PARADIGMTHE AIPM

DIGITAL MAGAZINESHIFT

ACHIEVEMENT IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT | Awards Edition SPRING 2019

MESSAGE FROM THE CEOELIZABETH FOLEY

Welcome to the launch issue of Paradigm Shift, AIPM’s new digital magazine. This quarterly publication will feature projects that will inspire, educate and inform not only our members and organisational partners, but also the broader community.

Through this magazine we hope to develop, promote, review and publicise the profession, science, art, education and technology of project management in Australia.

This issue celebrates accomplishment and recognises excellent project delivery across industries, featuring the overall Chapter winners of the 2019 Project Management Achievement Awards (PMAA’s).

Excellent project management so often goes unnoticed; when it’s seamless, it’s invisible. In contrast, poor quality project management makes the headlines!

When you tour the Taj Mahal or the Sydney Opera House you will still hear the stories of the cost overruns that nearly broke the respective economies of India and NSW. This, despite the huge benefit realisation for these landmark projects. It is highly appropriate then, that as a profession we blow our own trumpets and recognise achievement in our field!

The eight projects featured in this issue give us a ‘behind-the-scenes’ look, at what it takes for award-winning projects to come together. Congratulations to all the entrants in the PMAA’s this year. You are all worthy.

Enjoy the read,

Elizabeth Foley MAIPM MCom BBus FAICDCEO AIPM

Paradigm Shift will be published quarterly. Calls for articles for the next publication will be made approximately 60 days before publication. More details on how you can feature in future digital magazine issues can be found on page 22.

Cover image: The Rising Sun as viewed by visitors as they depart the Sir John Monash Centre. The artwork depicts the sun cresting the horizon as would have been seen by the soldiers of the 1st Australian Imperial Force at the Battle of Viller-Bretonneux on 25 April 1919.

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I am delighted to have the opportunity to continue as Patron of the Australian Institute of Project Management.

As Governor-General and Patron I hope to be a visible and vocal champion – because the work of AIPM is something that I am passionate about. Throughout my military career I saw firsthand the value of professional project management.

AIPM’s work and mission to improve and support good professional practice is critical, as are initiatives like the Project Management Achievement Awards, which showcase and promote the importance of project management. I congratulate the 2019 award winners profiled in this inaugural edition of the AIPM Digital Magazine. You should be proud of your achievement and hopefully your success is an inspiration to a new generation of project managers.

As Australia contemplates the future of work, a rapidly changing workforce and technological landscape, project management skills are only becoming more critical – to individual career success, to the successful delivery of public and private projects and services, and, ultimately, to our national prosperity.

His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd) Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia

MESSAGE FROM THE GOVERNOR GENERALPATRON OF THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT

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ACT PROJECT OF THE YEAR:

SIR JOHN MONASH CENTREGLOBAL PROJECT SOLUTIONS

PROJECT BRIEFThe Sir John Monash Centre (SJMC) is a new leading-edge multimedia interpretive centre located on the site of the Australian National Memorial (ANM) near Villers-Bretonneux, France.

The SJMC is a lasting legacy intended to ensure that the Australian service and sacrifice on the Western Front is never forgotten. The Centre provides visitors, through the stories of those who served, with a unique, informative, memorable and emotionally engaging experience, leaving a lasting impression and deeper understanding of the Australian role and experience on the Western Front during the First World War.

The objective to deliver, within a very tight timeframe, a world-class cultural institution in France, was by any assessment a significant undertaking. The project required the design and delivery of a fully-integrated building and technology solution, involving construction, interpretive fit-out, multimedia hardware, purpose-built software and digital content.

As a result, the SJMC has, and continues to be, recognised as has having delivered excellence in a range of project management, architecture, museum design and communication, technology, and risk management disciplines.

The SJMC is the product of a highly dedicated and talented team, and the exceptional outcome befitting of the service, and ultimate sacrifice, made by so many Australians.

CONTRIBUTIONThe SJMC Project commenced officially in January 2014, and was formally opened by the Prime Ministers of Australia and France on 24 April 2018 (the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux).

Due to the multi-disciplinary nature of the SJMC Project, concurrent procurement, design and delivery was necessary to integrate the building, the technology and multimedia content.

Three primary methods of project management were applied:

• The overall project was based on a Prince 2 methodology.

• The building and interpretive design, construction and fit out, were based on a Waterfall project methodology.

• The creative aspects of the project, specifically the multimedia content creation (e.g. movie filming etc) and the IT (BYOD) software development, were developed using the Agile project management methodology.

“Congratulations on this extraordinary tribute to the thousands of Australians who left their lives to defend a land and people unknown to them; to the memory of those who did not return their families and those who carried the scars and trauma of war. As the lived experience passes, this centre will ensure they are never forgotten.”

THE HON. SCOTT RYAN, PRESIDENT OF THE AUSTRALIAN SENATE

SJMC Foyer (Gollings Photography)

Immersive Gallery (Gollings Photography)

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Some key project management metrics:

• The SJMC Project was successfully delivered in 30% less time than typically required for a project of this scale and nature.

• The project was delivered under-budget.

• The exceptional quality of the Centre has been recognised through a number of national and international awards.

• The Centre has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from visitors and stakeholders alike. The SJMC currently has a 5.0 Rating on Trip Advisor, including their Certificate of Excellence, and a 4.7 Star Rating on Google.

The Centre has also been embraced by the European Regional Development Fund as a flagship for environmentally sustainable projects in the region through its use of energy-efficient design including the use of a geothermal heating and cooling system which penetrates 185m below the surface for the Centre.

CHALLENGES | LESSONS LEARNEDDelivering a major new interpretive centre in France, with bespoke world-leading technology, required a high cailbre project management team. With their wealth of experience in delivering complex overseas projects, Global Project Solutions was engaged by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to project manage the development and delivery of the works. Some of the key challenges faced by the project included:

• Located on the site of the Australian National Memorial (ANM) near Villers-Bretonneux, a highly significant and sacred memorial. The Centre provides a powerful visitor experience combining commemoration, information and emotion, whilst preserving the integrity of a site that is culturally sensitive and has high historical and conservation value.

• Achieving an understated yet outstanding architectural and interpretive design. The ANM was to remain the iconic architectural feature of the site, yet the SJMC would need to be subservient, complementary and enduring in its design.

• Production of a primary multimedia-led visitor experience. This is a new mode of delivery in the museum sector and new modelling and patterns of expected visitor behaviour were required.

• Creation of highly engaging and immersive multimedia content. Communicating a topic of high sensitivity that is usually reserved for contemplative, object-based exhibits, into a multimedia experience required detailed and careful consideration.

• Vision, creation, development and implementation of a bespoke multimedia solution underpinned through new world-first BYOD technology (Bring Your Own Device) designed to create an innovative visitor experience unknown anywhere in the world.

• Delivery of a project in France, with its own challenges of language, industry capability, legal and cultural differences, plus the logistics of being half a world away from Australia.

• Integrating an Australian-led, but globally distributed design and implementation project team.

PROJECTS IN THE ORGANISATIONGlobal Project Solutions is a boutique project management and business services organisation that specialises in excellence in delivery of complex projects, with particular expertise in the overseas environment.

Since 2011, its experience in delivering overseas projects has spanned more than 20 projects in over 15 countries. It specialises in developing and delivering high quality project management strategies, business case development, project governance and risk management solutions tailored to individual client objectives and aspirations.

“The work to establish the centre has contributed to solidifying Australia’s history within France and to immortalising the memory of those who served our country during the First World War.”

THE HON. PETER COSGROVE, GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF AUSTRALIA, JULY 2018

The Sir Johh Monash Centre (foreground) adjacent the Australian National Memorial

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PROJECT BRIEF Delivery Management (DM), the infrastructure arm of Sydney Water, deliver 1500+ infrastructure projects annually to provide the lifestream for a fast-growing community. DM is a consortium between Sydney Water, Lendlease and John Holland.

In 2017-2018, DM implemented several business improvement initiatives to mature infrastructure delivery and organisational leadership capability to serve the current and future water needs of the community.

The ‘Enable and Optimise’ project is a typical complex adaptive organisational change project with people and performance at its heart. The project entailed the development and implementation of a bespoke management operating system (MOS), operating model and optimised asset-creation-process with enhanced complexity tool to streamline and safeguard delivery.

The project sought to improve leadership capability, business performance across all key performance indicators (KPIs) and capital results. 10 – 15% efficiency was targeted.

The innovative change strategy leveraged ADKAR and the ground-breaking 70-20-10 learning model by combining training, on-the-job coaching and interactive gamified project simulations to target three-cohorts and 200 resources. Regular communication, feedback loops and stakeholder empowerment mechanisms were critical change levers.

Drawing on market-leading stratum theory, the MOS enhances agility by prescribing strategic planning/delivery horizons based on leadership levels and embedding continual improvement cycles and panoramic performance measurement.

CONTRIBUTIONThe ‘Enable and Optimise’ project matured infrastructure delivery and leadership capability in DM by unlocking the value of the MOS, operating model and process-mapping tool. Effective change management is showcased in the following pulse-checks:

• 100% of respondents in the post-implementation learner survey confirmed they are applying the new tools.

• More recent surveys indicate that 96% of target employees understand the MOS.

• Helix analytics show a whopping 630% increase in logons from 2018 to 2019.

The ‘Enable and Optimise’ project is a typical complex adaptive organisational change project with people and performance at its heart. The project entailed the development and implementation of a bespoke management operating system (MOS), operating model and optimised asset-creation-process with enhanced complexity tool to streamline and safeguard delivery.

NSW PROJECT OF THE YEAR:

ENABLE AND OPTIMISE

SYDNEY WATER, LENDLEASE AND JOHN HOLLAND

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The goals of enhanced business performance and capital results have been indisputably realised with:

• All seven KPI’s showing trending growth from 2016/17. For example, safety and community/society metrics have improved by +12% and +11% respectively.

• The capital program expanded by 52% from mid-2017 to mid-2019, with minimal resource increases.

Sydney Water has since been recognised as an exemplar capital delivery program by the Major Projects Association in the UK in 2018, paving the way for utilities in Australia and benefiting staff, suppliers, NSW Government, industry and the community.

The corporate strategy for world class performance, a high performing culture and the customer at the centre will continue to drive business transformation and enabled by the strategic leadership and quality management cycles embedded in the MOS.

CHALLENGES | LESSONS LEARNED Bringing a process framework to life in an interactive, engaging and relevant manner is no easy feat. But this challenge was crucial to positively engage staff in the organisational change. Gamification experts, Elemental Projects, were engaged to design and deliver two high-impact project simulations that would embed the MOS to bridge theory-based learning and work-based application.

The fantastic game settings were inspired by medieval times (‘Game of Moans’) and the French revolution (‘Le Brouhaha’) respectively. Both incorporated processes and tools from the MOS such as agile planning and delivery cycles, data-driven performance measurement, quality controls and visualisation tools. Both combined technical training with soft skill development using gamification techniques. Participant feedback was exceptionally positive and demonstrated how innovation can effectively drive change. One participant said, “A very different way to introduce the MOS. I’d never appreciated quite how fundamentally important such a system is”. 83% of learner survey respondents agreed that the games had increased their confidence in dealing with challenging situations as a leader.

The process-mapping optimisation work that informed the upgraded Helix tool was technically complex and highly challenging. 12+ workshops were required and 30+ subject matters experts were engaged in the process.

Lessons learned were proactively captured throughout the project as is standard practice at Sydney Water. One critical lesson came out of stakeholder feedback. The lesson was that uptake and benefits realisation was impeded due to the haphazard way that leaders were storing and accessing MOS records. This practice was diminishing morale and gave upper management limited visibility of MOS activity by frontline managers. As such the decision was taken to develop a standardised MOS ecosystem to house all key documentation. This enhancement was added to the projects scope via integrated change control and it successfully filled the capability gap to the benefit of all stakeholders.

PROJECTS IN THE ORGANISATIONSydney Water is at the forefront of responding to rapid population growth as it builds Sydney. With a capital works budget of over $820 million for this year, Sydney Water leverages innovative solutions to create sustainable, liveable cities of tomorrow for the community.

Work has commenced on a 30-year infrastructure investment plan, which designs solutions to provide quality water services to ever-expanding cities.

Sydney Water is currently transitioning from a traditional design-and-construct delivery model to Partnering-for-Success (P4S) for the next evolution of our capital infrastructure delivery framework. P4S is a once in a generation organisation transformation of the business, enabled by partnering with three Regional Delivery Consortia for 10-years, to deliver enhanced outcomes to all stakeholders including partners and the community. The model is underpinned by world class contract management, using NEC4 contracts, and is all about integration, consistency and value.

Delivering an infrastructure program of this size requires the best of the best to ensure projects deliver their customer outcomes on time, every time.

Senior leaders take the new management operating system for a team test drive during this fun project simulation

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PROJECT BRIEFRPS is the Project Managers/Contract Administrators for the Department of Defence on the $495.5m Larrakeyah Defence Precinct Redevelopment Program (LDPRP). This will upgrade base infrastructure to provide reliable, flexible and sustainable infrastructure and facilities. The works will address current deficiencies and risks, while supporting the future growth requirements associated with Defence estate infrastructure over the next 25 years.

The program will provide a new secure base entrance, new office accommodation and training facilities and base wide infrastructure upgrades of power, water, fire fighting water, sewerage, information and communication technology (ICT) and stormwater networks.

It will deliver new berthing capabilities at HMAS Coonawarra to accommodate varying combinations of vessels. LDPRP will also provide fuel storage and refuelling capabilities to meet current and projected demand.

This highly complex program is located across a tightly constrained and operational base containing an Aboriginal Sacred Site and located at the end of a residential street 2 km from the Darwin CBD. The planning phase delivered a 90% design solution, a Detailed Business Case to obtain Defence and Government approvals, Public Works Committee hearing and Parliamentary approval securing the funding for the delivery phase and managing contractor procurement.

CONTRIBUTION This $495.5m program is keenly anticipated by local industry and considered by locals to be essential to the NT economy. The program has included a local industry participation plan to maximise opportunity for local industry involvement.

There are often-dangerous traffic practices occurring outside the base entrance and in front of the local school at school drop off and pick up times. The program instituted an initiative to create a ‘kiss and go’ carpark, which will significantly improve public safety. It also went a considerable way towards reducing the local residents’ concerns towards the program

Larrakeyah Defence Precinct contains an Aboriginal Sacred Site that borders the proposed construction site. This required the project to make an application to the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority (AAPA). The program held meetings with AAPA and with the three families who were Traditional Owners of the site. The outcomes included the issuing of an AAPA Certificate and the three Traditional Owner families meeting for the first time. The Traditional Owners were also reconnected with the sacred site and were issued

This program of work brought together two highly complex projects including Commonwealth heritage listed buildings and Indigenous sacred site constraints.

NT PROJECT OF THE YEAR:

LARRAKEYAH DEFENCE PRECINCT RE-DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMRPS

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base access passes that would enable them to freely access the site.

CHALLENGESThis program of work brought together two highly complex projects including Commonwealth heritage listed buildings and Indigenous sacred site constraints.

The entry point to the Base will be redeveloped while managing the often-dangerous traffic outside the base during school drop offs periods. This requires developing a new temporary base entrance by diverting traffic along one of Darwin’s most prestigious street addresses and managing local resident group’s concerns.

The program has a complex group of stakeholders and required the effective management of three different capability sponsors with different priorities.

As part of the program, RPS coordinated and liaised with other major infrastructure projects being delivered on the base that are reliant on this program’s infrastructure.

The new wharf had to be engineered to withstand wind and wave action in an exposed, cyclone-prone location with an 8m tidal range, while still providing value for money and accommodating the wide range of vessels operated by the Navy.

The new fuel storage facility and distribution network must connect into an existing fuel distribution system that supports existing wharves, maintaining operational capability and complying with Defence fuel standards.

There are 147 houses managed by Defence Housing Australia located on base which must be continually accessible and connected to power, water and telecommunications while these networks are redeveloped. The presence of families with children living on base adds to the challenge of keeping multiple sites secure and safe.

PROJECTS IN THE ORGANISATIONFounded in 1970, RPS is a leading global professional

services firm of 5,200 consultants and service providers.

With experience across 125 countries and six continents, it

defines, designs and manages projects that create shared

value for a complex, urbanising and resource-scarce world.

From the transport infrastructure that keeps our cities

moving, to the masterplanned communities and commercial

projects that enhance regional centres, they collaborate

with industry, government and the community to take critical

projects from ideas to reality.

Specialising in project and program management for large,

complex and portfolio-scale initiatives, they help clients to

identify cost-effective delivery options and progress through

the project lifecycle with confidence.

RPS offers project management solutions for:

• Buildings and infrastructure

• Environmental investigation and remediation

• Information and communication technology

Larrakeyah Defence Precinct

The program has a complex group of stakeholders and required the effective management of three different capability sponsors with different priorities.

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QLD PROJECT OF THE YEAR:

BATTLEFIELD AIRLIFTER MAIN OPERATING BASE FACILITIES PROJECTRPS

PROJECT BRIEFThe Battlefield Airlifter Main Operating Base Facilities (BFA) Project was a program of works to provide facilities and infrastructure to support the relocation of No. 35 Squadron (35SQN) to RAAF Base Amberley and to sustain the operation of the C-27J Spartan aircraft. The program also included relocations, upgrades and the reinstatement of infrastructure and facilities impacted by the new 35SQN facilities.

A $370M initiative, the project was delivered via 11 individual stages of work across four sites within RAAF Base Amberley. Works included the development of training facilities, operational facilities and aprons, a fire station, base briefing, ceremonial store and courtroom, transit accommodation, Australian Air Force Cadet facilities and site infrastructure.

With the project delivered via a Defence Managing Contractor Contract (MCC-1-2003), RPS was engaged by the Department of Defence to provide project management and contract administration services for this complex program of work.

Throughout the engagement, RPS’s team has worked through a number of challenges including scope, budget, contamination issues, environment requirements and the need to ensure all facilities were fit for Defence purposes. Overcoming these issues required the team to be proactive, focused, determined and entirely committed to ensuring the best outcomes for Defence.

CONTRIBUTIONThe project was a significant achievement for the Department of Defence and RPS. Taking six years to develop and deliver, it has provided dedicated facilities for one of the Air Force’s newest and most flexible capabilities – the C-27J Spartan aircraft. In addition, the project delivered substantial upgrades to key base infrastructure and facilities at RAAF Base Amberley through the delivery of facilities to accommodate services and functions that were displaced by 35SQN.

A key outcome achieved was that the Operational Facilities for 35SQN were handed over in early 2019 to allow the Squadron to relocate aircraft, equipment, personnel and families from their interim facilities in Sydney to Brisbane over the 2018/2019 Christmas period. This was an essential outcome for 35SQN who were deployed almost immediately following the move to support flood relief efforts in North Queensland.

35SQN HQ, Hangar and apron

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Other key outcomes for the project included the excellent environmental outcomes achieved for RAAF Base Amberley through the planting of 4,000 trees via the project’s offset strategy, excellent heritage outcomes both through the development and through the publishing of a book on the heritage values of RAAF Base Amberley and the relocation and adaptive reuse of a Bellman hangar.

CHALLENGES | LESSONS LEARNEDIn order to deliver the original scope, a number of challenges arose for both the client and the project, as it required the removal of a significant number of buildings (including heritage-listed buildings) and infrastructure.

As a part of the works, the project undertook the implementation of an Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC) approval to demolish heritage buildings at the base.

In response to the EPBC approval, and in order to help Defence meet its obligations under the Act, a number of additional activities were undertaken (not normally implemented by a building project) including:

• Detailed archival recording and scanning of 38 heritage-listed buildings.

• Heritage salvage assessments.

• The development of a book detailing the heritage values of RAAF Base Amberley.

• Relocation of a Bellman hangar (for adaptive reuse).

• Development of a display using materials salvaged from demolished heritage buildings.

• Dismantling of other Bellman hangars to make them available to aviation heritage organisations.

A key challenge for the BFA Project was the management and implementation of heritage-related activities to meet EPBC approval conditions while still delivering on Defence capability requirements.

Additional pressures included the necessity for heritage works to be completed in coordination with another project to be delivered at the base that included works that could not commence until archival recording processes were completed.

Overall, the BFA Project delivered excellent heritage outcomes

for RAAF Base Amberley through the archival recording of heritage buildings, development and publishing of a book on heritage values at the base, careful relocation and adaptive reuse of a Bellman hangar and the development of a display using materials salvaged from heritage buildings.

PROJECTS IN THE ORGANISATIONFounded in 1970, RPS is a leading global professional services firm of 5,200 consultants and service providers. With experience across 125 countries and six continents, they define, design and manage projects that create shared value for a complex, urbanising and resource-scarce world.

They help their partners to realise commercial opportunities by providing the expertise and resources required to deliver projects on time, on budget and to the highest possible quality.

Providing project, program and portfolio management for initiatives both large or small, their team helps our valued clients to identify cost-effective options and progress through the project lifecycle with confidence.

The project was a significant achievement for the Department of Defence and RPS. Taking six years to develop and deliver, it provided dedicated facilities for one of the Air Force’s newest and most flexible capabilities - the C-27J Spartan aircraft. In addition, the project delivered substantial upgrades to key base infrastructure and facilities at RAAF Base Amberley through the delivery of facilities to accommodate services and functions that were displaced by 35SQN.

Client site visit

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SA PROJECT OF THE YEAR:

THE CORPORATE PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT OFFICESA POWER NETWORKS

PROJECT BRIEFIn 2013, SA Power Networks recognised that its industry was at a crossroads of significant change, specifically in relation to customer expectations, network automation and regulatory environment. Strategic projects and initiatives were detailed in business plans, but were managed separately.

Lessons from past transformation programs identified that an enterprise view of the benefits, interdependencies and impacts of processes, systems, people and data required an uplift for strategic goals to be realised. In January 2014, the Corporate Portfolio Management Office (CPMO) was established to address this challenge.

The CPMO Mission was initially defined as ‘to partner with the business to deliver the Right Projects, at the Right Time, in the Right Way’. This has evolved in recent years, updated to ‘Right Projects, Right Time, Right Value’ to reflect the evolving focus and journey towards a value-oriented PMO.

The CPMO Core Service Offering is founded on three (3) key pillars:

• Strategic Alignment

• Delivery & Benefits Assurance

• Portfolio Monitoring & Visibility

Delivering energy services that customers value

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CONTRIBUTION SA Power Networks recognised the importance of the quantification and realisation of project benefits across the organisation. A maturity uplift in quality management across projects was proposed to complement the existing disciplines in cost and time management. The introduction and use of benefits in our decision making was established as a key success measure of the CPMO.

CPMO, in partnership with our Finance department, led the development and adoption of the Benefits Management Framework. Its aim is to provide a consistent and standardised approach for the identification, categorisation, management and realisation of benefits.

The Benefits Management Framework also aligns projects and benefits against the relevant SA Power Networks’ strategic intent and corporate objectives. The ultimate goal is to improve the robustness of investment decisions and the realisation of benefits defined at investment stage.

CHALLENGES | LESSONS LEARNEDDuring implementation and pursuit of continual PMO maturity over five years, the CPMO has seen many changes in the business and the environment it operates in.

Whilst the traditional PMO model of focusing on governance and process was an appropriate approach when establishing the CPMO function in its early years, it was clear that it had to evolve inline with its business, or risk being perceived as an unnecessary overhead or hurdle to the business improving itself.

For an organisation considering establishing an enterprise PMO, SA Power Networks’ CPMO would recommend:

• Establishing and maintaining strong sponsorship and alignment with overall strategy.

• Building PMO capability incrementally, focussing on the highest business priorities at the time, rather than trying to boil the ocean.

• Engaging stakeholders through effective partnerships.

• Embracing the unique opportunity that enterprise PMOs have to act as enablers of change and to influence the organisational culture of the future.

PROJECTS IN THE ORGANISATIONAs the State’s electricity distributor, SA Power Networks plays an important role in our community, managing the distribution network that delivers electricity to 860,000 homes and businesses across South Australia. It is recognised as an industry leader in reliability and safety and number one for efficiency on a state-by-state basis.

Its corporate portfolio needs to balance the investment in maintaining a safe and reliable network and ensuring it can accommodate the changing ways customers are using energy, with the very real need to keep costs down.

The portfolio also embraces an exciting mix of new capabilities, technologies and ways of innovating. Virtual Power Plant trials with Tesla, drone inspection and Lidar tracking of vegetation and electrical infrastructure, along with an increasing level of mobility and connectivity in its workforce, are just a few examples.

SA Power Networks recognised the importance of the quantification and realisation

of project benefits across the organisation. A maturity uplift in quality management

across projects was proposed to complement the existing disciplines in cost and

time management. The introduction and use of benefits in our decision making was

established as a key success measure of the CPMO.

A meeting of minds at an SA Power Networks CPMO team discussion

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PROJECT BRIEFThe Application and Voyage Planning System Project aimed to improve the voyage application and planning process, for both researchers and the business. The previous system had identified inefficiencies for both the customer (research community) and the CSIRO Marine National Facility (MNF), potentially limiting the ability to realise the greatest benefit from the vessel and its voyages. Stakeholders in this project included CSIRO business units across Australia, researchers and colleagues from various global research institutions and the vendor, located in Amsterdam.

Given the variety of stakeholders involved and technical complexity of the project, the MNF Project Coordinator, Kalli Webb, identified the need for a dedicated project manager and, through a competitive assessment process, engaged 2PM Services to supply a Project and Change Manager, Claire Tubman. Given the national scientific role of the client and the experience of the project manager, there was a heavy emphasis on innovation and impact.

By adopting a hybrid project methodology suitable to the maturity of the business, as well as initiating a series of learning/training opportunities aligned with the project stages for the project team, the project delivered significant improvements that will enable additional research and help ensure the long-term viability and prosperity of Australian and global marine industries.

CONTRIBUTION CSIRO is Australia’s national science agency and seeks to solve Australia’s greatest challenges through innovative science and technology. Funded by the Australian Government, the Marine National Facility (MNF) is a dedicated blue-water research capability that is owned and operated by CSIRO on behalf of the nation. The MNF manages the operations and scheduling of the multidisciplinary research

CSIRO research vessel Investigator delivers up to 300 research days each year. (Image: CSIRO)

TAS PROJECT OF THE YEAR:

APPLICATION AND VOYAGE PLANNING SYSTEM PROJECT2PM SERVICES AND CSIRO MARINE NATIONAL FACILITY

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vessel (RV) Investigator, which is available to Australian marine researchers and their international collaborators through a competitive application process.

The MNF is based at the CSIRO Marine Laboratories in Hobart, Tasmania, which is also home port for RV Investigator. Since 2000, 348 scientific research applications totalling over 8,000 research days have been received for research across all corners of Australia’s vast marine estate. The research conducted on these voyages delivers critical information to directly support government, industry and other stakeholders in making evidence-based decisions to ensure the long-term viability and prosperity of the Australian marine environment and industries.

This project, while proposed for some time, was initiated in response to increased funding announced by the Australian Government in the 2018 budget. This funding would allow the vessel to deliver its full capability of up to 300 research days each year.

The project was launched to both improve the customer experience and integrate and streamline the business processes involved in applying for and planning voyages for Investigator. The ultimate objective was to achieve a significant reduction in administrative workload and a significant increase in stakeholder satisfaction, thereby supporting the MNF to deliver the greatest national benefit from its resources. A concurrent objective was to achieve environmental benefits through a reduction in paper-based activities.

CHALLENGES | LESSONS LEARNEDA significant challenge for the project was the disbursement and availability of stakeholders. The MNF work with colleagues around the world, with many internal staff either on site at the MNF, on board RV Investigator, or overseas. In addition, the project required collaboration from several international colleagues (Europe and New Zealand) as well as working with the vendor based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

The project team was also geographically separated, with the technical stream lead in Canberra on a 3 day a week contract,

while the rest of the project team was based in Hobart, on varied days/hours. This disbursement led to significant challenges when working to tight timelines of the project.

To mitigate risk and to remedy these challenges, the following examples exhibit the tactics executed by the project team.

Challenge Mitigation Tactic

Project team working different hours, from different locations

Ensured the 3 key project team members were all available for the same days per week and held daily huddles (WebEx)

Held weekly project team extended meeting (WebEx) to allow for deeper conversations and to develop relationships

Created both JIRA and Confluence Space to document all activity, ensuring full transparency in real time

Sea bound stakeholders out of the office or not accessible

Developed ‘bite’ sized work packages to be completed while at sea

Documented all information relating to the project on the Confluence Space

Required staff to provide proxies when unavailable for meetings

Vendor and collaborators on different time zones

Meetings were scheduled either early in the morning Hobart time, or late in the afternoon/evening Hobart time

The vendor worked with collaborators in Europe and would then share outcomes with us

Access to both the project JIRA and where necessary aspects of the Confluence Space was provided to the vendor

Full stakeholder analysis was required at the commencement of the project to identify challenges early in the project and to develop suitable actions to reduce negative impact.

PROJECTS IN THE ORGANISATION2PM Services is a Tasmanian-based practice that provides professional project management, business analysis, and change management services. Since being established in 2015, 2PM has grown into a team of over 20 professionals with significant experience in delivering successful ICT projects and organisational change. It's people that make 2PM tick – 2PM value relationships and are passionate about helping others succeed. 2PM believes that the “smartest person in the room is the room” and that there is great value in working closely together with its customers.

The Marine National Facility (MNF) is landmark scientific infrastructure for Australia and provides the nation with a dedicated blue-water research capability. Funded by the Australian Government, the MNF is owned and operated by CSIRO under the oversight an independent Steering Committee. The mission of the MNF is to support, enable and inspire marine science for Australia. RV Investigator delivers a flexible, multi-purpose research platform that can operate for extended periods anywhere from ice edge to equator.

Through applying a creative approach to project and change management, 2PM and MNF were able to collaborate and harness the collective strengths of both organisations to successfully deliver the Application and Voyage Planning System project and a great outcome, for CSIRO, researchers and the broader Australian community.

A significant challenge for the project was the disbursement and availability of stakeholders. The MNF work with colleagues around the world, with many internal staff either on site at the MNF, on board RV Investigator, or overseas. In addition, the project required collaboration from several international colleagues (Europe and New Zealand) as well as working with the vendor based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

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PROJECT BRIEFGHD is working as technical advisor for the North East Link Project (NELP) which will fix the missing link in Melbourne’s freeway network. This project will be an AUD16 billion investment in Victoria’s road infrastructure — the biggest of its kind in the state’s history.

Since 2017, GHD has worked across the project, providing services in engineering, planning, environmental and community engagement. This work has included managing one of the largest service proving efforts ever conducted in Victoria, locating over 800 underground utility services.

Service proving helps reduce risk for infrastructure projects by identifying underground services early in the planning and design process. This is essential for large projects like North East Link where the water, power and gas utilities are located throughout a 25km project area. It took over 122 non-destructive digging (NDD) excavations and corresponding reinstatements to locate them, but GHD’s project management team ensured the work was delivered to meet tight timeframes, safely and with minimal impact to local communities.

Duncan Elliott, CEO of NELP, said this challenge was accepted by GHD with ‘positive and professional commitment’ and delivered ‘excellent outcomes’.

CONTRIBUTIONIt is well-known in project management that the earlier information is available, the better. It means there is greater opportunity to manage risks and ultimately ensure a project’s success. It was a top priority for North East Link that service-proving investigations be carried out ahead of construction to minimise the risks, costs and delays that can, and have, hit projects of similar size and complexity.

GHD delivered the work two months ahead of the preliminary schedule. This meant important data could be factored into the early works scoping and design as well as the reference design. It also means that thousands of residents and road-users in Melbourne will experience less disruption later in the project due to better-planned works.

The work behind the investigations took an onsite team of more than 340 over 27,700 hours to complete and produced over 2,700 pages of information. It was essentially a ‘project within a project’ and created a wealth of data which can now be used by the Victorian Government, NELP and its key stakeholders.

“The great success of the program was reflective of the hard work and dedication of the GHD team, including the ability to rise to the challenges and maintain collaborative engagement with NELP, key project stakeholders and affected communities.”

DUNCAN ELLIOTT, CEO OF NORTH EAST LINK PROJECT

Footpath reinstatement after service proving works

VIC PROJECT OF THE YEAR:

NORTH EAST LINK – SERVICE PROVING INVESTIGATION PROGRAMGHD

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CHALLENGES | LESSONS LEARNEDThe investigations were not without challenges, but a strong core project management team, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities, enabled GHD to learn and adapt on the job.

Challenge Solutions

Coordinating a large number of concurrent activities on different sites.

GHD, and key subcontract partner AECOM, marshalled resources, engaged trusted specialists and deployed them strategically. GHD prepared an ‘evaluation matrix’ in advance of investigations to measure performance of primary contractors, and the capability of secondary contractors. This allowed task reassignment based on proven strengths and accountability.

Liaising with numerous authorities including local government and VicRoads to obtain timely approvals for the investigation works.

The GHD team learned that each authority had different requirements and processes for acquiring permits. GHD’s approach was to build a Site Access team that not only organised the permits, but built relationships with each authority, helping them understand what was necessary and why.

Success also relied on GHD’s ability to foster positive relationships with the client’s key stakeholders as well as potentially affected residents and businesses. GHD specialists led the NELP’s landowner engagement activities and devised a strategy applicable to each site, using GIS to map the properties closest to potential impacts. From

there, the team could gauge what level of engagement was needed, including letter-drops, door-knocking and follow-up phone calls. A dedicated engagement specialist was on-site during all night works. This was essential, not just to pass timely information to local residents, but to help site workers understand the immediate needs of the community. It also delivered on a standard of excellence set by the project team from the early stage of project planning.

Ultimately, GHD learned success came down to commitment, technical excellence and the ability to build trust with the client’s stakeholders and local communities.

PROJECTS IN THE ORGANISATIONGHD is one of the world’s leading professional services companies operating in the global markets of water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings, and transportation.

Privately owned by its people, GHD provides engineering, architecture, environmental, advisory, digital and construction services to private and public sector clients across five continents and the Pacific region. Focused on creating lasting community benefit, its connected global network of 10,000 diverse people delivers projects with high standards of safety, quality and ethics.

Committed to sustainable development, GHD improves the physical, natural and social environments of the many communities in which it operates.

GHD’s team of AIPM certified professionals provide a full suite of project management services to their clients, including program management, project controls, project advisory, PMOs, contract management/administration, design management and project governance.

The NELP Service Proving Investigation Program has strengthened GHD’s relationship with the Victorian Government as a trusted advisor for the roll-out of large programs and integrating multi-disciplinary skills to deliver successful outcomes in complex environments. With the infrastructure boom continuing across Australia, GHD is looking forward to leveraging its experience on this award-winning project to undertake early investigations on other major projects.

The scale of this project was significant, it included• 800+ underground utility services• 340+ onsite staff• 27,700+ hours of work• 0 injuries or incidents• 2,700 pages of project data

Service proving works taking place at night

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PROJECT BRIEFIn 2014, Main Roads WA engaged a Arup Jacobs joint venture to establish an Integrated Project Team (IPT) for the planning, development, design, construction, procurement and construction management of the Great Northern Highway (GNH) Muchea to Wubin Stage 2 Upgrade Project to upgrade an expected 78.6km of highway across a 218km section north of Perth.

The Highway links the Perth Metropolitan area and Fremantle Port with the North-West of Australia. Traffic and freight volumes on this major freight route have continued to increase, resulting in higher crash rates and increased transport costs.

Projects of this type are typically delivered under a traditional Alliance structure by a small number of tier one contractors. By establishing an IPT, Main Roads WA was able to divide the works into smaller contract packages tailored to suit a larger pool of mid-tier contractors, thus encouraging a larger number of bidders for each package and facilitating better value-for-money outcomes.

A Strategic Corridor Planning Study was undertaken of the 218km, prioritising each section of works to ensure available funding achieved best value for money whilst meeting key project objectives on safety, efficiency, sustainability and environmental outcomes.

Due to the length of the project, the IPT coordinated engagement with a significant number of internal and external stakeholders including affected landowners, community and industry liaison groups, all tiers of Government, technical advisory groups and future maintenance groups.

The project achieved a number of noteworthy industry firsts. Main Roads WA was the first Australian road authority to trial the NEC3 form of contract and provide training to selected tenderers on the NEC3 form of contract. The IPT was also the first program of works in Australia to seek a sustainability rating through the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA) rating tool.

CONTRIBUTION The upgrade project will allow the future use of 53.5m long road trains to travel 218km closer to Perth before having to decouple a third trailer, providing significant freight efficiency benefits to Western Australia and the Nation.

The bypass of Miling has removed heavy freight vehicles from the town’s Main Street and primary school, reducing traffic noise and improving safety outcomes for residents. The bypass of the monastic community of New Norcia has improved street level safety for tourists and locals and will assist in the long-term preservation of the historical buildings.

“The completion of this beautifully built road and bridge has meant that a sense of peace and tranquillity has been restored to the town,” said Benedictine Community New Norcia’s, Abbot John Herbert. “The risk of further damage to the fragile fabric of the site has been reduced and all who live and work here and visit this special place are much safer. The comments on our visitor response cards have been overwhelmingly positive.”

“An IPT provides the opportunity to take full advantage of all the skills, experience and project knowledge within the team – because there are no barriers, no individual agendas; instead we are one team with shared ownership and objectives. If the culture and leadership inspire and support open enquiry and mutual respect you can achieve so much more than in a traditional consultancy.”

BETH WOODS, FORMER GNH IPT PROJECT DIRECTOR

WA PROJECT OF THE YEAR:

GREAT NORTHERN HIGHWAY MUCHEA TO WUBIN UPGRADE PROGRAMMAIN ROADS WESTERN AUSTRALIA, ARUP AND JACOBS

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The agile nature of the IPT enabled ongoing assessment and response to the evolving program’s needs. Before the first construction contract was completed, over 10% of early identified potential savings were removed from the total budget.

This resulted in a significant amount of additional work which was done within the original budget by the IPT:

• 16km more of upgraded highway than originally forecast

• 63km additional highway design completed ready for future tendering

• 137km additional highway planning completed

The IPT realised numerous significant achievements including substantial Aboriginal employment and Aboriginal business engagement through the program. Incentivised contracts were used resulting in achieving over 20% of labour hours performed by Aboriginal employees on one contract. The IPTs inclusive design process allowed for preservation of heritage sites and critically endangered habitats along the highway. Main Roads WA has since adopted the sustainability specification developed on the GNH project in their suite of standard specifications.

CHALLENGES | LESSONS LEARNEDOne of the earliest challenges was forming a new team from three parent organisations under the banner of the Project Management Office; culture, technology, processes and systems had to be integrated and aligned. Sharing of commercially confidential information between public and private entities was resolved through early focus on the IPT governance structure.

There were also significant technical complexities to be managed. The major program included numerous project stages and packages, multiple workstreams and disciplines, and a significant number of stakeholders with often competing objectives. A core team within the IPT across all design and construction phases of each package ensured consistency across the packages and enhanced opportunities for knowledge sharing and lessons learnt.

The geographic isolation and 218km length of the project introduced its own challenges. Stakeholder engagement stretched across four Local Governments, with hundreds of directly affected landowners across 140km of land acquisitions for the new and widened road reserves.

The program longevity reinforced the need to maintain respectful relationships with all stakeholders to ensure that safe and timely land access could be achieved on an ongoing basis. This was critical to support route design discussions, feasibility surveys including cadastral, geotechnical, utilities, environmental, heritage, land acquisition discussions, accommodation works discussions, service relocations and construction access.

The route passes through the Wheatbelt region of WA where farmland has been subject to extensive clearing so the remnant vegetation within the existing road reserve needed to be preserved. This dictated that road improvements along the existing road alignment were not feasible. Instead, the IPT considered offline construction in adjacent previously cleared agricultural paddocks. This offered minimal impact to the environment and provided an opportunity to revegetate

the old road reserve with native flora. Regardless, evolving statutory requirements continued to challenge the scheduling of environmental approvals throughout the project.

PROJECTS IN THE ORGANISATIONThe IPT joint venture partners of Arup and Jacobs are proud that efforts have assisted in securing the State and Federal funding for the bypass of Bindoon (66km), allowing land acquisitions and environmental approvals to commence, and ultimately providing safe use of 53.5m road trains to within 60km of the Perth CBD.

Although each are successful project managers in their own right, Arup and Jacobs have joint ventured for several iconic projects across Australia. The Bruce Highway Caloundra Road to Sunshine Motorway ($813m) innovated the use of the first diverging diamond interchange in Australia, which provided not only significant travel time benefits but also a reduced construction footprint within an environmentally sensitive area.

The Northern Connector ($708m) is South Australia’s first major concrete road. Usually concrete pavement is more expensive however the JV was able to weigh up the benefit to local economy, improved longevity and lower maintenance, to create a better value for money outcome.

Arup and Jacobs have built a valuable relationship on GNH and other projects in Australia and are ready to tackle future major project opportunities across the region.

One of the earliest challenges was forming a new team from three parent organisations under the banner of the Project Management Office; culture, technology, processes and systems had to be integrated and aligned. Sharing of commercially confidential information between public and private entities was resolved through early focus on the IPT governance structure.

Muchea North Project - material compaction inspection

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VALE JAI TAYLOR

IN MEMORIAMAIPM Member Jai Taylor’s life was tragically lost in a motorcycle accident in early August 2019. He was an active member and contributor to the WA Chapter.

After 10 years in the army, Jai moved to Aurecon where he worked on a mix of resources and Defence projects. He utilised his calm, collected and professional manner to shepherd complex projects, manage portfolios of work and to grow the young team around him. Jai then moved to Jacobs and most recently Worley’s where he continued to add his professional ethic in the management of some very complex projects that have and will continue to shape Western Australia.

His legacy is however not only in projects but also in the impact he had on so many careers through recruitment, mentoring and leadership. Here’s a few words from his colleagues:

• No matter how busy he was, Jai always found the time to provide quality guidance to those who asked for it.

• He had an uncanny ability to simplify an issue or situation so that a simple resolution could be reached whatever the issue.

• He was a core member of the team. Whilst I couldn’t get a monthly report out of him, he was a cracking bloke to be around and maintained his positive disposition even when the going got tough. Jai’s tenacity was one of the reasons for the success of this project.

• He had a great talent to break the silence – not just in tough conversations but also literally. Jai went through a period of eating carrots as thick as an arm in the office – this broke the silence but also provided much amusement.

• He was of tremendous assistance to me in the early days of my career. He provided great leadership to the team and worked diligently to set up our projects, teaching and training our PM’s and managing the expectations of stakeholders.

• I was always impressed by his professionalism and interest in his work but also by his openness to ideas. He took a keen interest in the people he worked with. 

• After missing my first day at Aurecon, sick, I was feeling very sheepish. Jai was one of the first people I met and his warm and friendly attitude bonded us straight away and put me at ease. I still look back fondly on our chats, comparing stories of our children growing up and the challenges of work. He possessed the ability to make people feel comfortable and valued in a really short space of time.

• He was a family man, his children and wife were the world to him. He was always proud of them and his face beamed when he talked about them.

Jai was an active member of the Australian Institute of Project Management. Jai went above and beyond to help coach and mentor others as his professional body has backed this idea holistically.

Whilst many of us looked up to Jai - both literally and metaphorically, above all, we will remember Jai and his smile, his positivity and proactivity were infectious. He was able to act calmly and methodically even in the face of the trickiest project and awkward stakeholder. His legacy is significant and we hope that his children will one day understand how much impact he had on so many careers and can also be proud of their Dad’s role in this.

Jai’s time was cut short, but he brought more happiness and positivity than most ever do in a lifetime.

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