Assignment Sample on Hull Smart City OS Project Management Report
Introduction
Project management involves a number of dimensions related to the different areas of a project
(Heagney, 2016) . This study includes a proper management report by incorporating the whole
planning of the Hull Smart City project. In order to develop the report, different models and
theoretical understanding from the module have also been applied. In the UK, several cities
have been transformed into smart city concepts. Smart cities involve the integration of
technologies and disciplines for providing better services to the citizens. Smart focuses on the
areas like traffic management, safety, and security, energy use, etc. With the investment of
£55,000 in traffic congestion issues, Hull City started to get involved in smart city projects. The
project is controlled and managed by the Hull City Council with the help of Connexin and Cisco,
two technological companies. Hull City has been upgrading its technology and infrastructure for
a long period of time. The city has improved the broadband services as well as the installation of
the Internet of Things. The overall aim of the project is to increase data sharing and decision
making for allowing the city council to deliver better services across different areas like traffic
congestion, health, and social care. Considering the context of the Hull Smart City, this study
focuses on certain areas to explore which are management of projects, management of
resources and mitigation of risks, and management of people and teams. The major aspects of
project management like stakeholder engagement, financial management, risk management,
change management, conflict and negotiation, leadership, and team work have been explored
here.
1.0. MANAGING PROJECTS
1.1. Project Manager
In order to successfully design, execute, and oversee the implementation of complex initiatives,
a project manager of a smart city project needs a wide range of skills. Project management
expertise is a key skill required among the project manager for better management of projects
(Meredith, et al., 2017) . The capacity to develop detailed project plans, define goals,
management of timeframes, allocation of resources, monitor progress, and reaction to changes
are highly crucial project management skills. It is advantageous to have knowledge of project
management approaches like Agile or Waterfall. The knowledge of Agile or Waterfall
methodology can help a project manager to improvise expertise and apply theoretical
knowledge in a project. In order to develop the project management expertise skill for the Hull
City project, the project managers require to focus on attending training and educational
courses. The training and educational courses for advanced technologies can be helpful and
effective for the project manager to learn and understand the way of executing the project as
per planning (Kerzner, 2022) . Along with this, the project manager also requires to develop an
understanding and knowledge of the project by exploring case studies of different smart city
projects. It is also essential to comprehend and understand the technological components of
smart city solutions. Effective coordination and collaboration with technical teams will be made
possible by familiarity with advanced technologies including the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial
intelligence (AI), data analytics, cloud computing, and connection infrastructure (Harrison &
Lock, 2017) . The Hull Smart City project is highly dependent and involves networking and
wireless technology. This is a key factor that reflects the need for AI, IoT, and other
technological knowledges of project managers. Various stakeholders, including the government,
the private sector, neighbourhood associations, and people, are involved in smart city projects.
The smart city project of Hull also involves a number of stakeholders like government, citizens,
communities, representative of Cisco and Connexin which reflects on the need of better
stakeholder management skill of project manager. Building connections, controlling
expectations, and resolving conflicts among stakeholders with various interests and agendas
require excellent interpersonal, communication, and negotiation skills (Magano, et al., 2020) . In
order to integrate the smart city project with the overarching vision and goals of the city, a
project manager should have the ability to think strategically. In order to guarantee that the
project is in line with long-term goals, this entails finding opportunities, assessing risks, and
making wise decisions. Smart city initiatives frequently deal with difficulties and complexities
that call for rapid and efficient problem-solving and decision-making abilities (Ngo & Hwang,
2022) . The success of a project depends on the team member’s capacity to analyse problems,
weigh options, and make decisions while under time constraints. One of the most important
aspects of managing smart city projects is identifying, evaluating, and mitigating risks. Risk
management strategies, such as risk identification, analysis, and contingency planning, should
be mastered by the project manager. Additionally, it was discovered that the relevant
technological framework reduced the city’s overall energy consumption levels by converting to
greener energy sources and energy-efficient structures. According to Mora & Bolici (2017),
considering the example of Amsterdam city, it is another crucial smart city that has public-
private cooperation in the “Amsterdam Smart City” project.
1.2. Stakeholder Engagement and Management
Stakeholder analysis is an important element in the process of rationalization of decision-
making and generally resolving issues that arise inside a project due to the difficulties of many
stakeholders. According to Van Niekerk (2016), a stakeholder matrix is considered as a project
management tool effective in identification of various project stakeholders as well as making
alignment with the actions of the project’s goals by attentively addressing their concerns of the
same. The Smart City OS project, which is further examined through the stakeholder matrix
below, was discovered to include a variety of stakeholders in the current report.
Government and regulatory authorities
(External Stakeholders)
● Government
● National and Local regulatory bodies
● Emergency services including police,
healthcare, fire fighters
● Representatives of Hull City
Companies and organisations (External
Stakeholders)
● Partners
● Suppliers
● Technological service providers
Project affecting the community (External
Stakeholders)
● Vulnerable citizens of the city
● Job aspirants
● The citizen of Hull City
● Educational institutions
Internal stakeholders
● Director
● Investors and shareholders
● Hull City Council
● Board of directors
The stakeholders that have been emphasised in the case study of the Smart City OS project in
Hull City are listed in the table above. The directors and assistant directors of the Hull City
Council, who were discovered to handle the current project, emerged as the key stakeholders
after further investigation. Additionally, the director was discovered to include several
innovations of more modern technologies in order to enhance general management operations.
The Internet of Things, in the words of de Oliveira & Rabechini Jr (2019), is the integration of
various computing powers and the integration of sensors that allows interchange of data with
other types of devices. As a result, it was discovered that the project manager and assistant
director were more interested in the enhancement of the IoT devices and effective data
management as well as communication processes.
Additionally, the inclusion of several project stakeholders has emerged to raise the project’s
credibility levels through increased communication. According to Pedrini & Ferri (2019), the
improvement of systematic procedure of identifying, doing planning, and analysis of activities
are concerned with the stakeholders within the development of a smart city project can be
achieved. The incorporation of stakeholder management theory is important in this regard. The
study also discovered stakeholder management as a process for identifying, communicating
with, classifying, and empowering the relevant stakeholders. As a result, it has also successfully
improved the stakeholders’ motivation levels by achieving a “resource dependence” approach to
emphasising the ethical problems that are present inside a project. Focusing on the current
case study, the assistant manager can continue to work on the Internet of Things’ development,
which might then aid in the creation of software that enhances Hull City’s residents’ ability to
handle their data. Planning, strategy development, strategy execution, as well as additional
follow-up measures have been identified as the four main stages for improvement in smart
cities. The University of Hull City was also discovered to be an important stakeholder and was
also taken into account in the stakeholder management by the project manager of the Smart
City OS. According to Srinivasan & Dhivya (2020), educational institutions’ participation as
external stakeholders in projects is important for improving businesses’ economic growth.
Additionally, the institutions can provide diverse managers as well as stakeholders with the
opportunity to learn about and do research on a variety of aspects to raise their levels of
creativity. The survey also revealed that it should concentrate on raising educational standards
to increase employment prospects in smart cities in the future. Additionally, smart cities are
more interested in stable and favourable economic conditions than regular, non-smart towns.
1.3. The Project Triangle
The model used for the constraints model of project management is represented by the “project
triangle” or “project management triangle”. Additionally, the project triangle takes on a variety of
restrictions, with its budget, deadlines, and project scope being the key ones. As a result of the
project's inability to get new government subsidies, the budget has become a significant
obstacle for Smart City OS. As a result, for estimation of the overall expected expenses needed
to complete the report, the project manager of the project needs to consider a number of
criteria. Additionally, according to Heagney (2016), cost estimation within a project budget is
necessary to ensure that it is completed within the allotted time frame. Additionally, the costs
associated with hiring labour and purchasing materials, as well as the overall operational
expenses related to maintaining production and completing the project, emerged as the different
elements of the project budget.
Focusing on a bottom-up strategy, the main factor also appeared as budget restrictions related
to adequate client specifications and requirements. Additionally, according to Ngo & Hwang
(2022), the scope of a project can be defined by including all of its different functions and
features in order to complete the project in question. Additionally, the scope can help in
acquiring the pertinent data at the time of project launch for satisfying pertinent needs of the
stakeholders. Considering the case study, a number of scopes can assist a project in the
determination of any potential hazards appearing in the city during natural calamities, such as
the incorporation of Defra's air quality database and the “Environment Agency’s” flood
monitoring system. Additionally, the city’s decision-making processes can also be improved by
the adoption of the “Hydro-Logic flooding alert” in addition to the efficient management of
abrasive conditions that can lead to flood crises. Contrarily, deadline management, according to
Harrison & Lock (2017), refers to the act of structuring, prioritising, and planning the relevant
workload of a project within a given amount of time. Additionally, the quality of a product’s
services aids in the prioritisation of clients and the control of competency levels. In order to
highlight the key restrictions of the current project, it is also required to include the risk factors of
project triangle.
Based on the past studies, it is also understood that high quality projects need to incorporate
the delivery of high quality variables in consideration to the effective connection required for
digital platforms. Additionally, effective technologies is also critical for advancing of IoT
digitalization for future development of Blockchain, Cloud, and other AI characteristics. Since
the current case study concentrates on development of high-speed network fibres and
LoRaWAN networks, which have proven to offer an advantage for Hull city. Thus, the money for
the relevant Smart City OS project requires to be under control with proper maintenance.
Additionally, the "Bartec Auto ID" technology has shown that time management is crucial for
merging the many aspects of traffic efficiency. Additionally, lowering overall expenses with the
extra assistance from the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and machine learning
algorithms, the weather forecasting "Vaisala IceCast" programme can also be include within
smart cities.
2.0. MANAGING RESOURCES AND MITIGATING RISKS
2.1. Managing Finances
Project management include management of finances as a key aspect of project. With the
presence of a reliable source of funding, a project can be completed on time along with the
maintenance of standards of project. Financial management is also considered as a topic in
project management that is divided into several phases or features (Boyle, 2017) . As an
example, budget planning, estimation, accounting, reporting, and auditing are the different areas
of budget in a project. These project related elements need to be maintained gradually or by
following certain steps. Working within the allocated budget is also a step-by-step process that
begins with planning and ends with the closure. A project management team is needed to take
availability as well as resource consumption into considered for managing the project’s financial
areas. This is because that a project can utilise its budget effectively with the consideration of
areas of budget. Proper resource utilisation can also help in this regard (Young, 2016) . For the
planning as well as implementation of the Hull Smart City project, a variety of resources needs
to be considered. In a technological project, software and hardware are the two primary
resource kinds that needs to be taken into consideration which is also applicable for the Hull
Smart City project. In addition, it is crucial to take into account human resources as well as other
project-related factors like salary and training for the Hull Smart City project.
The two most important resources in the Hull Smart City initiative are hardware and software. In
this regard, a sizable portion of the project’s budget will be required for the purchase of
hardware and software. The services provided to residents as well as visitors of the smart city
will also be dependent on the use of technology. IoT gadgets, internet connection cables, other
hardware to control the system, will be needed for the project and delivering services to the
individuals. By acquiring the efficient quality of raw materials, the recognised resources need to
be organised (Turner, 2016) . For example, installation of the information and communication
technologies across for the Hull Smart City project will require high quality cables for having a
network without issues and high efficiency. A system fault is also less likely to occur if the
project invests and uses high quality wires which is important to delivering better services to the
customers without any issues. The usage of good quality cables can also provide the project
owner confidence regarding the sustainability or lifespan of the project. With the use of high
quality cables, it can be ensured that the network support can be provided for a longer period of
time for reducing the cost of changing the cables. IoT gadgets will also play a significant role in
the Hull Smart City. The IoT devices will be used for connecting technology with everyday
services. The project will need different hardware like IoT devices, tools, cameras with sensors,
sensors, infrared, and night vision cameras too. In this regard, the project requires the
arrangement of high-quality IoT hardware for delivering improved services as well as boost the
Hull Smart City's effectiveness (Heagney, 2016) . Additionally, the Hill City Corporation would be
able to offer the locals better services as a result of using the better cables or the hardware. By
deploying high-quality IoT devices, enhanced traffic management as well as security threat
monitoring can be carried out in the city council. With stronger resources, the city corporation
can also be able to manage automated buses or real-time navigation based transportation for
having a smart transportation service in the city (Heagney, 2016) . With high-quality IoT devices,
it is also possible to control transportation activities to lessen their environmental impact as well
as predict the weather. It would help the city to achieve sustainable goals without any issues.
A project’s financial management also needs to consider the area of human resource
management. At the time of planning for a project, human resources need to be considered in
the budget as necessary for setting up training plans as well as hiring team members. The Hull
Smart City initiative will require advanced technology for the entire project. The project also
needs personnel with the presence of superior skills as well as expertise in the advanced
technology field (Kerzner, 2022) . The workers can exert more effort to execute and finish the
project with the presence of effective technological knowledge and expertise. Knowledge in
programming languages, artificial intelligence, and the internet of things are majorly needed for
the project. In this regard, the budget will be required in the project to recruit employees with
higher and advanced technological knowledge as well as arranging training for the employees
who need further development or enhancement of knowledge.
2.2. Risk Management within the project
The process involved in identification, analysis, and removal of risks or difficulties and
challenges is known as risk management. Organisational risk management process can be
divided into three categories which are business risk, non-business risk, and financial risk. In
addition, resources, procedures, technology, and people are other aspects where project risks
can have a significant effect. In order to develop the project schedule as well as carry out the
tasks as per planning, risk management is also important for the project (Eskerod & Larsen,
2018) . With the use of a suitable risk management method, the project team will be able to find
it easier for identifying the risks as well as control them. In this regard, the Hull Smart City
project manager needs to concentrate on the process of risk identification as well as analysis in
order to consider new solutions.
2.2. Change Management
A number of clearly defined processes and methodologies are used in an organisation to
regulate and manage change in a project. Finding the need for change is the first stage of the
change management. This can be done by looking at or exploring the project needs, market
trends, client expectations, or internal process improvements. With the determination of need for
change, a formal change request is made for explaining the suggested modifications, as well as
any potential consequences, dangers, and advantages (Ansari, 2019) . The parties or members,
such as project managers, business analysts, and subject matter experts, then examine this
modification request to determine its viability and potential effects. A selected authority in
charge of project governance can approve, reject, or modify the change request in light of the
evaluation. In order to spot any sort of deviations, dangers, or problems that can surface
throughout the implementation phase, the advancement and impact of the changes are
regularly tracked in a project. This observation enables prompt corrective action to be done. All
changes need to be documented, including their specifics, justifications, and effects, in order to
preserve a historical record, serve as a resource for upcoming initiatives, and allow for an
examination of change management techniques (Pollack & Algeo, 2016) . Following the
execution of the changes, a post-implementation assessment is carried out to assess their
efficacy and gauge the results attained. With the help of this review, future projects and change
management procedures can be continually improved. It is also important to note that
organisations frequently use ITIL or Agile frameworks, which offer organised techniques and
best practises for successful change management inside an organisation, to direct their change
control and management procedures. In consideration to the Hull Smart City OS project, the
dimension of change management is important for a number of reasons (Arefazar, et al., 2022) .
The development of Hull City into a smart city will involve major transformation. In this regard,
the change management is important to provide support to the citizens and other members
involved in the project.
An organization’s change control board (CCB) is essential for the management and approval of
change. Its significance lies in ensuring that adjustments are appropriately assessed, managed,
and applied in a methodical and consistent way. Projects, operations, and the entire
organisation can be exposed to risks as a result of change initiatives. Before authorising the
change, the change control board reviews and analyses these risks, taking into account any
potential repercussions, and makes sure that the necessary risk mitigation measures are in
place. This protects the organization’s interests and lessens the potential negative effects of
change. The change control board makes sure that all evaluations, decisions, and requests for
changes are properly documented (Boyle, 2017) . Transparency, accountability, and traceability
are all provided by this paperwork, which also acts as an audit trail for any authorised changes.
It allows future analysis and improvement and makes it easier to transfer knowledge. It also aids
in understanding the thinking behind decisions. Throughout the change management process,
the change control board supports effective stakeholder participation and communication. It
makes sure that during the evaluation and authorization of changes, all key stakeholders are
involved, informed, and consulted. This increases the possibility of the changes being
implemented successfully by fostering transparency, buy-in, and support for them.
3.0. MANAGING PEOPLE AND TEAMS
3.1. Conflict and Negotiation
Project conflict management is crucial because it helps to prevent the problems that could arise
between project members as well as stakeholders due to improper communication and
interaction process. Numerous factors like scheduling, allocation of resources, project priorities,
and technical challenge are also the factors that can lead to generate conflict in a project. The
Hull Smart City project can also experience the similar kind of problems due to the conflict for a
variety of reasons. For example, Connexin and Cisco, two independent businesses, have been
given the permission to execute the project. Due to the differences in working styles or
approaches, there is a high conflict risk associated with the organisations involved in the project
(Kerzner, 2022) . Both organisations depend on different methods as well as tactics to execute
the projects. There is also a significant likelihood of confrontation between the businesses.
Technical problems, resource allocation, and schedule can also cause conflict in the project.
Another important component that can cause resistance in the project is planning. It can be
noted that both Connexin and Cisco have been charged with carrying out the project’s execution
after taking into account the software installation. Due to the reason, there is a high chance of
conflict between the organizations due to the possibility of confrontation between Cisco and
Connexin. In this regard, the project can concentrate on development of a cooperative team or
committee to handle the potential threat or risks of conflict. The team needs to include a
collaborated committee that includes representative from both the party. The project’s
importance also includes the importance of negotiation. In order to resolve the conflict or
challenges in the project, negotiation is necessary. For instance, the project team will need to
enter a number of the city’s historical buildings and landmarks (Heagney, 2016) . It can cause
problems or issues to be raised with the building’s authorities. In order to develop a plan for
negotiating with other organisations or authorities, the Hull City Council is required. Hull City
Council is charged with the duty of ensuring free and hassle-free access to the areas needed for
Hull’s growth as a smart city.
3.2. Leadership
Based on the explored data and information from the case study, a number of issues have been
identified regarding the leadership in the Hull Smart City project. In consideration to the project,
Cisco and Connexin are the two major partners or project management team. However, the Hull
City council is the owner of the project as they hold the right and power to control the project.
The leadership style adopted by the Hull City Council is quite reflective on the transformational
leadership style. This is because the city council is confident and used to motivate others for the
purpose of successful completion of the project (Arefazar, et al., 2022) . However, the leadership
styles of Cisco and Connexin are quite different. The leadership style of the partners is quite
strategic leadership base. It lacks in having connectedness and based on the strategies. It
makes difficult to consider the issues of Hull City citizens with higher priority. In this regard, it
can be said that the transformation leadership can highly be supportive for the project. This is
because the leadership can help to motivate individuals in successful completion of the project.
By articulating a clear vision of the project’s aims and objectives, transformational leaders excite
and encourage their people. They support a culture of cooperation and ongoing learning, inspire
innovation, and nurture creativity. The project’s digital transformation would be driven by
transformational leaders, who would also motivate stakeholders to accept change.
3.3. Teamwork
The teams involved in projects are normally in a temporary state while they provide the required
outputs as well as outcomes for the project. The projects are also planned for the development
of multifunctional as well as appropriately competent team members through a broader basis of
knowledge (Pedrini & Ferri, 2019) . In this regard, the project managers need to put more
emphasis on the development of leadership abilities and drive of the team members towards
success in order to increase project effectiveness levels. As a result, this can promote greater
involvement as well as empowerment among others. In order to motivate and guide the team as
they work to implement the plan, project leadership is also involved. Incorporating leadership
into initiatives through consultative and participative methods has also been found to boost their
efficacy. Effective project managers are typically noted to address the necessary criteria and
recommendations to their team rather than emphasise how to do their tasks. As a result, it is
found that ineffective job delegation is needed for ineffective team management and teamwork
procedures. Situational leadership styles should be used by project managers because they
are efficient inside the management processes. Additionally, it is seen that the aforementioned
leadership principles serve as the fundamental guidance rather than instructing or mentoring
their team members.
Conclusion
It is concluded that the Hull Smart City project is quite progressive thinking and developmental
activities. The project will help the citizens of the city to have an improved and better lifestyle.
The services accessed by the citizens will also be improved with the influence of the project.
The Hull Smart City project uses networking and wireless technology and is heavily dependent
on them. This is a crucial element that highlights the necessity for project managers to have
knowledge of AI, IoT, and other technology advancements. Smart city projects involve many
different stakeholders, such as the public sector, the private sector, neighbourhood
organisations, and individuals. The Hull smart city project incorporates a variety of stakeholders,
including the government, residents, communities, and representatives of Cisco and Connexin,
which highlights the need for a project manager with stronger stakeholder management skills.
One of the most important aspects of project management is financial management. A project
can be finished on schedule and with the maintenance of project standards if a trustworthy
source of finance is present. Project management includes financial management as a topic that
is broken down into various elements or phases. Utilising resources effectively can also be
helpful in this sense. A range of resources need to be taken into account for the Hull Smart City
project’s planning and implementation. Software and hardware are the two main resource types
that needs to be taken into account in a technical project, and this is also true for the Hull Smart
City project. For a variety of reasons, the Hull Smart City project can possibly encounter serious
issues with the conflict. Connexin and Cisco, two separate companies, were each given project
management responsibilities, for instance. There is a conflict risk with the project between the
organisations because of the difference in working styles.
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