A case Study of King County Solid Waste Division

King County is located in Washington State, covers 2,134 square miles, and is nearly twice as large as the average county in the United States. With more than 1.9 million people, it also ranks as the 14th most populous county in the nation. King County provides a multitude of regional services, including legal services, public health services, records and elections, property tax appraisals, regional parks and facilities, the King County International Airport, public transit, sewage disposal, and solid waste management. The total budget for 2012 is approximately US$5.3 billion. King County has several IAs, which are divided into several departments and divisions. SWD is one of the four divisions that are organizationally placed under the Department of Natural Resources & Parks (DNRP). This case study is primarily focused on the experience of project management improvement for SWD and the lessons learned.

Organizational and Business Description of the King County Solid Waste Division SWD provides refuse transfer, disposal, and recycling services for residents and businesses in all of King County, except for the cities of Seattle and Milton. Its overall goal is to conserve natural and reusable resources through readily available services with a continued emphasis on public awareness. The Division's service area has a population of approximately 1.28 million that dispose of more than 800,000 tons of solid waste each year. SWD's customers include commercial haulers, as well as both residential and non-residential self-haulers who use county transfer station facilities. SWD operates eight transfer stations and two drop boxes in King County. These facilities accept municipal solid waste from residents and businesses. SWD also operates the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill (CHRLF), which receives waste collected at the transfer stations and from the direct haulers. In addition, SWD manages eight closed landfills by performing environmental monitoring and reporting necessary to comply with local, state, and federal regulations. In order to operate and maintain the aforementioned facilities, SWD must undertake various projects and programs. Transfer station and CHRLF facilities are constructed by initiating, planning, implementing, and closing CIP projects. These CIP projects are monitored and controlled through a project control program within the SWD. Operation engineering projects are typically small to medium and are managed under the Capital Asset Maintenance Program. Environmental monitoring, system improvements, and reporting activities for the closed landfills are ongoing, and therefore they are considered maintenance and not managed as CIP projects.

Project Management Micro-cultures within King County As indicated above, King County has several departments and divisions that are responsible for managing a variety of projects, including public health services, regional parks and facilities, airport, public transit, sewage disposal, and solid waste management. Project parameters such as size, technical complexity, stakeholder's requirements, and risks vary widely. Each division and department has their own project management processes and procedures and follows a varying degree of monitoring and controlling effort. Organizational structures vary from division to division and even within the same department, ranging from functional to strong matrix. As an example, the WTD and the SWD are both within DNRP, but the WTD CIP group is organized as a strong matrix, whereas the SWD CIP group is organized as a weak matrix. Projects are managed by employees with varying degrees of project management knowledge, certifications, skill levels, and job classifications. Each division uses different types of project management software, databases, and reporting systems. Due to the diverse organizational structures, organizational process assets, and enterprise environmental factors within King County, departments and divisions, each agency has its own project management micro-culture. Even within the SWD, there are no uniform standards to managing all projects and programs.

Drivers for Formalizing Project Management Processes In 2009, the Washington State Auditor's Office issued an Accountability Audit (SAO Audit) Report for King County focused on construction management, capital project reporting, and information management. In 2010, in response to a SAO Audit, the King County Executive issued Executive Order CIP 8-1 to direct the development of consistent, comprehensive standards for capital project budgeting, reporting, management, and performance measurement (King County Executive, 2010). Executive Order CIP 8-1 formed and empowered CPMWG to develop a standardized table of contents and standard elements to be included in all project management manuals. Each County Implementing Agency is responsible for the development of a project management manual that meets the CPMWG standards and addresses the requirements of the unique and individual capital programs implemented across the County.

A successful project management improvement initiative requires support from the senior management and project staff. If the current organizational structure does not support project management then organizational realignment may be necessary. Organizational culture modification mandates continued support from the entire organization. Project management should be encouraged by all levels of management within an organization and each layer of management should understand its roles and must provide documented support to the process. Change management requires systematic planning, training, documented support, and a strategic implementation of new processes. Performance progress needs to be monitored and an adaptive management approach should be applied for continuous improvement of project management processes within an organization. QUESTION 1 Risk is the effect of uncertainty that prejudices the successful achievement of the project outcome, by adversely impacting on cost, time, or functional objectives. Assess the risk considerations in project selection in the context of the case study.

QUESTION 2 One tool that is effective in analysing stakeholders is the Power Interest Grid. Using a diagram, appraise the power interest grid in the context of the case study. Ensure that the primary stakeholders of the case study project are identified and recorded on the grid justifying each stakeholders interest in the project.

QUESTION 3 A great project manager, must be a strategic business partner fully vested in organisational success and be able to roll with inevitable setbacks. Assess the demands of a project manager by referring to the case study.

QUESTION 4 While the advantages of the projectised organisation make strong arguments favouring this structure, its disadvantages may also be grave. Refer to the case study and examine the advantages and disadvantages of a projectised organisation clearly illustrating how you will use this structure to the advantage of the case study project.