Causes of Failure at the Denver Airport Baggage Handling System
The first crucial reason that led to the failure of the project is inadequate prior planning. At the core of the problem was the managers’ inability to assess the complexity of the task since the initiation of the work. In turn, that was primarily explained by the novelty and uniqueness of the project and failure to recognize the necessity of new solutions. For those reasons, the decision-makers were unsuccessful to set an appropriate schedule. As a result, the project’s opening deadlines were postponed several times. Moreover, all the sub-tasks had to be accomplished in haste, which negatively impacted overall work quality.
The second factor that caused the failure is a lack of participation in project planning by other important stakeholders. Indeed, the Airport’s top managers’ prior considerations were unidirectional and ignorant of the airline companies’ demands. As a result, in the middle of plan realization, the airport decision-makers had to readjust their strategy and make changes in the project designs following airlines’ requirements. That further led to delays in a scheduled time and an increase in the budget expenditures.
The third failure reason includes the management’s inability to integrate the efforts and expertise of various working departments within the project. For this reason, the realization of certain tasks interfered with or undermined the progress of the other functions. For instance, because designers of the physical building and the designers of the baggage system did not work together, the latter team had to face significant space constraints. Consequently, that was one of the crucial factors that affected the baggage system’s inadequate operation.
Types of Causes of Failure at the Denver Airport Baggage Handling System
All the three previously mentioned causes of failure are rooted in poor decision-making and project implementation. Particularly, the first failure reason generally refers to inadequate planning; the second-mentioned cause for failure is explained by the lack of stakeholder management, and the third reason is an indicator of communication breakdowns.
What Should Have Been Done Differently for the Denver Airport Baggage Handling System
This discussion will analyze and discuss the actions that decision-makers should have taken to avoid the problems with initial project planning. It is suggested that, at the very beginning, the managers should assess whether their expertise and knowledge are sufficient to start with the work. Next, it is crucial to invite experts in the field who can help to understand the process better and avoid potential problems. Finally, the executives should consult all the stakeholders before project initiation to balance all the interests in advance.