Military operations run like clockwork. So when the Australian government set out to relocate the sprawling Moorebank Units military base to make way for a new freight terminal, the project team had to stay in lockstep to complete its mission on schedule.
An ironclad, four-year deadline, a rigid AU$870 million budget and a mandate to work around scheduled military trainings set strict parameters for the project team. And the massive scope piled on the pressure.
The country's largest defense facilities project since World War II, the relocation shifted all Moore-bank facilities and operations to the existing Holsworthy Barracks site 5 kilometers east, just southwest of Sydney. It involved moving people, stores and equipment from the School of Military Engineering (SME) and other support units, as well as artifacts in the Army History Unit/RAE Museum. The team also was charged with building new facilities for Holsworthy Barracks, including a mess hall, a 50-meter (164-foot) heated indoor pool, teaching spaces and offices.
The School of Military Engineering headquarters building
The project's hard stop was dictated by another high-priority initiative. To complete the new transportation hub for heavy freight, the federal government needed the Moorebank site to be cleared by June 30, 2015. There was no wiggle room for the project team—and both government and Department of Defense stakeholders monitored progress every step of the way.
Military Buildup
July 2011: Engineering firm Laing O‘Rourke appointed for planning phase.
October 2012: Laing O‘Rourke begins Phase I construction.
February 2015: Mess hall completed.
April 2015: Living accommodations completed and School of Military Engineering completes its move to Holsworthy Barracks.
June 2015: Gym and pool completed; Department of Defense hands over the vacant Moorebank lot to the Intermodal Freight Terminal team on time.
October 2015: New facilities for Holsworthy Barracks finished a month ahead of schedule, with training precinct and front entry precinct completed.
“It was the first project I'd worked on that had been so heavily scrutinized,” says Lt. Col. Doug Fox, project director, Department of Defense, Canberra, Australia.
To navigate the intense oversight from Australia's defense, finance and infrastructure departments (known as the tri-department group), the team prepared quarterly progress reports and held monthly control group meetings, weekly coordination meetings and on-site focus groups with project team members, Lt. Col. Fox says.
These consistent communications built trust with stakeholders by showing the project was staying on schedule and on budget. By mid-2014, a year after construction had started, the tri-department group stepped back and gave the project team more breathing room.
“The scrutiny reduced as our good performance bred confidence,” Lt. Col. Fox says.
The project ultimately closed a month early and on budget. But that success didn't come easily, says Grant D‘Arcy, project director for global engineering and construction firm Laing O‘Rourke, Sydney, Australia. Laing O‘Rourke served as the project's managing contractor.
“The scrutiny reduced as our good performance bred confidence.”
—Lt. Col. Doug Fox, Department of Defense, Canberra, Australia
Residential buildings adjacent to the School of Military Engineering
Talent Spotlight
Lt. Col. Doug Fox, project director, New South Wales land projects, Department of Defense
Location: Canberra, Australia
Experience: 21 years
Other notable projects:
1. Runway and taxiway upgrade and extension at the Canberra Airport from 2005 to 2006
2. Renovation of the Royal Australian Mint's office building from 2007 to 2010.
Career lessons learned:
The HR factor: “Having the right people pays off hugely. It has helped me to better understand why many projects I inherit are different. I can now trace many issues to the people, and I manage risk higher or lower based on the capability of teams.”
With a 100-hectare (247-acre) project site, a peak workforce of 1,600 people per day, a peak spend of AU$45 million per month (or AU$1.5 million per day) and more than 300 different supply chain packages, Mr. D‘Arcy's team had to take a creative approach to time and resource management.
“Since time was the absolute driver, we decided to break everyone down into specific delivery teams. Each team had their own roles and their own leaders so no one had to manage everything all at once. That would've been impossible,” says Mr. D‘Arcy.
For instance, there was a demolition team, an infrastructure team and five building teams. All were given direct ownership of AU$100 million to AU$150 million portions of the budget. Each delivery team also reported to a key stakeholder and end user, which increased direct leadership and ownership and mitigated risk, Mr. D‘Arcy says.
BATTLE PLAN
The firm deadline forced the team to take a zero-tolerance approach to risk management. For instance, the team used two vendors for larger supply packages, such as pre-cast concrete sections and structural steel. Although the Department of Defense typically uses just one vendor for such supplies, having two vendors working at all times meant that “if one was at risk they could vary the work with the other vendor,” Lt. Col. Fox says.
The team was prepared when other problems popped up as well. For example, when Mr. D‘Arcy's crew discovered 60,000 tons of asbestos contamination that went deep into the ground at the barracks site, construction had to stop.
“There was no way we could do anything on that ground before completely clearing it out and starting with fresh soil,” Mr. D‘Arcy says. “But we had to deliver on time, so we had to keep the output going no matter what.”
As a decontamination team worked to clear the soil, the construction team shifted its attention to other buildings that were originally scheduled to be built later. The transition was smooth, thanks to clear and constant communication as well as a structured change management strategy with stakeholders, Mr. D‘Arcy says. “We had to change the order in which certain structures went up, but we did it and without any disruption in the schedule,” he says.
Flexible management strategies also helped the team avoid disrupting SME training. Team members worked hand-in-hand with school officials to make sure the SME would stay open throughout the relocation process.
“This meant that the project and underlying methodology was built around critical move dates that fitted the school's schedule,” Mr. D‘Arcy says. “In true collaboration with the users, we modeled a proposed schedule two years ahead of the planned move.”
The Holsworthy Barracks physical fitness complex
COALITION BUILDING
The local community and military personnel also were concerned about delays—in their daily commutes. They worried the massive construction project would clog roads and create gridlock. To keep the community informed, the team launched a website that provided regularly scheduled updates of street closures or other potential inconveniences. It also consulted with residents before construction workers broke ground.
“We sent letters to the public and held open forums where people could ask questions,” Lt. Col. Fox says. “It was a little like a development application on a much larger scale.”
Nonetheless, traffic still became a problem, as there was only one entrance to the site. To ease the congestion, the team created a second entry point that could only be used by contractors. It also asked workers to arrive and leave 30 minutes earlier so they weren't on the road during rush hour. “Staggering their entrances and exits made [rush-hour traffic] run much more smoothly,” Lt. Col. Fox says.
“Each team had their own roles and their own leaders so no one had to manage everything all at once. That would've been impossible.”
—Grant D‘Arcy, Laing O‘Rourke, Sydney, Australia
The project's final stages included relocating the museum's military artifacts that numbered in the thousands, including heavy engineering machinery, vehicles, plaques, memorials and artwork, to their new home. No items were broken or misplaced, which was a testament to the team's strong communications with stakeholders to develop effective requirements and risk management approaches, Lt. Col. Fox says.
“We were very respectful of each item, keeping in mind that these are the memories of people who've fought and died for us,” he says. “Being a part of such a huge project, and one that included so much culture and history, was truly an amazing experience.” PM