well as the time frame within which it is to be completed so that efficiency in the operation can be ensured as well as optimal use of resources can be done. Due to the advancement of technology as well as the rapid innovation around the world has made it essentially necessary for project management to be analysed as well as studied to learn methods that are effective for the reduction of risks involved with the project as well as timely delivery. Meredith, Mantel Jr and Shafer (2017) opined that there are several issues and problems involved with the completion of a project, project management is a methodical tool that can be utilised by the management to ensure all the tasks of the project are completed within the stipulated time as well as minimization of the risks. There are several theories that can be utilised as well such as the Prince2 method, Waterfall methods and others.

The project management analysis for Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme would be done through the conventional stages of project management which are initiating a project, planning, execution, oversight as well as control while the knowledge areas such as time, scope, quality, stakeholders and others would also be considered for gathering critical information about the project. These knowledge areas are interdependent with each other and hence the success of one of these affects the success of the other as well. The execution of the project would be highly affected if the planning and initiation of the project are not planned properly. For example, the estimation of the budget needs to be determined at the beginning so that allocation of financial resources for various functionalities of the project can be effectively done which will ultimately determine the success of the project itself.  

3.1 Scope management

The scope management essentially dictates the necessary task and functionalities as well as the sequence in which they should be completed so that the vision and the aimed targets of the project can be easily achieved and completed. Pheng (2018) defined scope management as the various smaller components of the entire project such as tasks, duration of the tasks, the order of the tasks and the financial implication involved with it so that the management can determine what the task contributes for the completion of the project itself. Scope management of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme translates the researcher to believe that considerable effort has been put to plan as well as manage the effects of task-oriented targets determined to validate the scope of the project itself. The workload was substantially allocated among the skilled labour involved with the project so that the scheme could be applied within the given time limitation and save more than 500 businesses and 3000 homes in the area by the completion of phase 1 of the project. The scope of the project has also been realised to the application of innovative technology and consisted of three primary elements which are moveable weirs, the river and the canal where merge together whereas floodwalls were also built on the embankments which stretched over 4.5 kilometres. Since the primary aim of the project itself was to limit the loss of life and property as well as reduce the risk of flooding in Leeds, it is believed that the scope management has been effective and phase one of the projects that have been completed within the given period of time of October of 2017.  

Though there are no project initiation documents available, the planning stages, as well as the execution of the project to be completed within the targeted time period, expresses comprehensive management of the scope of the project which has also prompted the phase 2 to be initiated. The scope management has also allowed the managers of the project to effectively visualize the objective is to be achieved and realise them into actionable inputs.  

3.2 Time management

Leal, Rodriguez and Gallardo (2018) find that one of the most current issues involved with the completion of a project is time management. Time management is critically involved with possibly all other facets of the project management such as cost, risk and other factors as improper time management could mean that the tasks involved with the project are not completed within the given period of time. For example, a tiny delay in the delivery of the raw materials required for the completion may affect the building of the floodwalls in this case as man-hours are lost in addition to weather issues such as high tide or a storm. Sweis et al., (2018) have defined time management as scheduling of the activities and tasks required for the completion of a project with time mandated distinctions that enables the project manager to continue and complete a project within the limited time given for it.  

The Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme was initially planned to be completed in two phases. The first phase was slated to be completed by 2017 and the second phase was to be completed by 2022. Since the first face has been completed by October of 2017, it can be claimed that time management of the project has been exceptionally better during the completion of the first phase of the project. However, it should also be mentioned in this regard that the second phase of the project may be affected due to unforeseen circumstances. Strategic early for efficient time management as well as effective flood reduction technologies to be implemented, the project was started downstream in Woodlesford and construction gradually moved towards the city e and installed weirs for controlling the water levels in rivers. The time management also has possible implications on the cost of the project as delay may be cooperative by a significant rise in the cost of the raw materials required and the cost of labour estimated at the beginning of the project. Time management is of crucial importance as it can be an impediment for financial as well as a human resource required and procurement during the period of project execution can be affected significantly. 

3.3 Cost management

According to Smith (2016), the management of the cost involved in a project is a significant aspect that affects execution, scope as well as management of time. The estimation of budgets and finances that would be required for carrying out various functions and tasks to be completed for timely delivery of the project requires competent estimation of the cost involved as well. Thus, cost management impacts the success of the planning and project deliverables to some of the other extent. The management of the cost includes estimation for the procurement of the raw materials as well as the cost of the employment so that the management can exert control over the project through the rational allocation of financial resources that are both standards as well as competitive. The cost management involves a detailed structure of estimation as well as budgeting for the various monetary spendings in curd in the execution of the project.  

The estimation of phase 1 of Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme was £ 50 million and it was also completed within the stipulated budget which shows that the cost management has been exemplary as well as estimation prior to the start of the project. however, it should also be mentioned in this regard that due to the rise in the cost of wages of the labourers as well as the prices of the raw materials required for the completion of the project in phase 2, the cost management could have to revise the estimated £ 112 million allocated for the completion of the project by 2022. However since the project has already started in its second phase, cost management should be deemed successful as no price revisions have been provisioned by the project constructors. The cost management for the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme is accurate and considerate of the factors that are associated with impacting the financial aspects of it.  

3.4 Quality management

The trust and confidence of the various stakeholders involved with the project can be gained through assured quality management as it ensures them about the quality e of the project. Quality management is planning and control over the execution of a project in such a way as to visualise the visions of the stakeholders and make (Ceptureanu et al., 2017). In other words, quality management ensures that the consumers and the various stakeholders that are involved with the project are satisfied with the end result as well as are accepting the outcomes of it. The alignment of a project with the various principles of quality management can foster focused engagement with the stakeholders as well as improve relationships so that the outcomes of the project can be influenced in a positive way. The intangible aspect of the targeted and focused delivery of the project results are assured through methodical quality management initiatives.  

The first phase of the project has been successfully completed within the given time and financial estimates. and all-round vision for the execution of the task for the protection of locality from flooding using innovative technologies such as moveable weirs and low-level walls all over the locality has ensured some degree of protection from flooding (Leeds Gov, 2020). The management of the quality can thus be explained in light of the protection that has been dubbed to be once in a 200 hundred year odds of flooding (Yorkshireeveningpost, 2020). It means that quality management has been so good that the likelihood of flooding in Leeds is once in 200 years. The quality management is also shown in the fact that the various reports and tests on the project have been of supreme quality and the planned affair has been executed meticulously.  

3.5 Risk management

Paquin, Gauthier and Morin (2017) define risk management as a methodical process for the identification, analysis and response to mitigate risk associated with the project as well as elevation of any e adverse effects to the outcomes of it. It is extremely prudent of the project managers to identify potential risks that material the outcomes of the project as well as meticulous planning and execution probability. Any uncertain condition and problems that affects the achievement of the objective set by the project are termed as a potential risk to it. Thus, risk management insurance removal of any such risks for smooth execution of the project. 

The risk involved with the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme was high due to the uncertain nature of rivers and water bodies around which the walls were to be built. In addition to that, the unique proposition of using nature for reducing the risk of the flood was a potential hazard to the success of the project. Although the execution and planning have helped identify the issues and risks that may arise. However, unforeseen risks such as the execution of NFM through the creation of wetlands could have posed a significant risk to the completion of the project. 

3.6 Procurement

Fleming (2019) in his book opined that procreant is very intimately associated with the stakeholders and the suppliers of goods and services as well as the equipment and raw material required for the project. A detailed supply chain has to be developed so that quality raw materials, as well as required manpower, can be supplied for the project execution to continue without any interventions. The procurement also ensures that goods and services through fair trading and timely delivery can carry out required tasks and help the project to identify potential sources that can help. The procurement process also determines the cost of the raw materials and wages of the workers involved and should be considered a crucial part of the project management.  

The Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme has no details of the sourcing of the raw materials, the Prince2 method can help estimate the procurement to have been completed well as the project was not delayed. A simple possible implication of a procurement mistake is that the completion and cost of the project shoot up in most of the cases. The project management is also affected due to it. This construction has utilized innovative technologies and teams from the Environment Agency (EA) partnered with River Stewardship Company to procure the required creation of wetlands and slowing of river water so that construction can be carried out (GOV.UK, 2020). This shows that the procurement of HR expertise was done to execute the project in a commendable fashion. 

3.7 Integration

Sánchez (2019) stated that it is important for various tasks of the project to coordinate amongst themselves so that interdependency is leveraged and all the processes of project management such as initiation, planning, budgeting and documentation can be carried out. The integration ensures that the project priorities are manifested in the tasks and responsibilities being done so that the consolidation of the project management can be done properly. Integration is the process of associating various tiers of functionalities of project management search that a comprehensive and coordinated process for the execution of the project can be formulated within the framework.  

The project seamlessly integrated various parallel tasks that were going on at the time such as the installation of moveable weirs on one end and River Aire and Leeds & Liverpool Canal were being merged (Yorkshireeveningpost, 2020). In addition to it, embankments and walls were also being built and all of these were integrated seamlessly to produce a technological marvel. There were also wetlands being created by the EA as well as the plantation of trees that would supplement in natural flood management techniques that had been deployed. This project involved multiple simultaneous tasks to be completed so that the entire team of the project can be finished with minimum impact on the people of the locality.  

4.Conclusion

The detailed discussion above has led the researcher to believe that project management techniques such as scope management, cost management and others are essential components for efficient project completion. It should also be mentioned in this regard that the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme was managed successfully with the inclusion of various critical project management components. However, there are areas that could be improved to enhance the efficiency of the project management process employed for it. Unavailability of government data about procurement of raw materials as well as comprehensive cost management documents has restricted applicability as well as the generalizability of the outcomes of this project management research. The planning for the execution was carefully designed that all associated factors would be considered and potential risks mitigated to ensure completion of the project within the stipulated time. The limited documents available about the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme call Sumeet project management to be difficult.  

5.Recommendations

The recommendations based on the discussions are: