David Katandi Oburu

Project Management & Professional Practice

Project Management Preparation Assignment 1 (Paper Review)

The authors (Richard J. Ormerod & Werner Ulrich) of the article Operational research and

ethics, point out that ethical questions of values and responsibilities always rise in any human

activity. The authors further argue that ethics matters, and these ethical questions lie at the heart

of the day-to-day Operational Research (an activity done by people for people) and at the great

governmental and commercial issues of the day. For example, economic growth and instability as

well as inequality and injustice. In addition, environmental degradation and sustainability. This

implies that for any human activity or project undertaken, for it to be successful, it should not only

focus on its primary objectives for example, profit maximization but also put into consideration

the ethical issues and the well-being of other people who are directly or indirectly affected by the

actions taken during and after the course of the project.

Furthermore, from the article Operational research and ethics, I was able to understand

that a project as a temporary endeavor untaken to create a unique product, service or result tends

to be a complex web of activities regardless of its scope depending on its initiation context. For

example, meeting a regulatory, legal or social requirement and satisfying stakeholder requests or

needs. Implementing or creating changes or technological strategies to create, improve or fix

products, processes or services. This indicates that for a project to be successful, a pool of cross-

disciplinary marriage which brings about experience from other disciplines medical, legal,

accounting, engineering consultancy and management consultancy in general are needed. This

cross-disciplinary marriage will ensure ethical issues are given transparent consideration.

Moreover, from the article A risk and cost management analysis for changes during the

construction phase of a project, a residential construction project (two six-story residential

apartment blocks, containing a total of 43 units) is one of the examples of engineering projects
that have benefited from this cross-disciplinary marriage for example, professional advisors and

service providers together with social services and civil services. This project was carried out in

order to better understand changes and rework in construct project management. In addition, the

construction of a multi-million rand integrated industrial facility for a metropolitan municipality

is another example of cross-disciplinary marriage because the project involved the collaboration

of civil and structural consulting engineers in a joint venture with mechanical and electrical

consulting engineers.

Besides, currently I am working on Solar Microgrid System project. The project aims to

address the increasing challenges of climatic conditions for example global warming by cutting

down the emission of dangerous gases like carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In addition, the

project also aims at addressing the increasing demand for renewable energy as a way of

diversifying the energy sector. Just like any other project, my project will not be complete without

the application of cross-disciplinary marriage that is consultancy in electrical and electronic,

computer and mechanical engineering. For example, I have been consulting my supervisor in many

aspects of project from initiation stage. For example, modification of the research topic, designing

the project scope in order to correctly consider project cost optimization and many more. Also, in

many cases, I discuss my project with other fellow colleagues from other engineering disciplines

like computer and mechanical as well as computer science. This has enabled me in restructuring

my project objectives and goals that takes into consideration ethical issues. For example, poor

design and choice of components or material required to accomplish the project which could result

into an engineering disaster like death to the users. The decision to consider solar as the main

distributed energy source in this project is in line with the sustainable development goals for

example, clean energy.