Lessons Learned Report On Modernization Of National Art Gallery Of Ireland

Introduction to the Lessons Learned Process

Question:

Discuss about the Lessons Learned Document Preparation.

In any project lifecycle, the project goes through a series of events that give opportunities to the project manager or team to learn some lessons or discover various opportunities. Team can lean about the strengths and weaknesses of the company and the project through the analysis of project for recording lessons. It would give an opportunity to the project teams to discuss reasons of success and failure such that recommendations can be made for future projects to ensure that they used the success factors and at the same time did not repeat mistakes identified in the project. Root causes behind the problems are identified in the process which can be used further by the management to solve internal issues in the company. Lessons learned report also serves as a mechanism for communication of the knowledge to the project teams or others working in the company (Williams, 2007).

Basic Lessons Learned Process involves defining of a project, collection of data about the project, verification and synthesis, data storage and then dissemination of knowledge through a work process or training.  Several approaches can be taken for collecting lessons on a project such as integrated, post-facto or combination approaches. Integrated approach is a simplified process in which project manager meets the staff to discuss lessons, synthesis discussions points to develop a report which is submitted for project progress review. Post facto approach is a very lengthy and formal approach in which objectives of lessons learned are defined, project is described, resources are confirmed, an agreement is signed with he writer, and specific schedule is developed for recording lessons (Rowe & Sikes, 2006). This approach requires an extensive analysis involving major stakeholders or partners of the project.  Combination approach collects lessons just as done in the integrated approach but also involves other stakeholders in the process later just as done in the post facto approach. Finally, the information is disseminated through workshops to the project teams. For the development of the current lessons learned report, an integrated approach is taken by interviewing some of the project members for recording the lessons and the lessons have been synthesized in this report (Qatar National Project Management, 2012).

In the first stage of lessons learned, a project is described with its background explored. Thus, in this section, the project background and salient points have been discussed.

The project involves modernization of the National Art Gallery of Ireland. The project has been executed by Office of Public Works using services of the architect Heneghan Peng who has led the design team on the refurbishment project.  The project involved construction of an underground energy centre, Entry level Shaw Room, refurbished galleries, and a renovated light-filled courtyard. The energy centre would provide vital services to the gallery. The courtyard enhanced visitor experience with dramatically enhanced orientation between the Milltown Wings and the historical Dargan. It would also house Magnus Modus, a dramatic structure created by Joseph Walsh. The project included refurbished galleries that had 650 artworks displayed in the gallery in a chronological order on the Merrion Square with Irish collections at ground and European collections displayed on upper levels of the gallery. The project was a huge success and with only 20% of its galleries open, it could attract 700,000 visitors annually.

Project Background and Salient Points

The project was assigned a budget of €29 million for refurbishment of major parts of the Heritage building. €20 million of this investment was received from public capital and remaining from the Department of Finance.

As the lessons learned report needs collection of the project data from its major stakeholders, it is essential to identify the key stakeholders of the project  which has been done. These stakeholders were involved in the discussions on the lessons learned and they have contributed significantly to the process. Key stakeholders of the project and their roles on the project can be defined as:

Stakeholder	Roles	Contribution to lessons learned
Department of Arts, Heritage, regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs	The department was interested in achieving national objective of promoting tourism and thus, contributed with ideas and guidance on the redevelopment project.	The department felt that the needs of the department were not sufficiently identified in the project because of which there were challenges on the project that had to go through several planning modifications resulting into major delays. The department suggested that the project manager strengthens the external stakeholder communication management by creasing their involvement in the planning stage.
National Gallery of Ireland	NGI was the project owner that provided as a decision authority for the project.	NGI thought that despite the plan approved as per their expectations, the costs were not managed well which was due to lack of strong cost control measures taken by the team. The project progress was reported but it did not involve any specific cost elements associated with specific deliverables defined in the WBS. Overall cost deviations were reviewed but individual cost elements were not controlled.
Office of Public Works	The Office of Public Works was mainly responsible for the execution of all the planned activities needed for the renovation of the art gallery.	The office realised there were major challenges because of lack of cost control and risk management practices but at the same time, the project proved out to be a success because of the dedication of the team towards the completion of the project. This could be due to the fact that the deliverables, responsibilities, reporting structures, and decision structures were clearly defined in the plan which brought in strong communication capabilities for the internal team.
Gallery Visitors	Gallery visitors were the customers of the gallery would have to be impressed and thus, their needs and expectations were considered while developing plan for the renovation. Visitors participated in the survey that asked them about their experience with the gallery and the improvements they needed in the gallery.	The view of the visitors was limited as they were taken not before the opening of the gallery. The visitor was found happy with the gallery changes suggesting that their needs and expectations were well taken care of the project team.
Public	Gallery is a public attraction and thus, needed acceptance from the public and thus, the communication had to be sent by the Public Works to inform them about the gallery changes. With the reconstruction activities, the nearby public would be affected and thus, they need information.	The public was not involved in the lessons learned process
Architect	Architect would be responsible for creating the new design needed for renovation of the art gallery	Architect found it challenging to create a sound design on time because of conflicts of interest between decisions making concerning the design which added to delays. He suggested that the team must first have a consensus on the design requirements and then begin the process of designing.
Project Manager	Project manager was responsible for managing the end to end activities of the project beginning from the stage of project initiation followed by planning, execution, monitoring, control and closure.	Project manager found some good and bad experiences on the project. He found cost control, designing, and risk control as major challenge areas while communication management was the strong point of the project (White & Cohan, 2000).

The National Gallery of Ireland (NGI) is the largest Museum of Ireland located in Dublin near national library having a very diverse collection of paintings, sculptures, and other art forms of historical value. It majorly displayed European art and has some best art pieces of the world. Most of the items displayed in the museum have been received as benefactions and donations. Besides the display of art, the gallery also engages into other activities such as art research, art restoration, education and outreach. The gallery received 750,000 visitors annually and is considered as the fifth largest visitor’s location in the country and the largest among the free attractions. The NGI is a major cultural asset for the city and plays a key role in making the city a tourist attraction.

However, because of weathering and pollution, the art gallery had lost its lustre and there was a need to renovate the two oldest Wings of the gallery including Dargan and Milltown. Thus, a redevelopment project was initiated which was planned in four phases including replacement of the roof of Dargan Wing and Milltown Wing, a major upgrade in the Museum services, creation of an atrium between two wings, and construction of an additional wing. While the renovation was planned, it was also ensured that most of the fabric of old architecture remained intact.

In 2011, the debt crisis of the European sovereign lead to a recession which affected the refurbishment project creating financial challenges. The result of this was suspension of the construction project from 2012 to 2014. The two wings that were renovated by the time had already consumed a third of the total budget reserved for the construction project (HALL, 2017). Specific factors that could have lead to the complete failure of the project which was but prevented could be identified as below:

• Inability of the team to comply with the project schedule and budget requirements affecting the project performance those lead to reduction in profits.
• Lack of timely control over the schedule and costs of the project with respect to each deliverables made it further challenging to proceed without deviations
• Inadequate risk management practices lead to the suspension of the project for two years. Risk management process was established but it was not exhaustive such that only the general risks were identified initially which is why the project team could not remain prepared to deal with unexpected changes and prevent project failure.

Key Stakeholders and Their Contributions

However, despite the challenges, the project was finally constructed because of several success factors that included strong communication, clear roles and responsibilities definition, and good involvement of the visitors before the planning.

A cost benefit analysis of the project revealed the gallery was faced with some issues because of which the gallery could continue to operate as it is only if the Beit Wing is also renovated within six years by when the Wing would become 50 years old. This would need more expenditure in the plant and equipments. A failure to do that would reduce the gallery into a small shop or a restaurant.

The project already incurred additional expenditures that had to be adjusted. This included the increased operational cost because of tax payments and electricity bill. Improved environmental services as needed by the project lead to an increase in the electricity bill of the gallery.

The two galleries renovated were thus closed and Beit and Millennium galleries were returned for recovering the space lost due to closure. With this move, the space availability in the gallery increased to 43% from 33%. However, the additional special storage space and movement logistics added to the operational cost making the conservation work financially unsustainable. Moreover, because of elimination of two wings, the staff was also reduced (Dorgan Associates, 2013).

There were several economic adjustments made for the increase in the operational costs as revealed from the cost benefit analysis of the project. These included shadow cost of labour reducing economic costs by €107,000, annual deficit amounting to €115,000, consumer value adjustment of €1.7 million annually. The total economic effects of €3.3 million resulted from these adjustments.  Similar calculations for shadow costs and exchequer added €2.3 million as VAT cost.

Communication was a strong point of the project and it also proved to be useful in the collection of lessons learned for this report as the project team members were more than willing to discuss their experience with the project and provide recommendations for improvement.

The staff involved in the project was competent enough to explore the lessons and provide recommendations as they had a major involvement throughout the project life cycle. The project was majorly managed by a small team and thus, closes coordination and integration between the team members was required which made them sufficiently knowledgeable about the project progress and outcomes. However, before they could be taken as participants in the lessons learned discussion, it was essential that they understood how lessons learned are recorded and what they should be discussing about such that relevant points are highlighted and the discussions could be done faster. For this, the project manager first provided a small training to all the team members during the first project progress review meeting in which they were told about various aspects that are important for the recoding of lessons learned on the project. These included:

• Identification and understanding of the contribution of the major project success factors on the current project.
• Identification and resolution of the factors that could lead to failure of the project
• Identification and mitigation of the cases where there are deviations found in the schedule or cost management on the project
• Ability of the project team to satisfy the requirements of key stakeholders
• The skills and capabilities of the project team members on delivering the project deliverables as required and within the time allotted.
• Ability of the team to establish control over cost and schedule of the project to ensure that deviations are minimized(BELEIU, et al., 2014).

Some key lessons were learned during the project as identified during the discussions with the project team members and other key stakeholders and these included:

• Communication between the team members plays a crucial role in a project success and risks as well as challenges can be managed well with strong communication
• If the roles and responsibilities of each member of a project are clearly identified during the project plan then it would help in building a strong communication on the project
• It is essential that key stakeholders are identified properly and involved throughout the project life cycle. If the project manager fails to do that, major rework or modifications would be required at later stages of the project.
• Conflicts between stakeholder needs are likely to arise anytime on the project if their needs are not identified earlier and a consensus is not reached in the beginning of the project
• Risk management is a very essential process but it should not be taken superficially. Instead, the project must be explored in depth for identification of specific risks during the project planning such that the company is well prepared to deal with most of the risks expected on the project. For this, expert opinion is needed which can be taken from the project manager as well as risk management consultants.
• Costs should not just be monitored for the major milestones but for individual cost elements that would contribute to the cost to the project such that control measures can be taken to reduce costs even in case of small deviations such that major cost impacts are not caused on the project at later stages
• The cost of changes on a project can be more at later stages of the project. If the mistakes can be identified at the planning stage, it is best for the company’s interest and thus, it is essential the project plan is sufficiently reviewed by the team including the deliverables that must be reviewed by the stakeholders
• Involvement of external stakeholders is essential but most often; projects only involve direct clients and audience of the project in project meetings. However, other stakeholders are also important as they can affect the project outcomes and thus, it is essential that each stakeholder role is sufficiently reviewed and their views are taken for project plan
• Multiple stakeholders would have multiple requirements and several of them could be conflicting and thus, a consensus needs to be reached between them which need their integrated involvement. The project manager must clearly understand each conflicting requirement and arrive at a satisfactory solution for all which must be communicated to all the stakeholders involved.

Based on the study of the project, certain recommendations can be made for the renovation project for project management improvement including:

• Risk management practices must be used on the project such that the possible problems and consequences can be anticipated and accordingly contingency plans can be made in advance such that the project risks can be mitigated. If the possibility of financial crisis affecting the project was considered by the management then it would not have resulted into suspension of work as the management would have made contingency plans to continue the work despite the challenges
• The monitoring and control of project expenses must be strong for which project activities, its resources, and costs must be monitored and compared with the project to ensure that the project does not exceed its budget. If the company had a strong control over costs, the costs would not have been escalated to exhaust a third amount only in wing renovation. Activity cost control can be used for establishing control over project expenses. This way, any deviations observed in the cost during the monitoring stage can be attended to by the project manager.
• Cost estimation of the project should have been done carefully with considerations of all the project aspects, supplier concerns, contractual issues, regulatory issues, environmental issues, economic issues, project risks and so on. This consideration would have improved the probability of having correct cost estimation such that project did not fall short of funds.
• The project manager must make strict assessment of the contractors, their experience, and capabilities before selecting the contractor such that costs are optimized and the project is completed on time with no major deviations. The national art gallery renovation project consumed more budget because of the inefficiencies of contractors as they were unable to complete the work as per plan. Had vendor considerations made initially before selection, the project could have got contractors that were more cost and time efficient.

Conclusion

This report involved analysis of the national gallery of Ireland renovation project that involved modernization of the art gallery. The project involved construction of an underground energy centre, Entry level Shaw Room, refurbished galleries, and a renovated light-filled courtyard. It was found in the analysis of the project that the project expenses increased beyond the budget. Two main wings that were initially renovated were closed later and two other wings of the gallery were created. The project was a success when opened to public as it received a large number of visitors annually.  It was found in the lessons learned report that the project could have encountered a major failure because of several reasons including insufficient cost control measures, lack of strong risk management process, lack of schedule control, and less involvement of external stakeholders during requirement gathering. However, there were also some project success factors that contributed to the success of the project including clear identification of roles and responsibilities and strong communication capabilities of the organization bringing in strong coordination within the internal teams. Thus, recommendations were made for improvement of the risk management and project monitoring and control processes of the company such that probability of failure of future projects of the company can be reduced.

BELEIU, I., CRISAN, E. & NISTOR, R., 2014. MAIN FACTORS INFLUENCING PROJECT SUCCESS, Romania: Babe?-Bolyai University.

Dorgan Associates, 2013. COST BENEFIT EVALUATION OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT, s.l.: DEPARTMENT OF ARTS, HERITAGE AND THE GAELTACHT.

HALL, M., 2017. The National Gallery of Ireland. The Burlington Magazine, September, pp. 742-743.

Qatar National Project Management, 2012. Lessons Learned Document Preparation Guidelines , s.l.: MDPS.

Rowe, S. & Sikes, S., 2006. Lessons Learned: Taking it to the Next Level , s.l.: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan .

White, M. & Cohan, A., 2000. A Guide to Capturing Lessons Learned, s.l.: Conservation Gateway.

Williams, P., 2007. LESSONS LEARNED GUIDELINES , s.l.: Assystem UK.