How project assurance assisted shipping to safely navigate and protect the Great Barrier Reef.
Client
Industry
Transport and Rail, Capital Works and Infrastructure
Our Role
Assurance partnering through the project lifecycle including Gateway and health check reviews
Services
Agile Assurance Reviews, Gateway Assurance Reviews, Independent Assurance Advice
Overview.
Improving decision support capability to assist safe and efficient navigation of Queensland ports and reefs.
The Transport and Main Roads Maritime Safety Queensland division operates five Vessel Traffic Systems centres in Queensland covering the major trading ports. Each centre has a requirement for a system that provides a surface picture and decision support tools to assist with safe and efficient navigation in Queensland ports. The Reef Vessel Traffic Services operations are managed by Maritime Safety Queensland and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority , with Maritime Safety Queensland responsible for maintaining the Reef Vessel Traffic Services system.
The reef and port services are the largest coastal vessel traffic service in the world, in terms of area, which encompasses a number of isolated reef systems and channels which are navigationally challenging. Through monitoring the area, the reef vessel traffic services improves navigational safety and reduces the risk of shipping incidents, which results in a reduced risk of damage to the marine environment, including the World Heritage protected Great Barrier Reef.
Business need.
Assure the delivery of a Vessel Traffic Services decision support tool for Queensland reefs and ports navigation.
The purpose of the project was to procure a commercial off the shelf system to replace the existing vessel traffic service decision support tool systems. There was a business need to procure independent, risk-based assurance throughout the course of the project lifecycle ,inclusive of health checks and Gateway assurance reviews, so as to provide ongoing an unbiased assessment of project status and reporting on areas that were progressing well and providing further insight on risks and issues requiring immediate attention. The assurance partner was required to assure risks and issues related to multiple implementation sites across five vessel traffic systems centres in Queensland covering the major trading ports, which included assurance across multiple implementations located within the ports and offshore at strategic reef locations.
Challenges.
Building confidence in the identification, treatment and management of risks impacting delivery.
The project experienced considerable risks that had a direct impact on the critical delivery elements of time, cost, quality and scope, which was a result of the very nature, magnitude and geographical disbursement of the required solution and the diverse range of key stakeholders.
The challenge of managing stakeholder expectations was amplified by the presence of local, national and international stakeholders and a multitude of contractual negotiations. The project faced the challenges of managing hardware and software implementations across the five separate control centres, while ensuring that critical business as usual operations were able to be maintained.
Results.
Assurance partnering, Gateway reviews and health checks aligned to global best practice and government assurance frameworks.
Independent Assurance Partnering
As direct result of the assurance partnering programme with PM Solutions, the project and the department evidenced defined improvements in the adherence to governance processes involving all project and vendor stakeholders, a marked improvement in the attention to financial management ensuring the project did not exceed the funding envelope beyond its contingency, and a well engaged and functioning Project Board, supported by high quality documentation packs and minutes.
Regular and documented feedback from the Business Owner and project stakeholders, indicated that throughout the course of the project, the provision of the PM Solutions risk-based assurance played an essential role in highlighting the risks and issues that needed immediate attention. The PM Solutions assurance review debriefing processes greatly assisted in the escalation of risks, issues and challenges to senior stakeholders, who in-turn were empowered to assist in treating risks and removing the barriers to success.
