Introduction
Strategic vision and planning are important elements of any project which determine the project outcomes. Development of effective project management becomes important in maintenance of human relationships and ensuring the physical well-being of employees so that they give the maximum contriÂbution to efficient working. Historically, project success has been defined as bringing a project to conclusion on time, within budget, and according to specifications. MEGALINE is subsidy of M’Nickolas Construction Company, specialized in commercial real estate. I have worked for a year as a team member of this company and was involved in several projects. The problem was that MEGALINE had not had effective safety and security technology, so it developed a project which served internal needs of the company. The task of the project was to develop and introduce new effective safety system for all employees. In this situation, MEGALINE follows project management steps which help it to avoid additional financial spending and help to save financial resources.
Background
The task of the project was to develop effective safety technology for subcontractors and introduce it into practice. The project involved management of new construction equipment and developed of the state-of-the-art solutions for subcontractors. Similar to other projects, this project aims to achieve specified performance within an agreed time scale and budget. The project consists of three main phases: (1) goal statement, (2) planning, (3) implementation. The implementation of new technology in MEGALINE holds extreme importance for the employees and workers involved in the constructive projects. It not only ensures the safety and security environment for the workers but also minimizes the risk of accidents related. Safety environment in MEGALINE also ensures controlled environment, humanistic values, teamwork, participation, empowerment, proper monitoring and training.
The safety technology helps to increase motivation, spirit, enthusiasm, and sense of responsibility among other workers. The safety technology being followed in MEGALINE is very essential to be implemented because it is a vast and tremendously growing in which hundreds and thousands of people are getting involved day by day. Safety technology is basically considered to be an important part of the organizational structure of an organization which consists of several mutual organizational behaviours as well. It will also cover the important laws which should be brought to the notice of the government and the ones which are already being practiced by the government, people and companies related to MEGALINE in UK. The safety technology in MEGALINE is just like any other organization which consists of risk assessment, organizational structure, information sharing, coordination, training, communication and control aspects (Badiru, 2002).
For MEGALINE, the proposed project helps in reducing the risks involved to the employees’ security and life; and in addition, it increases the safety awareness among all the workers with the help of positive leadership and strategic planning from the management of the organization. Safety precautions and safer environment are mandatory to be implemented because it helps in minimizing not only the risks involves, but also decreases the delays and absence of the workers in the workforce who get sick or injured in accidents or on-site while doing work on the project sites (Badiru, 2002). The features which should be followed for the safety technology in a construction company are listed as under:
- Helps in getting the long term review of the company’s business strategy
- The new policy development gives priority to the safety environment prospects in the company
- The genuine and committed safety leadership of senior management wisely determines the resources allocation for better safety precautions and promotion
- It spreads the sense of hopefulness and confidence among the employees
- Conveys the communication and safety procedures more frequently to the target audience of the company
- Promotes safety procedures among all levels of management and employees for their own benefits
- Set up realistic, attainable, practical targets along with the performance standards which provide current information for correct evaluation
- Promotes supportive, democratize, participative, civilized management thinking style which helps in leading to sustainable level of management for all the working force involved
- Provision of good safety integrated training which could help in getting better skills
- Perception and procedural ways adoption for providing better employee relations
Tools and Techniques
The main project management techniques used by MEGALINE are planning cycle approach and schedule. It is recognized that there are certain safety procedures which are followed by companies in order to follow safe environment in the organizational structure. These models are made to help the organization to progress and develop with high revenue generation ratio and better performance shown by the working staff and professionals involved (Saaty, 1999).
Safety Technology Maturity Model is one such example of those models which help the company in progressing ahead with high ratio of development while doing preventive precautions to stop accidents in the working environment while ensuring safe technology for the employees and workers. The Safety Technology Maturity Model has been designed by the Psychologists based at the Keil Centre in Edinburgh and the main theme lied behind is to help the companies in developing their present safety technology and to recognize the actions through which the safety and security environment could be improved while supplying a structured safety technology improvement process to the working environment of the organizational structure (Badiru, 2002).
The best practice which could be used for incorporating the safety technology maturity model in the construction companies is to make certain groups and then set training schedules of employees. In these training sessions, the participants should be taught with specific and important situations where accidents could happen and how they should react accordingly (Blanchard and Johnson 2000). After completing the training sessions, they should be given cards individually where certain situations are stated inside the cards. The participants must read the situation and then answer appropriately what safety measures should be taken in what kind of situations. This way, every employee could be provided a chance to speak and express himself and could use his mental capabilities better than before (Laudon and Laudon 1999).
However, humans still make mistakes as “to err is human”. At times, the employees could neglect the safety precautions while working which cause accident, sickness or even serious injuries but it could be handled properly if appropriate measures are taken onsite immediately for the employees. It is because a certain system could only help the person to learn and evaluate what to do in what situations but the system itself cannot fight for the treatment of any type of accident and people should take care of it in practical real life (Blanchard and Johnson 2000). Safety technology maturity model helps the companies to analyze and evaluate their current state of maturity where the company would recognize the measures which are needed to be adopted for performance enhancement. This model helps the company to use the different kinds of behavioural tools and safety technology which are developed for the company. The model of Safety Technology Maturity Model is not a new technique for the construction industry and it helps in linking the current tools and programmes together. It also helps in increasing the level of productivity and efficiency among the employees, which raises the level of profit for the company eventually (Badiru, 2002).
Using scheduling techniques, it was recognized that MEGALINE is always ahead of facing accidents and different kinds of troubles all the time. By applying safety technology in the company, it could pay back as the best and most crucial investment made by the company with maximum output and encouraging results. The point which should be considered by the management of the company is to understand not the amount of cost being implemented for the safety technology in the company, but to consider what this cost could save vice versa in return (Blanchard and Johnson 2000). Apart from that, safety technology also helps in creating motivation factor in the employees because it make them believe and understand that the company does care for its workers and they should work with maximum productivity ad capacity for the betterment of the company business as well. Moreover, safety technology helps retaining employees trust in the company’s management and allows them to work with free spirit and without any fear (Kornfeld, and Rupp 2002). The vital advantages which MEGALINE enjoys because of the safety technology implementation in the construction companies are:
- Company gains the confidence and trust level of the workforce
- Workers work with efficiency and confidence that nothing can happen to them mostly
- The construction company maintains good reputation among other competitors in the marketplace
- Less number of accidents, sickness and absenteeism ratio
- Adequate facilities would be present for the workers
- The construction company can complete its project and given task within the deadline given
- The company would know how to work with good leadership, communication and controlling skills
- Know how of he modern technologies related to the construction field.
Gantt chart allows MEGALINE to save time and costs spent on alternative solutions and risks associated with the project. Over time, profits are tied inextricably to the satisfaction of consumer wants. Consumers provide the economic rationale for business and marketing activity (Blanchard and Johnson 2000).
The implemented project was based on extended model of project management and described the impact of resource scheduling, budgeting, teamwork, conflict management and knowledge management on the outcomes of the project. The times within the project when certain activities are undertaken can be altered to reduce the overload on critical resources. This approach is called resource leveling and, whilst it enables resources to be used more effectively, it may result in the project taking longer to complete if it is necessary to reschedule activities that are on the critical path. However, if the activities can be rescheduled to take account of float within non-critical activities, the overall completion date would not be affected. This approach is used when there are no time constraints and when the project has cost constraints and the teams are seeking to use the minimum number of resources in the most effective way (Frame 2000). Leadership and effective management help the project manager to direct and guide human resources and establish a positive culture and morale inside the organization
In MEGALINE, contingency planning requires a special attention because it influenced overall success of the project and its outcomes for the organization. The budget can be controversial in administration circles, in terms of whether it is well conceived and whether it would have lasting and beneficial effects. Both should assess their relative contributions to the total project management task and view each other as alternative and supporting resources. As alternatives project managers present management with different means of budgets. The problem at this level is one of deciding what proportion of the total budget should be allocated to each. Conceptually, the decision of the relative amounts to be spent on each is straightforward. Economic theory furnishes the marginal approach (Burkun, 2005).
In order to level conflict situations, MEGALINE uses leadership and persuasion techniques. The leadership capabilities used in this model are that of the leadership characteristics used in the Black Mouton Managerial Grid, such as; the Perish Leadership, Country Club Safety Leadership, Impoverished Leadership, Middle-of-the-Road Leadership, and Team Leadership. All these leadership styles help the construction managers to apply the best suitable style needed on the spot and use it wherever and whenever possible. This model helps the construction company’s managers to improve their leadership knowledge and skills by utilizing the best possible leadership style and providing the workers with what they need and want regarding the safety environment for onsite projects. The workers who are involved in this model with the construction companies are of different nature and classes, such as; site agent, technician, foreman, or general worker (Burkun, 2005).
Partnership and Collaboration
During the project, partnership and collaboration is achieved with the help of effective planning and leadership. A special attention is paid to contacts with suppliers and on-time delivery. For MEGALINE, contracting is very crucial and of great importance in the construction industry. It includes the people, the supervisors, the management and the tactics through which the management and the managers take control of their working staff successfully (Senge, 1990). Good partnership and collaboration in the construction industry not only manages the entire staff, but also enhances the productivity of the company by providing the projects on time. Well managed leadership not only provides the company with on-time complete projects, but it also improves the overall performance, productivity of the company while making it competitive enough for other construction companies present in the UK marketplace. It also helps the leaders to understand the needs and wants of the workers while managing them with a friendly gesture (Senge, 1990).
Team Leadership style involves high level of safety performance and high safety initiation. This style is basically for the managerial level and could be applied to the Safety Technology Leadership as well. This technique is the right place for the Site Agent who thinks that both the safety initiation and safety performance are of great importance and thus, he implies them both in parallel in the working environment. In the construction companies, managers use this approach to make the other workers realize that they are important for the company and the company cares for them as well. This technique posses medium level of safety initiation and medium safety performance as well. In the first go, this medium approach seems ideal and perfect to the workers and leaders. But later on, there are some problems which are faced by the management and workers simultaneously. Workers usually get along with medium level of performance while adopting this level of style. Managers who make use of this style on the construction site try to keep a balance between the productivity and the comfort level of the workers. There are certain safety procedures which are followed by companies in order to follow safe environment in the organizational structure. These models are made to help the organization to progress and develop with high revenue generation ratio and better performance shown by the working staff and professionals involved (Burkun, 2005).
Apart from all the benefits and bright side presented here, the dark side of the construction industry is that it is considered dirty, hardworking, dangerous, vulnerable, risky and unreliable because of the lack in the safety procedure adoption. This is why safety technology has become predominant feature in the construction industry for the companies because it involves the methods adopted on work, productivity, loyalty, quality, commitment, satisfaction, motivation and absenteeism of the employees as well as of the management. Safety technology is the need in the construction industries which has been embedded for the security, social, economic, humanity, environmental and technical interests of the employees which ensures the sense of security among the workers in the workforce. It also helps in promoting the safe and security environment in the organization (Frame, 2002).
In MEGALINE, the contingency perspective on organizational structure rejected the quest for one common set of principles to guide organizational design. What remains for examination once this foundation has been accepted and understood is the peculiar distortion of both decision making and worker participation created by long-term accumulation of decision-making power in the hands of narrow technical and functional specialists. Thus, this situation prevents the organization from effective contingency planning which covers all aspects of organizational performance. The main problem of contingency budgets is that as organization and technology became increasingly complex, structure remain, but decision making begins to fragment into a variety of specialized technical domains (Frame, 2002).
Project Risks
The main risks in this project involved human risk factors and operational risks. The company relied on suppliers of safety technology and depended upon on-time delivery. Any delay could be very costly for the company. A major source of risk on the project is tied to difficulties in managing needs and requirements. If needs have not been identified correctly and if the corresponding requirements do not capture real needs properly, then a project is foredoomed to fail because it will produce deliverables that do not correspond to customers’ needs and wants. Proper management is a necessary condition for project success. Problems begin with attempts to identify needs. One common difficulty is determining who the customers are. At first blush, the answer may seem obvious: the key customer is the individual who is paying the bill. But reflection shows that this perspective is too narrow.
Effective risk management does not happen automatically.. In projects, there are techniques that may help to reduce uncertainty of the future and hence are valuable. In the area of investment decisions, probability forecasts are very important, e.g. variable estimates of future sales costs and prices will affect the estimated rates of return on capital invested in projects. In order to avoid and minimize these risks, the Black Mouton Managerial Grid was used, It is a convenient and very functional framework which assists the employees and workers to high extends while onsite construction sites and constructive work. It is a behavioural leadership model which also helps the workers to work with convenience while following the safety procedures and safety technology at the construction sites. According to the Black Mouton Managerial Grid, when the safety performance and safety initiations or apprehensions are high, the engagement of workers and professionals get involved increasingly respectively (Frame, 2002).
Conclusion
As explained above, the safety technology in MEGALINE is the utmost important aspect which is very crucial to be applied in every construction company because it helps in working better than before, retains the reputation of the company while giving employees their space to work with freedom and motivation gesture. This section has successfully outlined and explained the main concepts, principal, definitions, benefits and all the necessary information which should be known for proper security and safety technology in the construction companies. Customer requirements mean specific needs and expectations of the potential consumers and purchasers of goods. Changes in lifestyles and market environment have had a direct impact on goods and services produced, expenditures, and the consumption process. For example, the effect of increased leisure time, suburban living, shopping centers, automatic vending machines, automobiles, television, and widespread geographic shifts on consumer wants and needs is pronounced. The shift from rural to urban populations, the growing number of women employed in industry, the decrease in the length of the workweek, increasing productivity, and higher incomes all shape consumer behavior and, hence, market opportunity. purchasing decisions are affected by the customer’s life space. The life space may be segmented into an action and an orientation space. The action space refers to the arena and methods by which transactions take place, including organizational constraints imposed by business. The orientation space includes numerous economic, psychological, and source factors influencing buyer behavior.
MEGALINE’s project management shows that requirements must be precisely met because they determine profitability of the project and sales volume. If requirements and needs of customers are not met, the company will have some difficulty in sales. Customers are a heterogeneous group subjected to a multiplicity of forces that affect their attitudes, opinions, motives, desires, wants, needs, and, ultimately, buying behavior. They are individuals and groups, grownups and children, producers and users, families and businesses. Although each customer is a unique individual, marketing managers must think in terms of groups of “average consumers” or prototypes that comprise a more or less homogeneous market segment. Common wants and needs that pertain to the social, regional, educational, economic, psycho-logical, national, or other group interest of a market segment must be recognized and translated into profitable opportunity. The key difference is that to be labeled an innovation, the idea or invention must meet the test of market success. Entrepreneurial behavior is vision-based. It is based on a vision of the particular innovation satisfying a market need in a more satisfactory or less costly manner than existing solutions. And behind this vision lies a strong action orientation and belief structure that seemingly impels the individual and/or organization to work and build and to become single minded until success has been achieved.
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