FAILURE OF

LABORATORY
ID PROJECT
BEN 610
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
PRINCIPLES
ASSESSMENT 1: CASE STUDY




HOOI PENG, LIM
8949204
1.0 INTRODUCTION



In December 2012, an ID system known as Automatic Student Attendance System
(ASAS) was introduced in Polytechnic Ibrahim Sultan, Johor Bahru Malaysia. The purpose of
the system was to record student attendance automatically. Students used ID cards with
embedded radio frequency identification (RFID) chips. An RFID reader was placed in lecture
facility. When students enter class, the system automatically records the students attendance. If
the student did not bring his ID card, then he would need to notify the instructor of the session.


The objective of ASAS was to speed up the process of attendance monitoring by the
lecturer. It was expected that the system would eliminate the process of attendance taking and
lecturers would be able to review students attendance on a computer. Attendance would be
recorded into an online database. Since the process is automated, students with poor
attendance record are monitored by the system and warning letters of absence would be issued
automatically. ASAS was projected to cut down the processing time needed per letter from 20
minutes to zero.


However, the system did not succeed in achieving its objectives. It was a hassle for
users and was difficult to administer. As a result, the system was subsequently abandoned after
6 months of operation. A post-mortem meeting was called and it was concluded that the project
was poorly carried out, thus causing a significant loss to the institution. Feedbacks from the
users indicated that the system was unreliable and prone to error. Some students reported that
they received warning letters of absence although they attended classes, while some reported
that they had problems with their card, replacements could not be made immediately. Lecturers
also complained of intermittent access problems to the database, whereby login web pages
failed to load.
2.0 THREE MAJOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS


A number of problems undermined the ASAS implementation. These problems are
identified as critical and were overlooked during the implementation phase. As a result, the
project was unsuccessful and became a burden to the people using it.




2.1 Risk Management Failure



ASAS was built on a relatively new technology. Its architecture incorporates a
combination of embedded controllers and online database. As a result, technical support was
not readily available and problems that arose with the system could not be resolved quickly. The
contractor who was engaged to install the system was also unfamiliar with its technical aspects.
Training to staff was limited to basic operations, while critical troubleshooting was not given
emphasis. When faults occurred, staff had to call the contractor, who in turn would consult
engineers from the manufacturer. The inability of the contractor to provide reliable technical
backup during the commencement period caused frustration between the users and
administrators of the system.


The technology itself was proven unreliable. Users have reported that the system was
easy to tamper. There was no authentication process during attendance-taking. Students only
have to swipe their card at the reader and the attendance would be recorded. Thus, there was
no way of telling if a student swiped the ID card of other students. There were also instances
when the student swiped the ID card but his attendance was not recorded in the database. This
issue has led to some disputes which had to be resolved amicably. Card readers had electrical
stability issues which prone to damage. On the administrator side, the system provided limited
coordination between operators.
2.2 Cost Management Failure



Another issue that contributed to the failure of the project was bad cost management.
Ineffective cost management strategies had result an oversight where the actual cost exceeded
the expected cost. A significant portion of the unforeseen costs was due to part replacement.
The card readers were prone to electrical failure which warrants for replacements.
Investigations revealed that the failures were not caused by the card readers, rather were
caused by electrical issues of the buildings. As a result, replacements were not covered by
warranty. The situation was exacerbated for the reason that budget for replacements could not
be secured in a short period of time.


The system also had sustainability issues. After the initial pilot installation for eight
classrooms were completed, additional expansions into other locations throughout the campus
was costly and time consuming. Student ID cards were provided by the institution only once. If a
student lost his card, he would need to pay for a replacement. Hence, students saw this move
as an unnecessary burden.




2.3 Time Management Failure



During the meeting, one of the issues that were pointed out was the poor scheduling of
the implementation phases. There were several delays in the project which added to cost. First,
staffs were given training prior to the system delivery. However, delays forced the arrival of the
system to be postponed by one month. The lapse in the implementation time caused the
training to be meaningless. By the time the hardware of the system arrived, staffs were
unfamiliar with the administration and troubleshooting procedures. The installation of the system
required more time than expected, thus causing another delay. The project management had
grossly underestimated the time needed to fully implement the system. Although delays
happened, the project management insisted that the implementation had to be on time,
therefore installation was done hastily and the system was launched without thorough
inspection and verification of stability. This had led to unreliability in the system, which an
inexperienced administrator team would need to resolve.
3.0 IMPACTS OF THESE PROBLEMS



The failure of the system resulted some significant effects that had caused the institution
to review the project. As the system was deemed undesirable, its technology was abandoned
prematurely. The abandonment was a direct result of failures in monitoring and managing
risks. The system and its inexperienced supplier should have been acknowledged as a risk but
it was overlooked. Although the system has been officially discontinued, a minority of staffs has
expressed regret and desire to continue to use it, as they report that there was success in
implementation elsewhere. As the system is no longer in use, the hardware are left idle,
subjected to damage from weather elements and vandals. It was concluded that a thorough
research was not concluded in the risk management stage prior to its implementation.


The discontinuation of the system was reported to have caused a loss of RM50, 000 to
the institution. As there were delays, unexpected costs incurred in the training and installation
activities. Hardware failure due to electrical faults accounted up to 25% of the costs. The
financial loss drew criticism as the funds could have been allocated for purchasing educational
equipment instead. The institution management is now more careful with approving funds for
innovation projects. A panel has been established to evaluate further proposals.


Human resource played an important role during the implementation of the system. The
project has consumed a considerable amount of time and manpower to implement. It was
estimated that 800 man-hours were used on the system throughout the implementation,
including the proposal period. Academic staff (lecturers) selected to undergo training had to
reschedule teaching and learning activities. Missed classes were difficult to replace, most
resorted to replacement session beyond office hours. The affected lecturers reported that
students were unable to keep up with lessons and grades suffered.
4.0 RECOMMENDING AND JUSTIFYING CHANGES TO RECTIFY THESE PROBLEMS


The problems that arose were caused by poor management and could have been
avoided with proper planning and strategies. For the risk management issue, applying the
general risk management tools could allow better planning for the potential risks.
i. Identify risks

ii. Asses risks

iii. Treat risks

iv. Control risks

v. Communicate and monitor



With the method applied, the project management would be able to identify the risks of
the untested system and prepare an action plan or workflow for troubleshooting. In general, the
methods would enable to the team to assess the feasibility of the project in terms of risk.


If effective cost management was put in place, the project would not have incurred
such high costs. In an argument of buy vs. rent, the institution should have considered the
option of renting the system from a reputable vendor as opposed to purchasing it. Since the
system is rented, the recurring maintenance cost would be under the responsibility of the
service provider. The option of renting also reduces the training costs as staff would not be
required to be trained at high levels. The institution could also apply activity based costing to
determine the fixed cost, variable cost and overhead costs that may incur. This move will assist
in preparing a more inclusive budget.


The problem with time management failure lies in poor scheduling. The project
management team could use a combination of Pareto analysis, Program Evaluation and Review
Technique (PERT) and Gantt chart. By using Pareto analysis, the important components of the
project could have been singled out and given more attention. The PERT technique would
assist in visualizing and analyzing the flow of the project, especially the time needed to
complete each task and the minimum time required to complete the whole project. The resulting
PERT table can be translated into a Gantt chart for planning. By using these planning
techniques, the project can be better planned for in terms of time management.
5.0 CONCLUSION


Although the project was a failure, there were valuable lessons learned for project
management. By applying the appropriate methods and tools, the failure could have been
reduced or avoided. With respect to the practice, a well developed frame-work can be used by
project manager and other participants to fully understand the concept of the Automatic Student
Attendance System (ASAS) project. Project manager should seek feedbacks regularly by
recognition that individuals may informally evaluate a project at various points; in order to
reduce the risk of failure across the life cycle of the project.








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