Abstract
Large Infrastructure Projects (LIPs) drive economic growth through both their construction phase (e.g., job creation) and their successful outcomes (e.g., better services). Numerous and recurrent unsatisfactory outcomes of LIPs indicate that traditional project management has not necessarily kept pace with new developments — especially with the ever-increasing complexity of the projects. Massive costs and schedule overruns on such projects attest to the severity of this problem. Similarly, instances of substantial changes to the initial project scope suggest that modern project management approaches would require enhancements to be applicable and sustainable in the future. Systems engineering, as a discipline and as a way of thinking, is gaining popularity and acceptance in its applications to LIPs. This is due to the benefits emerging from its ability to manage escalating complexity, particularly in large and complex projects such as transportation (e.g. railways, ports), energy, and water infrastructure projects. This article has considered Systems Engineering principles and concepts (e.g., lifecycle, requirements verification and validation) for incorporation by way of enhancements into a holistic project lifecycle model that improves delivery effectiveness.
Highlights
A 2013 KPMG Report [01] suggests that the increase in annual water demand in Sub-Saharan Africa may reach 440 billion m3 by 2030 — a staggering 283 per cent more than in 2005, whereas China or India would only increase demand in volume by ± 60 per cent
The project lifecycle infrastructure is considered a complex adaptive system (CAS) because: (i) “As a response to this changing world, the project based organization (PBO) is emerging as a feasible option to companies and organizations in general in order to cope with the complexities and uncertainties of the environment
The blue node represents any ordinary node that connects two or more lifecycle elements, whereas a red node will embody a specific node from which linkages will originate. These nodes constitute starting blocks. It follows that any errors, inadequacies, or flaws in the scope, design, or implementation of any such precursor elements could have a major impact on the overall behaviour of the project lifecycle model
Summary
A 2013 KPMG Report [01] suggests that the increase in annual water demand in Sub-Saharan Africa may reach 440 billion m3 by 2030 — a staggering 283 per cent more than in 2005, whereas China or India would only increase demand in volume by ± 60 per cent. Rather than being a reason to celebrate, these facts mean that Africa will need (to borrow) capital to fund large infrastructure projects (e.g., railway connections, power generation and distribution, telecommunication cables/lines, water and sanitation) to address these challenges. These large infrastructure projects (LIPs) are critical to, and have an impact on, the macro-economy of the host country in terms of job creation, opportunities for export boost (or reduced imports), and contributions to economic growth [03]. When well-executed, infrastructure projects bolster economic growth in two ways: “Investments in modern infrastructure lay the foundations for economic development and growth. {1} Building roads, bridges, power transmission lines and making other improvements create jobs. {2} When completed, these projects help a society increase its wealth and its citizens’ standard of living” [04]
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