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Panama

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Submitted By pmakinney
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Running Head: Project Risk Management

Project Risk Management – Course Project I
Panama Canal
Patrick Makinney
Devry University/Keller Graduate School
PROJ-595-62659 Project Risk Management
Professor Bill Lewis
July 28, 2012

Panama Canal
The Panama Canal project started twice; the initial project began in France during 1879 at the “International Congress” to study the feasibility of a canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through Central America sponsored by Ferdinand de Lesseps and the second was in 1904 and conceived by President Theodore Roosevelt. (Tom Kendrick, PMP)
The initial Panama Canal plans’ ideas included a “lock-and-dam” concept and a seal-level canal concept. The sea-level canal concept was adopted although this plan was not supported by nearly all engineers consulted on this project.
The project was taken on by Ferdinand de Lesseps who successfully completed the Suez Canal in 1869, which earned de Lesseps the nickname “The Great Engineer,” (Tom Kendrick, PMP)
However, with lack of a precise project definition, poor planning sporadic reporting and generally inaccurate (or even dishonest) along with undefined, poor or ignored risk identification the project failed. The project was privately funded and the collapse caused complete financial losses for all the investors. Directly as a result of this project failure, the French government fell in 1892, ending one of the messiest and most costly project failures in history. (Tom Kendrick, PMP) The second time the Panama Canal project was initiated was in 1901 when Theodore Roosevelt became president and decided to make successful completion of a Central American canal part of his presidential legacy. (Tom Kendrick, PMP) Additionally, the project was financed as a military project by the United States government. The project began in 1904 and completed in and when completed in 1914, the Panama Canal was the largest and most significant construction project in history. (RICS 2011)
The project manager initially was John Findlay Wallace, but was replaced in 1905 with John Stevens. With the arrival of John Stevens, managing project scope became the highest priority. He directed all his initial efforts at preparation for the work and as a result helped to move the project forward successfully. There were two major areas of concern that created sufficient problems for the both the first and second project. These areas were Mudslides and disease. Mudslides caused much delay and cost because of the constant unexpected movement of earth, which increased workload and damaged equipment. Disease caused severe health issues with working population up to and including the death of thousands of workers. Two fault trees have been created to address risk associated with this project. The first fault is Mudslides and the second Fault tree is Disease.
Mudslides
Mudslides were common for both the French and the U.S. projects and caused much problems. When the mudslides occurred there was danger to the working crews and potential serious damage to the digging and railroad equipment and also caused morale issues in facing the repair and rework following the each slide. The additional effort required to excavate repeatedly in the same location multiplied the cost of construction and had very high impact to both schedule and budget; despite precautions, major setbacks were frequent. (Tom Kendrick, PMP)
1. Mudslide Fault Tree
Risk
• Equipment damaged or lost o Purchase new equipment o Repair equipment o Moving damage equipment from worksite
Treatment
• Have backup equipment vendors o Trained technicians o Sufficient parts available o Specific work crews and equipment to move damaged equipment or repair onsite
Risk
• Slow process o Extending completion date o Creating more work because of more earth to move
Treatment
• Review process o Review completion date o Increase work crews, working hours, equipment o Plan for location/storage site for addition earth materials.
Risk
• Unable to move earth o Wait until not a muddy o Move earth while still muddy
Treatment
• Create plan to move muddy earth
• Purchase specific equipment to move mud, train workers

Disease
Disease devastated the first project that was carried out by the French and as a result the second project was managed through diligence, science, and sanitation. (Tom Kendrick, PMP) Diseases such as Yellow fever, Malaria, tuberculosis, dysentery, pneumonia, and a wide range of other diseases common and mostly caused by the mosquito. A program for insect control was put in place and when it was in full effect Panama was by far the healthiest place anywhere in the tropics. Yellow fever was eliminated. Malaria was rare, as were tuberculosis, dysentery, pneumonia, and a wide range of other diseases common at the time. (Tom Kendrick, PMP)

Risk
• Reduced workforce o Slow project o Increased cost for addition support and training o Reduced morale
Treatment
• Manage environment to include increased living quarters and pest control to eliminate disease carrying mosquitoes
Risk
• Health o Sickness / Short Term and Long Term o Death
Treatment
• Increase living quarters, vaccinations, upgrade Hospital/clinics along with trained staff
References:
(RICS 2011) Construction Briefs, Construction Assured: Governance and Risk Mitigation on the Panama Canal Expansion Retrieved and viewed on July 26, 2012 from, http://www.ricsamericas.org/files/editor/file/Construction%20Briefs/May%2011.pdf The Panama Canal, Retrieved and viewed on July 26, 2012 from, http://www.eclipse.co.uk/~sl5763/panama.htm/ Tom Kendrick, PMP, Program Manager San Carlos, CA, TKendrick@FailureProofProjects.com, A Tale of Two Projects: The Panama Canal and the Birth of Project and Risk Management
Retrieved and viewed on July 26, 2012 from,
http://www.failureproofprojects.com/Panama2006.pdf

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