C19PT Project Management Coursework Two- Individual Assignment
Contemporary Issues in Project Management: the “Eco-Upgrade 2025” Project Case
(worth 60% of overall course grade)
Submission:
• Submission Deadline: before 12:00 pm (UK time) via submission box on Canvas
Assignment submitted within 5 working days after this deadline will lose 30% of the final
• mark. Submission is locked after 5 working days with zero marks.
You will receive the mark and feedback 3 weeks after the submission date.
•
1) INTRODUCTION
This coursework introduces a realistic, industry-based project management scenario developed in collaboration with Siemens LLC Dubai. The case study, titled “Eco-Upgrade 2025” is derived from an actual multi-site infrastructure upgrade project, designed to illustrate the complexity of managing large- scale, sustainability-focused engineering programmes under tight constraints to deliver against a demanding, quantifiable outcome.
You are tasked to draft a report on the planning of the Execution phase of this project, providing Project Charter, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS), Gantt Chart, Risk Register, and Project Launch Plan based on the information provided.
2) PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Eco-Upgrade 2025 initiative originated from the Pinnacle Horizon Development group; a major real estate owner committed to enhancing the operational efficiency of its multi-site commercial portfolio. Recognising the need for specialized expertise in large-scale system integration, Pinnacle Horizon partnered with Siemens, who took on the role of the primary contractor and system integrator. This organisational structure—client (Pinnacle Horizon) overseeing contractor (Siemens) for an immense, multi-site retrofit—immediately established a complex project environment focused on balancing aggressive sustainability targets with the operational realities of ten continuously occupied buildings.
The contract awarded to Siemens for the Pinnacle Horizon Development, formally titled “Eco- Upgrade 2025”, represented a critical commitment to sustainability, classified as a challenging Large-Scale Infrastructure Upgrade & IT Migration. The fundamental objective of the initiative was both ambitious and non-negotiable: to achieve a minimum 15% reduction in annual energy consumption across the ten major buildings targeted within the real estate portfolio.
This energy target established the ultimate metric of success, against which the entire investment would be measured. Financially, the project was scaled at AED 10 million in total, with AED 7.1 million specifically ring-fenced for the intensive Execution Phase, the core period under detailed operational scrutiny.
3) PROJECT SCOPE
To achieve the stringent 15% reduction goal, the comprehensive scope was structured around three highly interdependent technical workstreams.
• The most significant engineering challenge involved the Chiller Heart Transplants, requiring the replacement of one old, inefficient chiller unit in each of the ten buildings. This task demanded heavy logistical coordination, critical timing, and meticulous compliance with local Regulatory Compliance and building codes.
• Simultaneously, a vast Lighting Overhaul was required, necessitating the retrofit of 5,000 conventional lighting fixtures across the sites with modern, energy-efficient LED technology.
• Finally, the Smart Brain component provided the future-proofing layer, involving the installation of 400 energy-control sensors coupled with centralized equipment control software designed to optimize system performance dynamically, thus ensuring sustained efficiency post-launch.
The success of the Execution Phase was anchored to three Major Milestones:
• the physical Materials Delivery of specialised components like the chillers and LEDs.
• the successful completion of the installation and software deployment, marking Go-Live.
• and the ultimate validation point, which was the Final Handover following a rigorous 3-Month Energy Audit to confirm the 15% energy reduction target had been met.
However, the mission was immediately constrained by an aggressive 6-month timeline for the Execution Phase, leaving zero room for schedule slippage. This timeline was further compounded by severe operational friction, as the buildings remained fully occupied, enforcing strict Access limitations that mandated scheduling much of the intrusive work—like core drilling for sensors or crane access for chillers during off-peak hours, significantly increasing logistical complexity.
4) PROJECT RISK
The project manager identified three primary risks that threatened this precarious schedule:
• Firstly, the team faced potential Supply Chain Delays for the specialised, long-lead-time chiller units.
• Secondly, the large-scale nature of the installation work, the 5,000 lights and 400 sensors created a high probability of Occupant Disruption.
• Finally, the critical technical risk was the possibility of Integration Failure, where the new control sensors and software might not communicate correctly with the diverse, pre-existing building IT network.
5) PROJECT LAUNCH & HANDOVER
Crucial to moving the project from construction to daily operation was the structured Launch and Handover Plan. The official Formal Handover was set up with a checklist. This required the Operations team to sign off on all technical paperwork, including operations & maintenance (O&M) manuals and final technical drawings (as-built drawings).
The last step was the legal transfer of manufacturer warranties for the new equipment and a final Acceptance Sign-off by the Facility Manager. At the same time, a strong Training Plan was used. It followed a Train-the-Trainer model to teach the Facility Management team how to use the new control software. Training was specifically targeted at Maintenance Technicians (detailed operations) and Facility Managers (high-level reporting). This transition was supported by a dedicated 2-week post-launch support hotline from the vendor.
Finally, a Marketing and Communication effort was planned to manage the change. This included an internal announcement from the CEO/CFO via email about the successful upgrade and expected annual cost savings, and a success story presentation for the Board focused on sustainability. Key Publicity Material was created for the tenants, including an internal website FAQ about the new smart controls and a digital "User Guidance Flyer" (e.g., how tenants should report a light or temperature issue).
6) MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECT
Work Breakdown Structure:
The WBS is structured to the Work Package level for the chosen Execution Phase.
WBS Level Deliverable / Work Package Name
1.0 Execution Phase
1.1 Chiller Replacement (10 Units)
1.1.1 Chiller Decommissioning & Removal (per site)
1.1.2 New Chiller Installation & Piping (per site)
1.1.3 Chiller Start-up & Initial Testing (per site)
1.2 LED Lighting Retrofit (10,000 Fixtures)
1.2.1 Pre-Installation Circuit Mapping (per site)
1.2.2 Conventional Light Removal
1.2.3 LED Fixture Installation
1.2.4 Area Lighting Quality Verification
1.3 Smart Controls System Installation (400 Sensors)
1.3.1 Sensor Mounting & Cabling (per site)
1.3.2 Equipment Control Software Configuration (Central)
1.3.3 System Integration Testing (Chillers & Lights to Software)
1.4 Site & Project Closure
1.4.1 Final Site Clean-up & Waste Disposal
1.4.2 Phase Go/No-Go Decision & Sign-of
Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS) & Budget Allocation
The CBS maps the high-level budget structure to the WBS deliverables for the Execution Phase. This is a partial view, focusing on the execution portion of the total AED 10M budget.
CBS Item (Mapped to WBS) Budget Allocation (Execution Phase)
1.1 Chiller Replacement AED 4,500,000
Labor (Heavy Equipment, HVAC Technicians) AED1,500,000
Equipment/Materials (Chillers, Piping, Cranes) AED 3,000,000
1.2 LED Lighting Retrofit AED1,500,000
Labor (Electricians, Clean-up) AED 500,000
Equipment/Materials (LED Fixtures, Ballasts) AED 1,000,000
1.3 Smart Controls System Installation AED 1,000,000
Labor (IT/Controls Engineers, Installers) AED 400,000
Equipment/Materials (Sensors, Software Licenses) AED 600,000
1.4 Site & Project Closure AED100,000
Total Execution Phase Budget AED 7,100,000
Project Scheduling and Dependencies (Activities)
The following key activities detail the sequencing and duration required for a Critical Path Method (CPM) analysis and Gantt Chart design. Durations are expressed in Days for this project.
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Activity ID
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Activity Name
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Duration (Days)
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Preceding Activities (IDs)
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A
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Complete Site-Specific Safety & Access Permits (All 10 Bldgs)
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14
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-
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B
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Execute Chiller Replacement in First 5 Buildings (Group 1)
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56
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A
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C
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Execute LED Retrofit in First 5 Buildings (Group 1)
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42
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A
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D
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Integrate & Test Sensors in First 5 Buildings
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21
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C
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E
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Execute Chiller Replacement in Remaining 5 Buildings (Group 2)
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56
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B
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F
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Execute LED Retrofit in Remaining 5 Buildings (Group 2)
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42
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C
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G
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Integrate & Test Sensors in Remaining 5 Buildings
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21
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F
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H
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Full System Integration Test (All 10 Buildings)
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14
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D, G
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I
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Final Site Inspections & Documentation Handover
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7
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E, H
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J
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Phase Go/No-Go Decision
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7
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I
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7) CONTENT OF THE PROJECT REPORT
You are required to analyse the Siemens Eco-Upgrade 2025 case and produce a professional project management report that demonstrates your ability to plan and control a complex engineering project. Your work should be developed from the information provided in the case study, supported by independent research and relevant academic literature. Your submission must include the following components:
1. Executive Summary
2. Introduction
3. Project Charter
A concise summary of the project’s purpose, objectives, scope, success factors, available resources, milestones, risks, and approval signatures.
4. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
A structured WBS down to the work package level for the execution phase
5. Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS)
A detailed cost allocation mapped to the WBS, illustrating how the AED 7.1 million Execution Phase budget is distributed
6. Project Scheduling
A Gantt chart demonstrating the critical path, showing dependencies, sequence of activities, durations and milestones. Note that the milestones are indicated from the project case story itself and it was not included in the list of activities table.
7. Risk Management
Identify risks that might affect the project execution phase, categorise them in a Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS), and assess their probability and impact using a Probability/Impact Matrices. Finally, summarise this information in a Project Risk Register that list out the risk owner and responses to be implemented. Clearly state how your responses would address the three primary risks that threatened the precarious schedule in the main text. Use academic references to support your arguments.
8. Project Launch Plan
A structured Completion Checklist outlining items that need to be completed or modified before the project transitions from implementation to operational use, focusing on:
• Handover procedures
• Training strategy
• Internal and external communication and marketing
• Publicity and stakeholder engagement materials
9. Conclusion
10. Reference list
11. Annexures
8) GENERAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
• The submission deadline of CW2 is on 12:00 UK time.
• This report is to be 2500 words (+/- 10%) excluding reference list, tables, figures and annexures.
• Must contain a minimum of 5 academic references, excluding company/project/newspaper/magazines/web page references.
• Formatting style should be ‘Arial’, 12pt and 1.5 line spacing. The language must be third person, formal, presented in an academic style.
• Title/Cover page: You must include a title/cover page that includes: your student ID, module code, assignment title, word count.
• Use of GenAI: This assessment permits the use of GenAI but ONLY on GenAI-assisted presentation, and GenAI-assisted editing and proofreading, ONLY if they are clearly
referenced and noted in the submitted work. Detailed guidelines of how to reference them please refer to Canvas.
• Submission of CW2: A properly formatted Word file of your coursework MUST be
submitted to the correct Turnitin link (via the Assessment area on Canvas). No hard copy of your work is required even if you are based on campus. We do not accept submission through emails.
• Late submissions: In line with University Policy, any work submitted after the set date
and time will automatically have a penalty applied. The penalty is a reduction by 30% of the mark awarded. Submission will be accepted up to five working days after the
submission deadline - your work will be marked, the late penalty applied, and you will receive feedback. Coursework submitted after five working days will be awarded NO grade and you will not be entitled to feedback.
• Extensions. No extensions for coursework are permitted unless an extension is given to the whole class (in exceptional circumstances). The course leader cannot grant
individual extensions. If you foresee having issues submitting by the deadline, please contact your Personal Tutor and apply for Mitigating Circumstances (MC)