Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Parliament Building
A case study on why politicians should not manage
projects
Sources
Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Report on the
Holyrood Project
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/SPICeResources/SpencelyRep
ort.pdf
http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/utilities/search_report.php?i
d=290
Sources
All the Ministers Men: The truth behind
Holyrood, David Black
Archaeology
http://www.holyroodarchaeology.org/index.
html
(now dead!)
Background
Advent of new government 1997
Perceived need for devolved Scottish Parliament
Early advocates John Smith Labour Party Leader before Tony Blair
Project Champion Donald Dewar
Tacit support from majority of Scottish political parties and public following a
referendum (Sept 1997)
May 1999 Scottish Parliament came into being
4
Project stakeholders
Project Sponsor Scottish Parliament
Initially controlled by the Scottish Office
Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body
took over in June 2000
1999
Total budget 109 million
Included 62m plus 6m for contingency
for construction
Included modest allowance for fitting out
16m plus enhancement for higher
quality fittings
A specification in flux*
Immediate change in design
The Chamber
11
Queensberr
y House
MSP
Building
Committee rooms,
meeting rooms and
Parliamentary staff offices
Debating
chamber
Public
go in
here
Latest Design of the Project
12
13
A Specification in flux*
Queensberry
House found to be
unsound
Remedial work
doubled to 9.4m
Redesign needed
because original
design for
incorporating the
house not suitable
to Historic
Scotland
*sound familiar?
14
15
16
Cost control
11 cost reports compiled
8 for Scottish office when it was responsible for project
Major value engineering exercise in Summer and
Autumn 1999
17
Define
the
Proble
m
Generat
e Design
Ideas
Evaluate
Feasibility
Develop and test
most promising
solutions
Select
design
solutio
n
Spencely report
Past President of the Royal Incorporation
of Architects in Scotland (RIAS),
Remit:
Findings
Budget must relate to the brief and the
design
The design must be signed off
i.e. frozen
Findings
Main contractor (Bovis) estimate of project end date
(Feb 2000)
delivery of building 24th Dec 2002
Occupation 25th Aug 2003
22
MSP Block
(accommodation for MSPs)
3,659m2
Equivalent Headquarters
Buildings in Edinburgh
1,544m2
Portcullis House
(accommodation for
Westminster MPs)
4,742m2
877m2
1600m2
23
24
25
sential Activity: Have a look at construction management as a form of contract for other projec
26
27
28
Contracts
Spencely recommended that the existing contract
should remain
As there would be a loss of existing expertise.
Delay due to drawings and design having to be finalized.
29
31
*Note no PRINCE
2
32
Established route
Messages communicated but not
understood
Delayed action being taken
Project team knew for 9 months that time
and cost targets where not being met
33
34
35
Conclusions
Success or Failure?
Has won awards
Sydney opera house now a success despite being a failure
when built
Financial disaster
With identifiable reasons
36
Conclusions
Poor project management?
Communications
Design
Control
Groupthink?