The ELV (extra low voltage) project, which was meant to install, test, and commission IT, communications infrastructure, and services for the Five Star Hotel in Bahrain,
concluded in 2011. The project was part of a total program to deliver 11 sub-systems, including installation of data, voice, music, wireless, and CCTV systems.
The project stakeholders included the hotel owner; the consultant they had employed on their behalf; and various civil, electrical, and construction teams involved in implementing the project. This case study focuses on the audio-visual (AV) subsystem, primarily the installation of projectors and screens in the meeting rooms and conference facilities.
Renosh Thomas, the vendor’s project manager, was responsible for issuing the client with complete drawings detailing the project’s electrical requirements.
Renosh knew that these drawings needed to be accurate, as these would be handed over to the civil and construction teams for use in building the sites. Bearing this dependency in mind, Renosh ensured that his team completed accurate drawings in a timely manner with the expectation that the civil and construction teams would complete the build and hand over a completed room with all the electrical requirements as planned. The final phases of the ELV project required Renosh’s team to visit the site and install and test the electrical equipment.
At initiation and during the project’s planning phases, the AV requirements were issued and communicated (via drawings) between the consultant, appointed by the customer, and Renosh’s electrical team. The product specifications were based on templates and prior experience from a similar project implemented in Dubai. The project scope was determined via the bill of quantities, materials, and tender documents. Renosh received only electrical drawings for the sites and continued to plan the installation requirements based on these drawings, working under the assumption that they were correct, accurate, and up-to-date. Throughout the planning, the electrical team was not privy to any of the civil or construction drawings from the other teams and hence remained completely unaware of structural changes being made on the original plans that they were still working on.
During installation of the AV system, the team encountered a major problem—the projection was faulty.
The projectors and screens were not aligning, causing the projected images to be cut off and unclear. Upon investigation, it became apparent that certain structural changes had been added, making Renosh’s drawings and calculations inaccurate. The customer’s response to this communication oversight was to send Renosh a full collection of civil and construction drawings, including all the latest revisions. Renosh spent considerable time reviewing the drawings to identify the relevant adjustments.
This resulted in delays, rework, and wasted time as he ploughed through the drawings, many of which were beyond his requirements. The problem the installation team encountered was that the ceilings had been elevated higher than the original design, and this had been approved by the customer, who failed to communicate the new changes and approvals to Renosh’s electrical team.
The solution required changing the location of the projector by a meter, and the screens had to be moved forward by centimeters. Renosh revised and issued new electrical drawings to the customer that went through the approval process again. The site had been handed over by the civil and construction teams, but the solution required reworking of parts of the site, such as breaking through the ceilings to access electrical panels and make new changes. This impacted the schedule by 8–10 days and involved reworked costs of opening, adjusting, and redecorating the site.
Questions

1. How did the project’s scope of changes impact the project stakeholders?

2. What planning, monitoring, and control actions should the project manager take to avoid such a situation?
3. How would you redesign the communications management processes to minimize the problems experienced by project managers?