Marriott Is Building A New HQ Office In Miami To Support Its

Marriott Is Building A New Hq Office In Miami To Support Its Timeshare

Marriott is building a new headquarters office in Miami to support its timeshare business. The project is 80% complete when a major hurricane strikes. This hurricane stops progress on the worksite for one month while damage is assessed and repairs are completed. The project has a fixed budget and a completion date that cannot be extended due to a financial incentive provided by the State of Florida. Evaluate your project management options in terms of schedule, performance, and cost for this scenario. Support your evaluation. After posting your response, respond to at least one of your classmates on their suggestions.

Paper For Above instruction

The scenario surrounding Marriott’s construction project presents a complex challenge that requires careful project management considerations, particularly in the areas of schedule, performance, and cost. When a natural disaster such as a hurricane disrupts a near-completion project, project managers must evaluate various strategies to mitigate adverse effects while adhering to the project's fixed parameters. This paper explores feasible options and relevant considerations for effectively managing such an unpredictable event within the constraints of schedule, budget, and performance quality.

Impact of the Hurricane on the Project

The hurricane's strike occurs when the project is approximately 80% complete, causing a one-month halt that necessitates damage assessment and repairs. In project management terms, this represents an unforeseen risk event that could impact the project’s schedule, increasing costs and potentially affecting performance if not addressed appropriately. Since the project’s completion date is fixed due to a financial incentive, and the budget is also fixed, managing the disruption requires a strategic approach to prevent violations of these constraints.

Schedule Management Options

One primary strategy to address this situation is to implement schedule compression techniques. Crashing and fast-tracking are two common methods. Crashing involves adding extra resources to critical activities to shorten durations, while fast-tracking entails overlapping project tasks that were initially scheduled sequentially.

However, given the hurricane-stop duration of one month and the fixed deadline, crashing might be limited if additional resources are not readily available or if the remaining work is already resource-intensive. Fast-tracking may be more feasible, such as overlapping some construction activities or work streams, to recover lost time. Nonetheless, this increases risk and may compromise quality, especially if work quality inspections and repairs are rushed.

Since the project is close to completion, an alternative is to evaluate whether any non-critical activities can be accelerated or deferred without affecting the project’s overall performance. For instance, administrative or finishing tasks might be prioritized to ensure the project meets the deadline without additional costs or excessive risks.

Cost Management Considerations

Given the fixed budget, any approach that increases costs—such as overtime work, additional labor, or advanced equipment—must be carefully evaluated against allowable expenditures. Since the project budget cannot be exceeded, trade-offs are necessary. For instance, if accelerating certain critical tasks via crashing increases costs beyond the budget, then the project might need to accept some schedule delays unless additional funding can be secured.

One cost-effective option is to negotiate with the stakeholders or investors for a partial schedule extension, if possible, to relieve pressure. If not, then resource reallocation to critical tasks might help in maintaining schedule targets without exceeding budget.

Performance and Quality Maintenance

Maintaining project performance in terms of quality is vital, especially after a natural disaster that could compromise structural integrity or aesthetics. Post-hurricane repair work must meet the original standards to ensure safety and durability. Fast-tracking or rushing work might diminish quality; thus, quality assurance processes should be integrated within the schedule compression plans.

The project managers must also monitor ongoing work carefully, employing quality control measures and ensuring safety protocols are observed, particularly given the recent storm damage. Proper documentation of repairs and inspections will be essential to prevent future liabilities.

Conclusion: Strategic Management Approach

In conclusion, managing the project post-hurricane involves a delicate balance. The most viable approach is to employ fast-tracking and re-sequencing of activities within the existing schedule constraints, focusing on critical path tasks, and leveraging any available means to recover lost time without exceeding the fixed budget or compromising quality. Engaging stakeholders for possible schedule adjustments or additional funding could further aid in maintaining project performance. Effective communication and proactive risk management are essential to navigate these challenges successfully. Ultimately, the project’s success hinges on strategic decision-making rooted in risk assessment, resource optimization, and quality control.

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