Bombardier Inc. Railway System Project Report - Essay Example

Type the of your here] Bombardier Inc. Railway System Project Report [Type sur here] [Type your ID here] Presented to [Type name of the Title and name of your tutor] Submitted on [Type date of submission] Contents Project Management Report 3 Railway System 3 Derivation 4 Quality criteria 6 Tailoring 7 1.Brainstorming 7 Business Case 8 Project Description 8 Project Approach 9 Project Management Team Structure 10 Project Definition 12 Plan Description 21 Plan Prerequisite 21 External Dependencies 21 Planning Assumptions 22 Monitoring and Control 22 Project Plan Descriptions 24 Person Authorized 25 Operations and maintenance 25 Tools and techniques 27 Records 27 Every task done and products produced will be recorded in such a way that they specific codes differentiating it from the others will be used (Prescott 1990). 27 Scales 27 Early warning Indicators 28 Review of Project Objectives 28 Project Continuation Plan 29 Approvals 29 Project Management Report Railway System This documentation introduces a project in the railway system, handled by a subsidiary of bombardier Inc. This company deals with the manufacture, and service of rail equipment and it also offers rail transport services. With the increase in daily population, a need to provide better and efficient mode of transport exists. When such a mode a transport system is put in place, congestion in major towns and increase in fuel consumption will reduce significantly. Amongst other advantages, such a kind of transport system should not subject the environment to contamination or pollution due to the increase in carbon emission. The project is also bound to increase economic growth by limiting the time a nation’s population spends on transit, the financial expenses incurred in fuel and provided its innovations of higher speeds and varieties of rail vehicle specialties. This project qualifies into the global category also owing to it necessitating inter-boundary mobility across countries, which is bound to improve international relations, while at the same time complementing other means of heavy load transportation at higher speeds with increased safety. It also meets increasing demand for decent travel, at the maximum securities through its signaling system. Resource savings will be experienced in automobile operating costs, relieved highway congestion, reduced exhaust emissions and energy consumption. More benefits include enhancement of the region’s current transportation system, its practicability as a private and public investment, job creation, community development as well as freight and commuter rail improvements. Derivation This project finds its derivation from a UK project proposal where they were attempting to build a high speed rail system. In their report various concerns were raised before they could think of its implementation. Such concerns were vital for the success of the high speed rail system. Amongst these were: 1. Costs and Revenues A realistic construction cost estimate was to be determined for the project to be a success. It was to be noted that capital costs had rose by 50% in 2008 (Wendell & Joseph 2008). In case of improvements of the rails, would it be within the operational costs? (Wendell & Joseph 2008).Therefore, quality yet affordable parts were needed for the project to be feasible. 2. Travel Time, Speed and Train Design The report noted that it was impossible for the high speed train to be faster as compared to other modes of transport such as air. This was going to be less attractive to customers. The report noted that the speed was going to be lengthened even further by the weight of the train. Hence for maximum achievable speed and time of travel, the train was to be designed in such a way that it would be faster and be more attractive to the potential customers. 3. Ridership Projections According to Wendell, the ridership was projected to be high. The load factors which were questionable and expectation of low fares were also considered. Therefore, a more elaborate system was to be designed so as to accommodate even more passengers. 4. Greenhouse Gas Reduction Wendell claims that environmental benefits that would come from the given high speed train was clearly overstated. It was to be noted that the system was to do little or nothing in the reduction of the green house emission. The high speed rail system would only remove less than two per cent of the current state objective (Wendell 2008). 5. Safety It was to be noted that with increased ridership, security of the passengers would be undermined. The report alludes that sufficient attention to rail security was not taken. A more elaborate security system has to be designed for the project to be a success. Quality criteria Bombardier Inc aims at designing and coming up with solutions to tackle the raised concerns. With embracing different technologies, such as Railway network monitoring technology, hazards looming in the rails will be greatly reduced. Defects that would put passengers at risk would be easily monitored and diagnosed (Schenck 2005). Implementation of this high speed rail system and others would be feasible, since strategy to tackle the concerns are to be put in place. The aims and objectives of Bombardier Company are: To increase operating speeds, train frequencies and high system reliability. To increase system connectivity. To offer an environmentally sustainable railway transportation. To construct a trans-national rail transportation network, which should be in a position to interact efficiently with other transportation networks (between 2 states of choice, with which the host nation shares major economic connection that might yield Bombardier chunky returns)? Inter-boundary transportation is also most likely to increase the company’s customer base and improve on its international relations, increasing its position as an internationally renowned company. To regulate rail energy consumption, hence increasing cost efficiency thereby reducing operating costs of Bombardier Company and increasing the system’s carbon performance. To ensure transparency and unbiased access to rail equipment and all related services. This should include increasing operating speeds which would ultimately increase frequencies and efficiency to the diverse customer base. To install signaling systems that will alert in cases of errors and emergency so as to assure safety to customers and guard against losses to the company itself. This will include rail network monitoring technology that will conduct wheel-scans, identify temperatures in the hotbox to prevent overheating, scan the entire contour of the train to identify foreign materials Investment safety forms any company’s major objective such that assuring them of security will be a plus point (Rail Freight Services 2013). Tailoring Bombardier Inc aims at using various management tools in the realization of its objectives. Amongst such tools are: 1. Brainstorming Bombardier will involve its team in a brainstorming session where the members will come with niche cutting ideas in solving the problems arising (Davies 2002). Ideas that would come as a result of this will be critically analysed and its feasibility tested to ascertain if the aims and objectives of the company will be met. 2. Fishbone Diagrams Bombardier will engage the use of fish bone diagrams in fault detection during the manufacturing and production of components. Tasks to be carried out by the company shall also be managed by such diagrams. Hidden factors that can be significant in enabling larger activities and resource areas can be identified using such diagrams. 3. Critical path analysis PERT as a tool, will be used in the identification and related and interdependent activities and events to be carried out. It will come in handy in places where timing and interdependency will be crucial for the achievement of the objective. Flow diagrams Flow diagrams also as a tool within the critical path analysis will be used to show independent factors with overlapping or coinciding timing. The flow diagrams will enable planners to identify causal elements (Chapman 1996). Business Case With the daily increase in population, need for a better and efficient mode of transport is necessary. The mode to be chosen should be efficient in terms of cost, safety, speed, reliability, minimal pollution and so on. These needs can only be achieved when a railway system as a mode of transport is put in place. Bombardier Inc therefore, comes in handy by the provision of quality yet cost effective rail equipment services in accordance with the law, to the concerned authorities. Project Description Every company considers safety to be one of its major concerns, and any attempt to sort this issue out would be greatly appreciated. In this connection, Bombardier Inc. aims at installing signal systems in a train system that will alert in cases of errors and emergency so as to assure safety to customers and guard against losses to the company itself. It will provide rail network monitoring technology that will conduct wheel-scans, monitor temperatures to keep overheating in check, scan the whole train to ensure that no foreign body that will pose a threat on security (Schenk 2005). Project Approach Bombardier will isolate security as its major option for business, and specialise on it. It opts at manufacturing and providing security solutions in the railway system. With the installation of signal systems, errors and emergency will be easily noted and action taken accordingly thereby assuring safety of passengers and of the business. It also plans at adopting the rail network monitoring technology to conduct wheel-scans, identify and monitor temperature changes in the hotbox to prevent overheating, scan the entire contour of the train to identify foreign materials that might cause security threat and ensure that action is taken accordingly. Bombardier Inc. will manufacture and produce superior yet environment friendly equipment (Grassie 2004). With embracing the above technologies, it will ensure use of cost effective methods in fulfilling the needs and wishes of its customers, who in this case will be mostly the government and train service providers. Project Management Team Structure Role Named Individual(s) Role Description Project Director Plays the supervisory role of all the organs of the company. Fully responsible for each and every action taken. Development Manager Designing and implementation of core tasks and objectives. Reports to the Project director. Product management Responsible for each and every product that is produced by the company. , Approve resources. Monitors the progress and organizational impact of the project Program Management They set the priorities, give directions, resolves issues passed to them. Empowers staff. Support product Managers in accomplishing their project goals. Testing Quality Assurance Will ensure that all protocols are observed during each stage of production. Through tests, they will ensure that all the products and equipment of the company pass the standards specified by the law, and the objectives of the company. Supplier In charge of all the supplies and logistics and planning that would be made by the company. Team Managers Will be directly in charge of the project support staff and that they will be responsible for their motivation towards work. Project support They will be in charge of the coming up with niche cutting ideas on how to best solve issues arising. Project Definition The continued increase in population is a major concern with the transport sector. According to the rail planning of 2007, the railway system was anticipated to carry close to 200 million more passengers in less than a decade years to come (UK Rail Planning 2007). This need to carry more passengers necessitates existence of quality, environment friendly components. More elaborate systems should be provided to ensure the safety of the passengers even with the increased numbers. Project objectives With its products and services, Bombardier Inc aims at: Increasing the operating speeds, train frequencies and high system reliability. Offering environmentally sustainable railway transportation system. Joining two or more states that share economic structures, thereby profiting the company and expanding its regional dominance. Offering unrivalled security systems that would assure safety to customers and guard against losses to the company itself. Desired outcomes Bombardier Inc aims at maximizing profit by offering unrivalled affordable, yet quality services Project scope and exclusions The project will be targeting business in major towns, since transport problems caused by population outbursts are more prone in towns than any other place. Constraints and assumptions Availability of enough funding poses as a major constraint to this project. However, the assumptions made with regards to its implementation are: More passengers will opt for railway as an alternative mode of transport. At the end of the project, all the objectives will have been met. There will be no major changes in technology in the near future that would affect the project. There will be an existence of highly skilled manpower during the project implementation. Time allocated for the entire project to be complete will be enough. Project Tolerances Tolerance Limitations, requirements Time Tasks that are allocated less time than required will translate to inadequate time for the entire project. Cost Availability of enough funds is crucial for the success of the project. Risk Technology-An introduction of a better technology in the future and technology failure. Benefit The project’s goals and purpose shall only be attainable if the project is a success. Scope The project will only cover the security system in the rail. Other concerns are not solved by it. Quality The quality of the final output will depend on the quality of components used and the man power in place. Quality Management structure Bombardier management structure consists of the executive, senior users, senior suppliers, team managers and technical support. The executive which in this case are the project director and the development manager will approve quality management products and confirm the acceptance of the outputs of the project. The senior users (Product and program managers’) will be involved with specifying the project’s products and provide resources to verify that the correctness of the products and its acceptance. The test quality assurance and the supplier comprise the senior suppliers. They are integrated in the review of specifications for the products set and verify if they are attainable and can be delivered. They shall approve the methods, tools, and techniques that are set out in the quality management strategy and note if they conform to aims and objective set (Davies 2002). Configuration Management structure Once the system is already put in place and is functional, the customer will identify persons responsible for the monitoring of the system to ensure that it is well functional. Bombardier Inc will provide training to these persons and impart knowledge on them accordingly. The officials will be trained on how to act in case of an emergency. If there will be a suspected fault in the system, the official will be forced to report the matter with great urgency to the company for technical support (Chapman 1996). Quality Criteria Security being a major concern in business today, our project aims at solving the needs when they arise. Signal systems and rail network monitoring technology will be incorporated in achieving this. With production and installation of components that will be of unrivalled match, security and safety of the passengers and the business at large shall be enhanced (Smith 2013). The management structure will work hand in hand in ensuring that the company’s aims and objective are met as outlined by their roles. The acceptance criteria shall ensure that the project standard is adhered to. The products shall go through a series of tests, in accordance to the standards put in place (Schipper 1997). This will ensure that only quality products are produced. Project Description Identifier Bombardier Inc, Security Enhancement System Title Safety and Security System(Alarm, Railway Monitoring System) Purpose The purpose of this project is to ensure that security and safety of passengers are enhanced in the rail system. Alarm systems and rail monitoring technology will be incorporated to ensure that this is realized. Composition Project conception and initialisation, project pre-feasibility study, data collection, project feasibility study, design work, implementation and project monitoring and control. Derivation The project finds its derivation from the continued increase in security threat levels in the transport system. Bombardier aims at utilising MULTIRAIL® Monitoring Technology for the Rail Network as its basis for solving such problems. Format & Presentation Document Development skills required For implementation of the project to be a success, highly experienced members of staff are required. Quality Responsibilities The auditors and approvers of the project will be persons who have hands on experience with the railway sector and should be well versed with the technology in place. Quality Criteria Quality Tolerance Quality Method Quality Check Skills Required To what quality specification must the project be produced, and what quality measurements to be applied by the inspectors. Every component that would be manufactured and or assembled by the company should have passed the national quality standard test. The components will be subjected to quality tests as regards to their specification. This will be done in accordance with the laid down procedures of the standardizing body. The individual to carry out the said tests have to be certified and accredited by the relevant responsible body (Haugan 2002). Executive Summary With the daily increase in population, need for a better and efficient mode of transport is necessary. The efficiency should not only be in terms of speed and reduction in time of travel but should be in terms of security. Security plays an important role in business, not only does it ensures the customers safety but the business as well. The profitability of any company pegs its being in security, and that is why Bombardier also takes it up as a challenge. However, implementation of efficient security system will not only require experienced and highly skilled staff, but high start-up capital. Hiring these personnel will definitely raise the total cost for the project to be successful (Martin & Michael 1984). Reasons With enhanced security system, more passengers will be expected to use the railway as an alternative to other modes of transport. This will increase economic growth by limiting the time a nation’s population spends on transit, the financial expenses incurred in fuel and provided its innovations of higher speeds and varieties of rail vehicle specialties (Wilbur Smith Associates 2013). The project will also qualify into the global category by necessitating inter-boundary mobility across countries, which is bound to improve international relations, while at the same time complementing other means of heavy load transportation at higher speeds with increased safety. Resource savings will be experienced in automobile operating costs, relieved highway congestion, reduced exhaust emissions and energy consumption (Schipper 1997). More benefits include enhancement of the region’s current transportation system, its practicability as a private and public investment, job creation, community development as well as freight and commuter rail improvements. Business Options The structure will make sure that all procedures and protocols are followed. They will carry out all the studies to make sure that it is viable and is in line with the company’s objective. Expected Benefits Benefit Benefit measurement Enhanced security for both passengers and the business. Alert in case of errors and emergency. Environmentally sustainable railway transportation. Increased carbon performance of the system. Reduced carbon emission to the environment. Increased train frequencies system and reliability. Defects that would put passengers at risk would be easily monitored and diagnosed ExpectedDis-benefits Dis-Benefit Dis-Benefit measurement Reduced train speeds. Control of the heating system Increased commotion during emergency Panic when the distress signal goes off. Timescales The project is expected to take a maximum of two months. Costs Level Estimate £ Actual £ Tolerance +/- Overall Project Costs 6,500 5,500 -1000 Data collection and Feasibility tests 1,000 1700 +700 Implementation 5,500 3,800 -1700 Investment Appraisal After comparing the merits and demerits of the project, the team found out that the project was indeed viable and that it would be a success. Project plan The project planning will follow the steps below. Plan Description From project conceptualisation and initialisation, the project will follow all the steps as outlined in the above flow diagram. Members of staff will handle the given tasks with regards to their job description. Each task will be completed before proceeding to the next level of task (Pinto & Prescott 1990). Plan Prerequisite For the success of the project, team members halve to fully participate in the daily activities of the same. External Dependencies Current laws and legislations in place might affect the achievability of the project in the set period of time. Planning Assumptions Every task in place is achievable within the set period of time. Monitoring and Control The project director will directly supervise all the other members of the team. He’ll ensure that all steps are followed with regards to control and monitoring. Plan Tolerances When the project director realises that some tasks might actually take longer than expected, he will make a rapid decision of either bringing in more personnel to help in solving the task, or look for a better alternative of handling the problem (Chapman 1996). Project Plan Descriptions The project plan will follow the following stages as earlier shown: Project conception and initialisation, project pre-feasibility study, data collection, project feasibility study, design work, implementation and project monitoring and control. Project conception and initialisation deals with the prioritization of the problems already identified, considering the resources available for its solution in a SMART manner. Pre-feasibility study subjects the methods of analysis and takes into account several factors such as the market, cost project organisation and so on, which would be favourable to the project (Kuruppuarachchi & Mandal 2002). Design work involves the team members coming with ideas on how best they can solve the problem at hand. It involves coming up with theoretical ways of handling the said problem. Implementation on the other hand will involve putting the ideas brought by the design team in actual action. Monitoring and Evaluation are processes for finding out whether the project implementation is progressing as earlier planned (Haugan 2002). Date Date of Agreement ………………………………………………….. Person Authorized Name of the individual ……………………………………………………. Techniques, processes and procedures Bombardier will rely on the advisory group and task force to represent ideas on how to tackle the given security problem. These groups will then generate newer ideas and make recommendation on the best way to tackle them. Operations and maintenance Acquisition, verification and installation of components in the system are to be done by a competent team. Training where need would be is crucial before the actual implementation and commissioning of the system. Reporting arrangements Reports after the end of each and every task will be written by the persons in charge and forwarded to the project director. Project Monitoring Control NO YES NO NO YES YES YES Tools and techniques The development manager will be responsible for the configuration management while following all the above procedures Audit and Risk Procedures Configuration audit shall be carried out with completion of each phase to ensure that every product has been produced. The products shall also undergo a series of review to determine defects and would be updates to be made accordingly (Prescott 1990). Audit will also be done at the closing phase of the product and that their delivery is made. Records Every task done and products produced will be recorded in such a way that they specific codes differentiating it from the others will be used (Prescott 1990). Scales All products will be completed according to the proposed schedule. The critical path shall be integrated in this. In case of unattainability, an exception report will be generated for the customers’ approval. Early warning Indicators If the project would be perceived to be taking too long than expected, critical tasks will be considered first, and the earliest finish time approximated. If it is found to be incompliance with the earlier set times and objectives, then immediate adjustments are to be made. End Project Report The project director will summarize the security products produced and installed against the initial objectives and aims of the company with regards to cost and time taken. Review of the business Case The project having been verified to be feasible is making great steps towards being a success. With active participation of the team members, the aims and objectives of the company shall soon be realized. Review of Project Objectives Originals as stated in the PID Actual Deviation +/- Time: xxx days 55 days -5 Cost: £xxx 5500 -1000 Tolerances:- Time: 55 days Cost: 5,500 Scope: Solving of security and safety concerns. None Quality: Components of high quality Benefit: Customer and business safety Risks: Technological advancement 0 Project Continuation Plan The future of this project and many others will depend on the way its implementation will affect the business. If the business would be realized to have grown, then such projects will be given a go ahead without hesitation. However if that is not the case, then there will be no further projects after the end of this one. Approvals Prepared By __________________________________ ([Job Title]) This document requires the following approvals Approved By __________________________________ ([Job Title]) __________________________________ ([Job Title]) Approval Date _________________________________ References Chapman, A., Project Management. Available from: [31 March 2013] Cox, W., & Vranich, J., The California High Speed Rail Proposal. Available from: [25 March 2013]. Davies, C. 2002, The "real" success factors on projects, International Journal Of Project Management, Vol. 20, no. 3, pp 185-190. Grassie, S., Wear. Available from:< http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wear.2004.03.065>.[25 March 2013]. Haugan, G. T., 2002, Project Planning and Scheudling, Management Concepts, Vienna. Kuruppuarachchi, P & Mandal, P 2002, Logistics Information Management, Journal of Enterprise Information Management, Vol. 15, no.2, pp. 46-58. Pinto, J & Prescott, J 1990, Planning and tactical factors in the Project Implementation Process, Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 9, no.1, pp. 49-62. Rail Freight Services 2013, On The Right Track. Available from: .[25 March 2013]. Schenck Process 2005, Full Speed Ahead. Available from : .[25 March 2013]. Schipper, L., Transportation Research Part D:Transport And Environment. Available from:.[25 March 2013]. Smith, W.,Statewide Rail Plan. Available from:.[25 March 2013]. UK Rail Planning 2007, The Next 30 years. Available from:.[26 March 2013]. Wilbur Smith Associates, Statewide Rail Plan. Available from:.[26 March 2013]. Read More