Information Technology (IT) Project Management

Project Management IT Project Management Analysis: Project Management Institute's Project of the Year Award Recipient The 2011 Project Management Institute Project of the Year Award was given to the Prairie Waters Project of Aurora, Colorado. Both the city of Aurora and engineering consultancy CH2M Hill partnered on the initially funded $854M project. By managing the triple constraints of the project, the city and CH2M Hill were able to reduce the costs of the project by $254M, delivering it two months ahead of schedule.

The project managers for the city and CH2M Hill created a cross-functional team capable of using value engineering techniques and frameworks tor educe costs and time requirements at the same time. Optimizing the three constraints of costs or resources, time and quality requires orchestration of all project team members and a clear definition of accountability for performance (Brewer, Strahorn, 2012). Analysis of Prairie Waters Project Performance Establishing clear objectives and creating a series of objectives for these three constraints of any project will set a foundation of accurate, realistic expectations.

They will also guide the various cross-functional teams and dependent resources to also align their time and resources accordingly (Brewer, Strahorn, 2012). For the Prairie Waters Project the complexity of three constraints was significant. Not only did the pipeline have to traverse 35 miles, it also had a complex configuration of water pumping stations and filtration centers. In addition there are the challenges of moving the water through the pipes and also managing the reservoir levels while the project continued on.

The city had to cut over to the new system once completed without impacting the existing water systems and infrastructure serving the city. Managing to a complex series of costs, schedule and time constraints, and very high quality levels made this project rise above other entrants for project of the year honors with the Project Management Institute. From a leadership perspective, the ability to create a transformational mindset in a team combined of Aurora city employees, project managers and CH2M Hill project leaders also shows professionalism.

The project leaders were able to create a shared series of goals and a common vision which further galvanized the team together with a very high level of trust. Making trust a key catalyst of project management is an essential, foundational aspect of orchestrating large, complex projects to successful conclusion (Brewer, Strahorn, 2012). The added benefit to both the city and CH2M Hill of splitting the cost savings also created an ethical climate of disclosure and clarity of costs.

Creating shared gains from cost reductions and having oversight of costs is also a key best practice as defined in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) (Brewer, Strahorn, 2012). Most significant in the many accomplishment of this project was the shared expertise and knowledge between the city and CH2M Hill. The sharing of expertise and knowledge throughout cross-functional organizations is one of the primary determinants of successful project management and the attainment of project.