Project Management Assignment: Project Analysis of NBN or National Broadband Network
Question
Task:
Your task
Individually, you are required to prepare a 1600 word report on project management assignment in which you are to analyse the success and failure factors of a major Australian project by considering its ethical compromises.
Assessment Description
In this individual assessment, students will be given an opportunity to analyse the organisational factors that promote effective project management. The success and failure factors, along with ethical considerations for each of the 5 IPECC phases, will need to be considered.
Assessment Instructions
Please choose one of the following projects as the basis for your research (For your chosen project you are to focus on the construction and implementation of the project, following the IPECC phases, and not its current operations beyond what is required in closure).
Cross river rail project Brisbane: (https://crossriverrail.qld.gov.au/ )
National Broadband Network Project: (https://www.nbnco.com.au/blog/the-nbn-project)
The new Royal Adelaide Hospital: (https://www.cpbcon.com.au/en/our-projects/2011/nrah )
Please note that the above links are provided to give only an initial outline of what the project delivered, and substantial additional research will be required to complete your assessment successfully.
Once you have conducted thorough research about your chosen project, you are then required to prepare 1800 word report in which you are to:
• Analyse in detail both the steps critical for your chosen project’s success and the critical pitfalls that could have led to its failure. Relate the specific success and fail factors to your nominated project and do not just describe a generic theory or simple definitions.
• For each of 5 IPECC stages, you are to analyse the success and failure factors for each of those stages. You are required to analyse at least one success criteria and at least one failure criteria for each stage. If you are unable to identify success or fail criteria for a particular stage, you are required to postulate at least one criterion; but it must be based on sound theory and your knowledge of the case study.
• Integrate the ethical considerations into each of these steps and show how ethical considerations may impact the success or failure of the chosen project.
Answer
Introduction
The current project management assignmentsheds light on the project of NBN or National Broadband Network in Australia which is one of the biggest networking and internet connectivity in the whole country. It already holds an 11.8 million customer base with different data packages and connectivity. Broadband service is basically an internet providing service where people are getting high-speed data along with an unlimited package facility. Different packages hold different internet speeds which gives the consumers a long range of choices in packages. It is already implemented throughout the whole country in the last few decades. The whole networking system or NBN Co is owned and operated by the Australian government (Alizadeh et al., 2014). In this report, different project development segments are discussed with the IPECC model. It Includes initiating, planning, executing, controlling and closing the project. All those aspects are analysed through different success and failure factors. Lastly, the ethical aspect of each segment is also explained through detailed analysis. The whole report can eventually show the ultimate success rate of the project along with future projections in terms of success or failure.
IPECC
Initiation |
2600 transmission towers connect the whole system of National Broadband Network Australia. The biggest success factor in this segment is the place allotment and the budget. The whole project is conducted by a government organisation which leads to compatible budget supply and efficient project management (Schram et al., 2018). In the initiation part, basically, the resources for the project is planned and organised with cost-efficiency. When all the factors and resources are managed by the government, then the project gets a sufficient budget and resources. Overall it shows a great success factor. From an ethical view also, it is the government’s responsibility to give better service, apart from the profitability. So, the preparation for initiation is also ethical from every end. |
The development and project management team have already considered a minimum number of towers to build accordingly. As it is a large project to cover the whole country, the project must be initiated with the planning of developing several towers. In that case, it becomes difficult to maintain the proper management and connection between all the development teams. When so many development projects are ongoing in different places, then it is also difficult to supervise each of them. This whole issue becomes a great risk in terms of project initiation, where the project manager needs to consider this significant factor (Sora et al., 2014). From an ethical point of view, the government has to cover as much area as possible to give the service to a large number of people. None of them can be avoided. If the project manager considers fewer towers at the initiation, then ethically it will not be efficient or correct. |
Planning |
Planning is one of the most crucial segments of project development. In this segment, the project manager makes a plan of action for the whole project which will be followed accordingly by the development team. Before that, it is essential to do a detailed competitive analysis which will help to make a proper project plan with greater success (Alizadeh, 2013). In this case, there is already a large number of competitors such as different mobile networks. 3G and 4G have already projected a huge potential of high bandwidth and internet speed, whereas the broadband system is more efficient in terms of data packages and connectivity. In spite of that, the project manager needs to consider the competitors. Overall, the project planning was better in terms of sustainability because those are still not enough compatible in terms of internet connectivity. From an ethical point of view, this project planning is also efficient enough because it is the responsibility of the government to provide a better service than the private organisations. In that way, the citizens will get a cost-efficient service. |
5G is already going to be launched with higher internet speed and compatibility with the system. In that case, the project planning shows some loopholes in terms of future risk management and mitigation. The project planning was not efficient enough to be sustainable in this competitive market (Valle de Souza et al., 2018). The project manager needs to develop constant strategies to sustain the whole business model in the new digital age or information system. From a Medical point of view, the planning was not efficient enough because the government should always consider the predictive measurements in future business. Otherwise, private organisations can take place with expensive packages. It is essential to prepare a proper project plan which will serve the consumers in long run. |
Execution |
The company has already projected a glossary avenue of $4.5 billion in the next financial year and has also gained 660,000 new customers (Holmes et al., 2020). It clearly shows that the execution of the whole project planning very efficient and professional. People are facing some small issues in terms of connectivity in some of the areas, but overall the whole execution part was efficient enough which is showing the increasing revenue of the company. From an ethical aspect, the execution must not affect people’s lives. In this case, all the people are being benefited by the service in terms of networking and connectivity which is clearly a great and ethical success factor. |
People or customers are already facing internet lags and different bandwidths or speeds in different areas of the country. In that case, all the towers are not implemented in a perfect manner according to the project plan. It is eventually decreasing the quality of user experience and also causing a few problems for the people who are using the internet professionally. It is crucial for the project manager to supervise over every single part of the project separately while managing a large project like this (Wilson, 2014). From an ethical point of view also, any internet providing organisation especially a government organisation should be specific and efficient enough in terms of service providing. If the citizens are not getting the benefits in equal terms, then that is a big failure factor for the company which can even affect the sustainability in a competitive market in long run. With por management, the ethical factor has already been affected in severe terms. |
Control |
Control is the segment that comes after the completion of the whole project development execution. In this case, all the executed features and functions are moderated or supervised by a dedicated team which is also led by the project manager. In this case, also, a dedicated supervising team is there to observe the whole system and functionalities (Alizadeh, 2015). Decides, a technical support team is also formed to resolve the issues, faced by the customers while using the broadband. It is seen, that the helpline number always responds to specific problems in terms of technicality and practicality as well (Li, 2012). From an ethical point of view, the main motive of an organisation must be based on a problem-solving approach. In this case, that approach is clearly seen through the technical support team and the supervising team. It can be said, that this factor is a great success segment along with the ethical value. |
All the customers are getting instant responses from the support team but the problems are taking a longer time frame to be resolved (Campbell et al., 2019). The system is facing severe lag issues which are also affecting the whole user experience. The technical team who is working in the admin panel is not able to resolve all the issues regarding the system or network connectivity. Some of the professionals who use the broadband for official purpose, are facing the most trouble. The reports are showing that the company is growing in terms of new customers but it is also seen that the sustainability factor is being affected by poor support systems or poor system modification. It can affect the profitability and even the sustainability of the whole business model in long term. From an ethical point of view, the company is bound to keep its words such as speed of the network. If the company is not being able to provide the service at every corner of the country and to resolve all the issues, then it is not ethically correct to move forward without any further planning. Overall this is a huge failure factor that also affects the ethical aspect of the project in practical life. |
Closing |
Closing is the last step of any project development where the after development product is assessed and moderated through detailed analysis. All the initial and ongoing results are also assist to deter mind required system changes and improvements. In this case, the whole system is supported by one single helpline number (Freeman et al., 2019). All the support team members are also very efficient and professional in managing the customers. The growth of the organisation is already showing the proper management of the whole system and the project manager. The organisation is also planning to build some new towers with the objective of gaining new consumers along with better efficiency in service. Disclosing segment is also showing a great success factor. Ethically, the organisation fulfil all the requirements and accept feedbacks for the betterment of the system. The company is already planning for a new system change which is ethically correct and significant. |
When a large project is conducted through constructive expansion and growth, then the engagement between the stakeholders becomes more crucial. In this case, the organisation is already planning for new towers and expansion with the objective of better service and further customer acquisition. In that case, it will be difficult to maintain the communication between the stakeholders which will eventually affect the whole project development and management as well (Campbell, 2020). From an ethical point of view, the active involvement of every stakeholder such as customers, project managers, board members, etc. is essential for further success and profitability. This can be a huge risk factor for the organisation which will also affect the ethical aspects of the project. |
Table 1: IPECC Table
Conclusion
In this report, the IPECC model has shown different phases of a whole project with success and failure factors. In spite of the gradual growth of the company’s revenue, it is clearly seen that there are some risks included which can affect the project in long run. Those failure factors also assist with a possible solution-based approach. The ethical point of view for each of the factors is also very analysed with detailed discussion. After the assessment, it is seen that the gradual growth of the organisation is compatible with the success factors in practical life. It also shows the potential growth of the organisation and the business model itself. As it is a government project, all the ethical factors are also maintained as much as possible to deliver a better service to the customers with cost efficiency. Eventually, the ethical success point is also clear with this report.
References
Alizadeh, T., 2013, November. Towards the socio-economic patterns of the national broadband network rollout in Australia. In State of Australian Cities Conference: Refereed Proceedings, SOAC Research Network, Sydney, http://www98. griffith. edu. au/dspace/bitstream/handle/10072/58738/90792_1. pdf.
Alizadeh, T., 2015. The spatial justice implications of telecommunication infrastructure: The socio-economic status of early National Broadband Network rollout in Australia. International journal of critical infrastructures, 11(3), pp.278-296.
Alizadeh, T., Sipe, N. and Dodson, J., 2014. Spatial Planning and High-Speed Broadband: Australia's National Broadband Network and Metropolitan Planning. International planning studies, 19(3-4), pp.359-378.
Campbell, L.H. and Milner, M., 2019. The NBN futures forum: Discussing the future ownership of Australia's National Broadband Network. Journal of Telecommunications and the Digital Economy, 7(3), pp.1-9.
Campbell, L.H., 2020. The NBN futures forum: Towards a national broadband strategy for Australia, 2020-2030. Journal of Telecommunications and the Digital Economy, 8(4), pp.180-191.
Freeman, T., Fisher, M., Baum, F. and Friel, S., 2019. Healthy infrastructure: Australian National Broadband Network policy implementation and its importance to health equity. Project management assignment
Holmes, J., Burke, J., Campbell, L. and Hamilton, A., 2020. Towards a national broadband strategy for Australia, 2020-2030. Journal of Telecommunications and the Digital Economy, 8(4), pp.192-269.
Li, G., 2012. The return of public investment in telecommunications: Assessing the early challenges of the national broadband network policy in Australia. Computer Law & Security Review, 28(2), pp.220-230.
Schram, A., Friel, S., Freeman, T., Fisher, M., Baum, F. and Harris, P., 2018. Digital infrastructure as a determinant of health equity: an Australian case study of the implementation of the National Broadband Network. Australian Journal of Public Administration, 77(4), pp.829-842.
Sora, P.A.R.K. and Middleton, C., 2014. Waiting for the national broadband network: Challenges of connectivity in rural Australia. In 20th ITS Biennial Conference (pp. 1-29). International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
Valle de Souza, S., Dollery, B. and Kortt, M.A., 2018. Counting the cost: A critical evaluation of the Australian National Broadband Network roll-out under the Rudd/Gillard governments. International Journal of Public Administration, 41(2), pp.129-136.
Wilson, N., 2014. Australia's National Broadband Network–A cybersecure critical infrastructure?. computer law & security review, 30(6), pp.699-709.