BROCK UNIVERSITY

Report to the Capital Projects and Facilities Committee

Information Item
TOPIC: Generative Discussion on Project Management Risk
October 21, 2010
Thomas Saint-Ivany Associate Vice-President, Facilities Management
BACKGROUND
Projects vs. Operational Work1. Organizations perform work to achieve a set of objectives.
Generally, work can be categorized as either projects or operations, although the two
sometimes overlap. They share many of the following characteristics:

Performed by people
Constrained by limited resources
Planned, executed, and controlled

Projects and operations differ primarily in that operations are on-going and repetitive, while
projects are temporary and unique.
The objectives of projects and operations are
fundamentally different. The purpose of a project is to attain its objective and then
terminate. Conversely, the objective of an on-going operation is to sustain the organization.
Projects are different because the project concludes when its specific objectives have been
attained, while operations adopt a new set of objectives and the work continues.
The organization of Brock Universitys Facilities Management Department can be found at
Attachment 1. Generally, on-going operations are performed by two of the three Services
Units of Facilities Management: Maintenance & Operations (Utilities) Services and Custodial
(including Property Management) Services. Projects are performed by the third Services Unit:
Campus Planning, Design & Construction Services.
At times, the line-Managers of
Maintenance & Operations Services will manage projects related to their specific functional
responsibilities (i.e. Co-generation Plant, Mechanical, Electrical, Structural, and Grounds).
When so doing, they are not readily able to address on-going operations matters related to
their functional areas.
What is a Project2? A project is a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique
product, service, or result. Projects are a means of organizing activities that cannot be
addressed within the organizations normal operational limits. Projects are, therefore, often
utilized as a means of achieving an organizations strategic plan, whether the project team is
employed by the organization or is a contracted service provider or a combination of both.
Facilities Management generally utilizes a threshold of $10,000 along with whether or not the

1
2

A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, 3rd Edition, Project Management Institute, 2004.
Ibid.

work needs to be designed/engineered as key determinants of whether or not the work being
requested is to be categorized as a project and the routing that it is to take:

Utilizing the standing operating budget accounts and personnel resources (Trades
and Contractors) of Maintenance & Operations Services.

Utilizing the Universitys Mid-Year Review and New Fiscal Year Budget
Development processes to secure funding through University Operating Budget
allocations, Faculty/Department Budgets, Research Funding, and one-time/ongoing Federal and Provincial programs (e.g. FRP) and delivering projects by
Campus Planning, Design & Construction Services. As noted above, projects could
be assigned by Campus Planning Design & Construction Services to Maintenance &
Operations Services for implementation but remaining under the monitoring and
control of Campus Planning, Design & Construction Services.

What is Project Management3? Project management is the application of knowledge, skills,

tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements.
Project
management is accomplished through the application and integration of the project
management processes of initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and
closing. The project manager is the person responsible for accomplishing the project
objectives. Managing a project includes:

Identifying requirements
Establishing clear and achievable objectives
Balancing the competing demands for quality, scope, time, and cost
Adapting the specifications, plans, and approach to the different concerns and
expectations of the various stakeholders

Project managers often talk of a triple constraint project scope, time and cost in
managing competing project requirements. Project quality is affected by balancing these
three factors. High quality projects deliver the required product, service or result within
scope, on time, and within budget. The relationship among these factors is such that if any
one of the three factors changes, at least one other factor is likely to be affected. Project
managers also manage projects in response to uncertainty. Project risk is an uncertain event
or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on at least one project
objective.
The Project Management Institute has identified the following nine project management
knowledge areas for the effective management of projects:

Project Integration Management

Project Scope Management
Project Time Management
Project Cost Management
Project Quality Management
Project Human Resource Management

Ibid.

Project Communications Management

Project Risk Management
Project Procurement Management

Resources for Delivering Projects. The following are resources that can be used for the
delivery of projects or in direct support of that delivery (those in italics are currently being
utilized by the University):

In-house full-time employees in Campus Planning Design & Construction Services

(project managers)

In-house full-time employees in Maintenance & Operations Services (line

Managers)

In-house full-time employees in Custodial Services (property management) and FM

Central Services (Administrative Assistant, Real Property Asset Management
Coordinator)

In-house full-time employees Financial & Administrative Services

Contracted consultants providing project management services (project director,

project manager, financial and administrative staff)

Seconded contracted consultant staff

In-house full-time employees Information Technology Services

In-house contract staff in Campus Planning, Design & Construction Services
(project coordinator, planning assistant)

DISCUSSION
The following are some questions to help initiate discussion on project management risk:

How many projects can one project manager effectively manage simultaneously?

What is the right balance of in-house and contract project management resources?

What is the risk of utilizing on-going operations staff for project delivery?

Where do we locate our project management resources?

What are the lessons learned and experiences with contracted consultants?

Are we able to and how do we effectively sustain projects of long duration and
complexity in the face of continually emerging new requirements and initiatives?
What Key Performance Indicators are of importance to the institution?
What is the optimal balance of projects and resource allocation for space, growth
and functional needs vs. deferred maintenance, compliance and renewal needs?