Page 21 - Business Insights 2012-2013

“We were invited by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) to undertake research
to seek to identify the key factors which have underpinned the success of the
2012 Olympic construction programme. Our focus was on the approach taken
to the overall management of the programme and the way this influenced how
individual construction projects were managed,” said Dr Davies.
The project was informed by a previous study of innovation on Heathrow
Terminal 5, a project which Dr Davies and his team were also involved in with
Laing O’Rourke. “The Olympic Park provided a logical and exciting setting to
develop our understanding of how innovation and continuous learning can be
successfully achieved in mega-projects.”
To give some context to the scale of the construction project, one of the
largest and most complex completed in this country, the building infrastructure
comprised of the Olympic Stadium, Velodrome, Aquatics Centre and Athletes
Village, along with the International Broadcast Centre / Media Press Centre, and
all the temporary structures.
By focusing primarily on the senior level of management and the major
innovations utilised on the project, Dr Davies and Dr Mackenzie were able to chart
not only the use of innovations, but how and why these developments occurred.
Through a series of interviews, the research identified three headline drivers that
were considered directly responsible for the success of the project:
1. The rigorous use of five key project and programme management processes
2. The explicit specification of a series of targets and principles around other key
programme objectives (such as health and safety)
3. A pervasive, high-level management philosophy adopted across the
entire programme
“On the face of it none of these factors are in themselves surprising and suggest
that the basis for all successful projects is a solid foundation of planning
and preparation,” said Dr Davies. “What was surprising in this case was the
combination of success factors and their level of delivery, which was hugely
impactful. Added to this, a series of ‘enabling factors’ supported these drivers,
which helped create the perfect conditions for delivery of the project.”
FEATURES
The Olympic Park provided a logical and
exciting setting to develop our understanding of
how innovation and continuous learning can be
successfully achieved in mega-projects.
21 BUSINESS INSIGHTS 2012 – 2013