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CCM2426 Professional Project Development And Management

Student Number: M00266208 Student Name: Robby Parker Course: BSc Information Technology and Multimedia Seminar Tutor: Dr Michael Censlive
Robby Parker M00266208 Professional Project Development & Management

Work Breakdown Structure Method

1.0 Introduction: Work Breakdown structure (WBS) is a project management methodology that enables effective planning and control over a specific project, programme or event. The methodology is a tree based structure which, according to wikipedia shows a subdivision of effort required to achieve an objective. According to Brighthub.com the method can allow the project to be broken down into more manageable pieces and:
Assists with accurate project organization Helps with assigning responsibilities Shows the control points and project milestones Allows for more accurate estimation of cost, risk and time Helps explain the project scope to stakeholders

http://www.brighthub.com/office/project-management/articles/2645.aspx

The Olympics in 2012 will be taking place in London between July 27 th to August 12th 2012. The Olympics have 9 million tickets on sale. It is reported by City-oflondon.com that there will be more than 17,000 athletes competing in 26 different sports. There is an expected 20,000 journalists who will be covering the 2012 Olympics and around 500,000 spectators per day. The games will last for around 2 months including the Paralympic games, but preparation up to this started when the last Olympics finished. The aim for this assignment is to identify the issues the UK is facing with hosting the 2012 Olympics, and will focus on one of the four main problems and see how a Work Breakdown Structure method can break down the problem and suggest possible solutions.

2.0 Issues identified for 2012 Olympics There have been a number of highly publicised issues facing the London 2012 Olympics. The following challenges are four of the key problems that can be identified. 2.1 Budget The budget for the 2012 Olympics has become a problem and continued to rise from the original 2.4 Billion budget almost quadrupling to 9.325 billion. From the budget there was a 2.75 billion contingency fund in place to cover any Robby Parker M00266208 Professional Project Development & Management

financial issues prior to or during the games. Currently, there is only 1.27 billion left of the contingency fund that has already been set aside for predicted risks leaving only a 194 million for any other issues that may arise. There is a term continuously being used in the media; The Black Hole which relates to some of the funding managed by the London Development Agency (LDA) of which they have apparently lost. According to This is London and the BBC, the LDA are unable to account for over 160 million, highlighted through an audit KPMG undertook on the finances. There has been a village built for the competitors of the 2012 Olympics however due to budget cuts, the competitors are going to be forced to squeeze into an apartment living up to 5 people rather than 4. The Guardian reported that the UK government is looking at taking over the Olympics village as private building firms are running out of money and banks are looking at lending the money with a high interest rate, the UK government said that if they fund the village they would be able to make more money when the sell the properties after the Olympics and will not be faced with such high interest rates from the banks who are currently lending money for this village. If the government do take over the athletes village, there are concerns that the rest of contingency money will be wiped out. There had been a number of issues experienced with the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and many people have been reporting that the UK faces much bigger problems with regards to the budget in 2012. According to the Daily Mail residents in Vancouver have been making a lot of complaints after the organisers overspent by 2.4 billion and have said that once the Olympics have finished, the tax payers will be left to pick up the bill, and that it would be a long time before it could be cleared. Residents in the UK are also having the same concern like residents in Canada.

2.2 Security and terrorism issues There are a number of security concerns for the 2012 Olympics and the UK government is currently working to address these issues and is liaising with the Canadian government to get an idea of the problem they faced with the 2010 Olympics. Currently there is a threat known as Twin Terror Threat which is a blended attack consisting of a physical attack on London as well as on cyber systems. There is a current budget of 600 million to prepare Londons security agencies, some of the current security issues that have been identified are terrorism, petty crime, online ticket scams, and other serious crimes taking advantage of most of the security personnel focusing on the 2012 games.

Robby Parker M00266208 Professional Project Development & Management

Sky News reported there is due to be up to 9000 police officers placed on London streets as well as 6500 special officers during the games. Currently the security department is trying to prevent a lot of the problems prior to the games. Cyber terror is one of the major concerns for the Olympics as the UK government are concerned that attackers from criminal gangs, other governments, and terrorists will try and steal secrets, damage the economy and paralyse national services. This is London reported that in the Beijing Olympics the Chinese government reported there being 12 million computers hacked a day in an attempt to disrupt and defraud the event. Cyber threats just as bigger risk as physical threats during the Olympics. The budget for security during the Olympics is still set at 600 million but many are predicting it will exceed 1.5 billion and probably beyond that. Due to the current climate in the UK and throughout the world, security has to be a top priority and so that there are no problems like the 2005 suicide bombings. According to suite101.com, security agencies are going to be using military drowns as spies in the sky to monitor what is happening over the Olympic games, not only in Stratford but at other sites around the UK. Drones are normally used in places such as Afghanistan but due to the likely threat of there being a terror attack the UK is trying to prepare for every scenario.

2.3 Delays on construction The 2012 Olympics has seen a number of issues around the construction of stadiums and further problems are continuing to arise all the time. The Aquatics Centre and the Olympic Stadium are both still under construction with the date of completion changing all the time. According to the New Civil Engineer the Olympic Stadium is 75% complete now and on target for completion however Olympic chiefs have decided to cut the wrap around the outside of the stadium saving them a further 20 million, Olympics chiefs advised this was part of a 700 million savings plan to keep for budget for the 2012 Olympics on track There have also been a number of issues over the Olympic Village due to budget problems and worries that construction companies will go bust. 2010londonolympics.com reported that the Olympic Village has now been reduced from 4,200 apartments down to 3,300 apartments. The Olympic Delivery Authority have recently said that it will be able to deliver the construction programme within the current budget and required timescales. However, with the Olympic games not being until 2012 and taking into consideration its only the end of 2010 now, should problems arise with construction, there is little or no more to play with in the current budget, and tax payers may be forced to cover the bill. Robby Parker M00266208 Professional Project Development & Management

2.4 Transport issues There are a number of issues people will face across the UK whilst the Olympics are taking place and especially for those in London. The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham revealed that there are going to special lanes on roads totalling a 104 miles throughout London. These lanes will be used for 82,000 athletes, officials, VIPs, sponsors and media in buses and cars. The general public will not be allowed to use these lanes and will be fined up to 200 if they do. The Mayor of London hopes that the general public will understand that its vital for people to commute quickly between event locations. Currently there is a battle going on between officials for the Olympic Games as they have tried to plan for limousines to escort them between games as well as athletes, but with a lot of kick back and people criticising them for not using public transport like spectators, as officials advised spectators this was the most sensible way to travel. According to insidethegames.biz, the public have been outraged with Olympic Officials as they expect Londoners to give them special treatment although they can use the special route provided on public transport. With regards to public transport, the Telegraph reported how twenty five athletes felt just some of the pain as they had been planning a trip to see the East London stadium they would be competing in, but just eleven hours before they were informed that there would be a 24 hour tube strike, this left commuters having to drive in and use other means. If this happens in the Olympics, it will be fatal, as transport is a major priority, and public transport is a must, if there are no trains running, it will cause even more delays on the roads. As with the security issues, the UK could learn from Canada with the transportation issues they faced in the 2010 Olympic. This is London reported how during the Canadian Olympics some athletes were left stranded as an official bus network broke down and also a premier was late for an opening ceremony after he was stuck in traffic. With Londons roads being so congested at most times of the day, if London experiences similar problems like Canada, the country may be left embarrassed.

3. 0 Applying the Work Breakdown Structure method The Work Breakdown Structure method applied to the above issues facing the Olympics could help to further detail the aspects of the problem and help organisers to ensure the detail of each area are fully identified, properly planned and regularly reviewed. Below is a Work Breakdown Structure applied to the transportation issues facing the 2012 Olympics. This method has enabled a review of the key considerations Robby Parker M00266208 Professional Project Development & Management

in the planning of the 2012 Olympics and identified how each of the areas can be broken down to plan and review on a regular basis. The Work Breakdown Structure suggests that the organisers look at public transport and roads in relation to the venues, whilst also identifying and putting in place action for the risks. Planning and rolling out a communication plan to ensure all impacted by the Olympics are fully aware of the plans and where they may be affected this could alleviate some of the potential issues.

Transportatio n for London 2012 Venues Public transpor t Underground Overground Buses Roads Budge t Planned Devel strikes opmen ts Improv ements Security issues Engineeri ng works Risks Communicati on plan To residents

Location mappin g Access to public transpor t

Special lanes Closure s/works Conges t-ion plans

To athletes

To visitors

Robby Parker M00266208 Professional Project Development & Management

4.0 Conclusion The London 2012 Olympics have faced controversy and large amount of publicity in relation to the issues faced so far. There are a number of factors that continue to need to be addressed due to ineffective management of the budgets, the issues with transport and the potential security threats on the UK. If the London 2012 are to be a success and provide the legacy that it was hoped the Olympics could bring to the country then further planning and application of plans to address the current issues are needed. The Work Breakdown Structure methods are an effective way of enabling a project or certain aspects of a project to be broken down and addressed as smaller chunks, enabling better management and review of specific elements. 5.0 References Wikipedia (Online) available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_breakdown_structure Accessed 22nd November 2010 Bright Hub (Online) available from: http://www.brighthub.com/office/projectmanagement/articles/2645.aspx Accessed 22nd November 2010 Ehow (Online) available from: http://www.ehow.com/about_4680342_workbreakdown-structures.html Accessed 22nd November 2010 Hyperspot (Online) available from: http://www.hyperthot.com/pm_wbs.htm Accessed 22nd November 2010 IT Toolbox (Online) available from: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/enterprisesolutions/work-breakdown-structure-method-25069 Accessed 20th November 2010 City of London (Online) available from: http://city-of-london.com/london-olympics-2012.html Accessed 24th November 2010 This is London (Online) available from: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23760124-lda-to-shelve-pound45m-of-work-after-getting-sums-wrong-on-the-olympics.do Accessed 22nd November 2010 BBC News (Online) available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8250838.stm Accessed 20th November 2010 The Guardian (Online) available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/oct/09/olympics2012.athletics Accessed 20th November 2010 The Daily Mail(Online) available from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1251291/Fears-London-2012Olympics-Vancouvers-winter-games-blighted-problems.html Accessed 20th November 2010 Sky News (Online) available from: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/TwinTerror-Threat-To-London-Olympics-Security-ExpertWarn/Article/201003415579707 Accessed 22nd November 2010 Suite 101 (Online) available from: http://www.suite101.com/content/terrorism-threat-could-see-london-olympicsuse-military-drones-a264368 Accessed 22nd November 2010 Robby Parker M00266208 Professional Project Development & Management

This is London (Online) available from: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23888609-david-cameroncyber-attacks-key-threat-to-britain.do Accessed 21st November 2010 New Civil Engineering (Online) available from: http://www.nce.co.uk/news/business/spending-review-2010/london-2012stadium-hit-by-cuts/8607810.article Accessed 22nd November 2010 The 2012 London Olympics (Online) available from: http://www.the2012londonolympics.com/forum/printthread.php?t=13208 Accessed 24th November 2010 London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (Online) available from: http://www.lbhf.gov.uk/Directory/News/Olympics_will_delay_drivers.asp Accessed 22nd November 2010 Inside the Games(Online) available from: http://www.insidethegames.biz/summer-olympics/london-2012-news/10381exclusive-use-public-transport-during-london-2012-tories-tell-ioc Accessed 21st November 2010 BBC News (Online) available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8595881.stm Accessed 21st November 2010 This Is London (Online) available from: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23806760-tessa-jowell-london2012-must-learn-lessons-from-chaotic-vancouver-olympics.do Accessed 21st November 2010 The Telegraph (Online) available from: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/shart/100013270/london-2012-olympicstube-strike-raises-spectre-of-chaos/ Accessed 22nd November 2010

Robby Parker M00266208 Professional Project Development & Management

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