Today, the Project Management Institute (PMI) announced the finalists for the 2017 PMI Project of the Year Award. Now in its 29th year, the award recognizes a large and complex project that demonstrates superior implementation of project management practices, delivers exceptional organizational results and creates positive impacts on society.
PMI will announce the winner at the PMI Professional Awards Gala on October 28, in conjunction with the PMI Global Conference in Chicago.
The finalists include:
Gahcho Kué Mine Project
(De Beers Canada/Hatch Ltd.)
As the worldwide demand for diamonds continues to grow, industry leaders are developing more remote mines to deliver high-quality gems. The Gahcho Kué mine, owned by De Beers (51%) and Mountain Province Diamonds (49%) and operated by DeBeers, is the largest new-diamond mine constructed in the world since 2003, sits just below the Arctic Circle. The region is so remote that materials for the site can only be delivered by cargo plane or transported over an ice road just two months each year.
The team used lean management processes to expedite design, fabrication, and construction phases which provided an operational start two months early. The early start allowed the mine to exceed its 2016 carat goal by 60 percent. The facility will contribute 630 full-time jobs each year of the mine’s 12-year life span.
Hanford Double Shell AY-102 Recovery Project
(Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC)
In 2012, workers remediating hazardous and radioactive materials at the nation’s most contaminated nuclear waste site discovered that one of 177 underground storage tanks was leaking nuclear waste. Since the site was close to the Columbia River, there was a risk of release into the environment.
The recovery project had to fit within the larger cleanup program’s budget – adding $100 million of scope. Also, the timeline was so aggressive that the project team estimated it had less than a 20 percent chance of finishing on time.
The tank operations contractor, Washington River Protection Solutions, completed recovery of the 725,000 gallons of nuclear waste ahead of schedule and US$8.7 million under budget.
University Link Light Rail Extension
(Sound Transit)
According to TomTom, a navigation and mapping company, Seattle is the fourth-worst city in the United States in terms of time commuters are stuck in traffic. As a result, the city needed to expand its light rail system to reduce rising traffic congestions. The project would require tunneling under a densely populated city without disturbing life above ground. Crews needed to carefully calculate how much stress, weight and vibration surrounding buildings and roadways could handle – or risk watching them collapse.
The project team managed risks by prioritizing them based on their potential impact to cost and schedule. Monthly reviews helped keep the project on track. The rail line opened six months ahead of schedule and US$200 million under budget.
To view a video of the nominees’ projects: https://youtu.be/NCWPkoi1mHc
To view award criteria: https://www.pmi.org/about/awards/professional/project-of-the-year
To see a list of previous winners: https://www.pmi.org/about/awards/winners/past-award/project-of-the-year