The impact of the application of governance principles in municipal government projects: a metropolitan municipality case study

Abstract: The use of governance principles in projects implemented within the government sector provides tangible benefits in terms of projects achieving the intended objectives. Governance of projects is often related to the ability of organisations to demonstrate the ability to administer projects in line with organisational policy thereby adhering to principles such as accountability, transparency and compliance to trends of good corporate governance. Oversight in government projects often results in over and irregular expenditure as well as projects running over the planned timeframes, largely because of the lack of integrated governance systems to track, monitor and ensure project methodologies are followed. The purpose of this research was to propose an integrated governance structure to be utilised in a municipal environment to assist departments executing infrastructure projects

A Framework of International Competencies for Systems Engineers

In the course of their career, many systems engineers are likely to interact with engineers of other nationalities as they collaborate on large, complex projects and system of system problems. These partnerships are necessary to support international goals, such as those for sustainable development. System engineers may even work onsite in other countries where they must adapt to different styles of doing business. This requires a set of global skill sets for cooperating and decision making, as well as basic social skills for interacting with the local community. These global skills can be included in a graduate level system engineering curriculum by integrating a set of “international competencies” that includes cognitive style differences, culture awareness, communication, ethics, and teamwork. The competencies were identified through a literature review of suggested global engineering skill sets; these five themes consistently appeared throughout the literature. The Graduate Reference Curriculum for Systems Engineering (GRCSE) was then reviewed to link these competencies to established systems engineering learning outcomes and System Engineering Body of Knowledge (SEBOK) topics. Finally, teaching elements are suggested that can be included even in established curriculums to introduce systems engineers to the skills they need to be successful in a global world

Domestic water meter optimal replacement period to minimize water revenue loss

Water meter under-registration results in apparent losses and lost revenue for municipalities. Municipalities should scientifically determine the optimal replacement periods for the meters in their particular municipality, as this would result in the formulation and implementation of appropriate meter replacement strategies and a reduction of apparent losses due to water meter inaccuracies. A water meter management database was analysed using the relative meter error method to determine if a relationship exists between domestic water meter age, total registered volume and accuracy, as well as the volume of apparent water losses caused by inaccuracies due to domestic water meter age and total registered volume. The net present value chain (NPVCn) method was used to determine the optimal domestic water meter replacement period. This study found no relation between water meter age and total registered volume. A relation was found between water meter age and accuracy and well as between total registered volume and accuracy. The median relative meter error was found to decrease with increasing water meter age and to increase from under-registration to over-registration as the total registered volume increased. The study also determined the volume of apparent water losses caused by domestic water meter inaccuracies due to age and total registered volume for this particular municipality to be 1.814 kL∙meter−1∙month−1, which translated to 2.81% of the municipality’s total system input volume. The optimal water meter replacement period of the municipality was determined using the NPVCn method to be at water meter ages of 9, 12 and 16 years and total registered volumes of 3 971, 5 162 and 6 750 kL at discount rates of 10%, 8% and 6%, respectively. This means that the municipality can now proactively replace its water meters so as to minimize the impact of meter inaccuracies on non-revenue water.Keywords: water meter age, apparent water losses, relative water meter error

Analysis of aircraft maintenance processes and cost

Abstract: The life cycle of an aircraft consists of design, production, operation and decommissioning phases. For an airline the main focus is on the maintenance process during the operation phase. This paper presents a case study of an airline facing a challenge of increasing maintenance cost. The objective is to understand factors that drive increase in cost. Maintenance cost, flight hours, flight cycles, dispatch reliability and pilot reports were analyzed to find out the maintenance cost drivers. The study identified that the aircraft which dominated the maintenance costs had the highest flight hours, and the lowest dispatch reliability in the fleet

Cybersecurity awareness in an Industrial Control Systems company

Abstract: This paper investigates the cybersecurity awareness levels of employees at an industrial control systems organization and measures their knowledge on the potential impact of cyber-related attacks on their systems through a case study. Attacks on industrial control systems as well as the information technology infrastructure which it relies on, are becoming a growing problem for governments and organizations. Cybersecurity policies of organizations are critical to ensure that industrial control systems environments are adequately protected. It is equally important for the organizations to ensure that their employees are aware of the cybersecurity policies and why they must be implemented. In many cases, however, organizations are faced with employees who are not aware of the potential cyber-related security threats posed to their industrial control systems, nor the impact these attacks might have. Results show that although employees understand the severity of cyber vulnerabilities their awareness is low

A theoretical pre-assessment of solar photovoltaic electrical production for commerical retail centers

Abstract: The successful implementation of solar photovoltaic technology in retail centers has enabled various consumers the ability to generate and consume electricity on the same premises, reducing electricity costs and dependency on currently utilities. The rooftop mounting solution consists of affixing the photovoltaic modules on existing roof structures of retail centres. Accelerated deployment of photovoltaic technologies in recent history (within developing countries) led to various logistical, technical and bureaucratic barriers arising. A comprehensive understanding of these barriers is required to ensure efficient and effective deployment of the technology in developing countries. This study investigates the assessment considerations for the pre-deployment phase of photovoltaic technologies in retail centres. Environmental-, policy-, technical-, and financial factors are identified as the main barriers affecting the financial viability and Return on Investment of such a project. The evolution of this technology within developing countries and the integration of PV and retail centres are investigated. Finally, various financial evaluation criteria are presented to which the viability of the technology is determined. Understanding of the various barriers ensures effective deployment of the technology in retail centres, commercial and residential sectors of an economy

Life cycle assessment of single-use and reusable plastic bottles in the city of Johannesburg.

Abstract: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles of water have experienced huge growth in demand and sales in South Africa. This expansion in use creates challenges as well as opportunities for managing the life cycle impact. The properties that make PET desirable for fluid-containing bottles have also made it highly resistant to environmental biodegradation. Reusable plastic bottles are now marketed as a solution to reduce the impact of single-use plastic bottles. We assessed the life cycle impact of single-use PET bottles and an alternative, reusable PET bottle based on consumption patterns in South Africa and the material flow and supply chain in the urban environment. This robust consideration of local conditions is important in evaluating the life cycle impact. In an examination of 13 impact categories, the reusable PET bottle had lower impact than the single-use bottle in all the impact categories examined. The mass of PET bottle material required to deliver the water needs at any given time is a dominant factor on the environmental burden. Extending the life of reusable bottles and designing lighter weight bottles would reduce their life cycle impact. Information obtained in evaluating alternatives to plastic water bottles can be valuable for providing a foundation assessment for policymakers and plastic bottle manufacturers to make informed choices and to focus on improvements in life cycle impact. Significance: • The significant impact of the production phase in the life cycle of both single-use and reusable PET bottles confirms the need to design a much more lightweight bottle to reduce the mass of materials used in production. • Another key consideration was the long transportation distance covered during the production phase, and the negative impact of current vehicular emissions. Municipalities and waste collectors should consider the use of low-carbon transport. • This study highlights the value of extending the life of plastic bottles, as well as recycling for material recovery, remanufacturing and repurposing these bottles within the City. • The use of fewer, larger single-use bottles compared with a greater number of smaller single-use bottles is discussed

A socio-technical view of the requirements engineering process

D.Ing. (Engineering Management)The requirements discipline is at the heart of systems engineering, software engineering and business analysis. When a solution needs to be developed, built or bought that will be useful to the users and that will achieve the intended business goals, the problem needs to be understood before a possible solution can be developed. This process of understanding the problem that needs to be solved and what the solution should achieve is referred to as the requirements process. Requirements are the input to the solution development process. If the requirements are incorrect, the developed solution will not be useful. The purpose of this study was to discover the social behaviour of practitioners that causes the communication breakdowns during the requirements engineering process. Requirements emerge from the social interaction and communication between the requirements practitioner and the various stakeholders. The main problems with the requirements engineering process are communication and coordination breakdowns, as well as the lack of domain knowledge or understanding of the problem. These challenges are all related to the social interaction during the requirements engineering process that impacts the quality of requirements. Researchers have made significant progress in the development of methodologies. Tools and techniques are available for improving the quality of requirements. However, in practice, requirements are still produced with errors which then leads to unsuccessful solutions to problems. The requirements engineering process is executed within a social context. These social elements should be taken into consideration to improve quality. Based on the results collected from real-world practice as well as people’s behaviour in the real world, a complete understanding of the influence on the requirements process was derived. This understanding was used to identify the social elements required during the requirements engineering process. A socio-technical view is provided of the social and the technical activities that should be facilitated by the requirements engineering process. This framework integrates the required communicative activities with the traditional requirements activity. This socio-technical framework for the requirements engineering process was developed based on a survey. The aim of this framework is to overcome the social behaviour that causes communication breakdowns and impacts on the quality of the requirements. The research contributes to the existing requirements knowledge base. The socio-technical framework developed for the requirements process concerns the communication breakdowns continuously highlighted as a contributing factor to poor requirements, by providing the social activities required during the requirements process as guidance. Secondly, the knowledge acquired provides adequate data on requirements practice for future research. Specific focus areas for practitioners and managers on how to improve the requirements engineering process without the adoption of any new tools or methodologies are also included in the results. Additionally, practitioners’ behaviour was determined. By determining these interaction and relationship patterns, communication can be improved and made more effective

Digitalization of project management: Opportunities in research and practice

The fast growth of digital technologies as well as the amount of data that devices and applications collect daily, increasingly drive organisations to radically transform their business models. The impact of digitalization on Information technology (IT) projects are evident through the adoption of agile approaches and DevOps. What is not clear, is how digitalization is impacting the larger project management discipline. A bibliometric analysis of 478 articles provides insights into the state of project management digitalization. At a high level, project management is not yet digitalized but technologies are used as tools to optimise project management processes. The results also highlight the need for continuous learning to adapt to the transformation introduced by digitalization. The introduction of the Project Management Digitalization Research Agenda Cube can be used to guide practitioners and academia to facilitate the digitalization of project management

The effect of requirements engineering on the success of system implementation : a comparative case study

M.Ing. (Engineering Management)Requirements engineering forms an integral part of software engineering. The purpose of requirements engineering is to provide high quality requirements for a system or solution. These requirements are then utilised by developers to produce a high quality system. They also assist project managers to better plan the schedule and costing of information technology projects, resultinq in cost savinqs. The problem is that although formal definitions and processes do exist for requirements engineering, projects are still failing due to the poor quality of requirements, This study investigates this phenomenon, in particular to understand why project teams cannot deliver high quality requirements. This is done against the background of the processes and standards available to organisations. The root cause of the problem is researched to determine whether the processes are the cause or whether other factors are contributing to poor quality requirements. This study makes use of two cases within one organisation to determine what the contributing factors are with regard to poor and good quality requirements. The cases provide information on why one project delivered good quality requirements and another project within same organisation, the same business unit, with the same support structure, delivered poor quality requirements. It is perceived that the case study method was a valid method in this particular research study as it provided the researcher with in-depth knowledge and observations on how organisations deal with the process of requirements engineering. It was found that the quality and clarity of communication or the lack thereof plays a significant role in the quality of requirements. This research provides an alternative view on the factors contributing towards poor quality requirements. This implies that organisations can train or educate requirements engineers in communication skills. The skill of communication allows a requirements engineer to create a trust relationship with customers, and this empowers him/her to elicit good quality requirements from the users