Organisation: Transport for NSW
Job Title: Project Officer
Location: Chatswood
1. Knowledge of program management principles and their application in resource allocation
and utilisation.
Throughout my career I have gained knowledge of program management principles and their
application in resource allocation and utilisation. Experienced in delivering both large and small
scale projects, my initial considerations in planning the execution of a program or project are the
scope, time, cost and quality requirements. My understanding of these limits allows me to
effectively allocate available resources to meet these criteria. While program management may be
more ongoing in nature than project management, the principles of planning, executing and
monitoring to deliver the required result are equally relevant. As a Project Officer with Hanson
Heidelberg Cement Group, I was frequently required to balance competing demands in
determining how to best allocate and utilise resources. This was demonstrated during my
contributions to the Hunter Expressway Noise Walls project, where I was responsible for the
managing the allocation of people, funds and available resources to achieve delivery of the project
within allocated time frames.
Assessing the scope of the Hunter Expressway project and the time frame for delivery allowed me
to determine the quantity of human resources that were required to be allocated to the project in
each capacity. In this case I determined that there was a need for two Drafters, a Project Engineer,
two Estimators, a Contractor and approximately twenty Labourers. External resources in the form
of sub-contractors were additionally engaged following a quote process. Taking into consideration
not only the cost of these services, I also weighed the sub-contractor’s ability to deliver on time, as
well as the quality of their products, in order to determine who should be selected. My
responsibilities additionally involved the allocation of appropriate plant and equipment for
completion of the project. One of the most significant decisions that I made in regards to this
during the management of this project involved the utilisation of transportation resources. I
identified the risks involved with utilising only internal labour and equipment to transport the
finished walls to the installation sites and the fact that by doing so, we would risk the project not
being completed on time. To overcome this issue, I conducted an assessment of costs, available
budget and recourses and was able to outsource this aspect of the work and ensured that
deadlines were met.
In considering the resources available for program or project delivery, it has also been important
for me to identify any potential risks which may interrupt the availability of resources, and to
create contingency plans that ensure these risks do not derail the delivery of a project. When
contributing to the Hunter Expressway Noise Walls project, access to concrete for the construction
of the walls was a necessity. For this reason, I ensured that there was always an alternative source
of concrete available in case there was disruption of access to the primary supplier. This facilitated
a guarantee of zero supplier setbacks which in turn, resulted in the smooth operation of the
project.
Through adherence to the principles of planning, monitoring and executing the project in
accordance to cost, time and quality requirements, I was able to successfully deliver the Hunter
Expressway Noise Walls project within the original scope, including delivering on time and under
budget.
2. Ability to use computer and software packages including program management suites, Adobe
Acrobat, Microsoft Visio and Microsoft Office suite of products in the production of project
reports.
Throughout my career I have utilised a variety of computer and software packages and I am
confident in using them in order to produce accurate and efficient project reports. During my role
as Project Officer with Hanson Heidelberg Cement Group, I was required to report monthly to
managers on the progress of the road design for the Hunter Expressway Road project. For
managing this project I used the Aconex online project management system to access related
documents, including design drawings and emails, and to provide detailed reports. I also used
Microsoft Visio to create tables in order to track the project team and internal staffing. Microsoft
Project and Microsoft Office programs such as Excel and Word were also used to create tables that
tracked factors such as time, cost and team roles.
When collating the reports required by management, I drew the information that I required from
each of these software programs. My reports formed part of the project documentation which
was made available for relevant stakeholders to view and access so it was imperative that I
included accurate and relevant information. Use of these programs to collate and communicate
information in the design phase of this project resulted in informed internal team members, sub-
contractors and clients. This permitted any issues to be identified early and enabled risks to be
managed in order to prevent delays in the delivery of the project. Due to the sensitive nature of
these reports, I ensured that they were delivered to the relevant stakeholders in PDF format which
guaranteed that information was not able to be changed or tampered with. I made use of Adobe
Acrobat to convert Microsoft Word documents to undertake this task. Additionally, I have utilised
functions of Adobe Acrobat to make subtle changes to drawings when required.
My computer literacy skills, as well as my capacity to use computer and software packages in the
production of project reports are highly developed and I pride myself on my comprehension of the
various project management systems available. I am confident in using a variety of software
programs to aid my work, and I am quick to learn and adapt to using new programs with minimal
training.
3. Capability to build relationships across a variety of stakeholders including internal employees,
engineering professionals and representatives of industry bodies.
I have proven success in building and maintaining relationships with a variety of stakeholders on
projects that I have led and contributed to. It has often been my role to not only build
relationships with individual stakeholders, but to also act as the liaison between various interest
groups, such as between engineers and drafters, or between a construction team and the
architect. These liaisons have required strong relationships based on mutual understanding and
respect in order to avoid communication barriers and misunderstanding. An example of a project
that I managed where I found the building of strong stakeholder relationships to be particularly
important was in the renovation and reconstruction of the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) walls
during my employment at Hanson Heidelberg Cement Group (HHCG). This project formed part of
the wider scale redevelopment of the SCG.
In delivering this project it was essential to develop a strong relationship with the client’s
representatives to ensure clear communication of the scope of the work. Establishing this trust
and ongoing conversation at the onset of the project assisted with avoiding communication
difficulties. In managing the SCG project, I initially had close contact with the client’s Project
Manager, Architect and Structural Engineers, who provided me with an understanding of the work
to be completed. It was then my role as Project Manager, to clearly communicate this information
to our internal drafters at HHCG to allow them to accurately convert the designs of the Architects
and Engineers into technical drawings and plans for use by our construction team. Once again,
strong relationships were essential in this capacity as only by ensuring solid and open
communication with our internal employees, could I be confident that miscommunications or
failures to fulfil the scope of the project could be avoided.
For similar reasons it was also necessary for me to build and maintain effective working
relationships with the sub-contractors with whom I engaged with on this project. Throughout the
project works, I developed and maintained relationships with the Site Engineers, the factory
tasked with producing the walls, the transport manager overseeing the delivery of the walls, and
many others, while simultaneously ensuring ongoing relationships with the client’s Architect and
Engineers were cultivated and managed.
In the SCG project, as with other projects I have been involved in or managed, the strong
relationships that I have built with stakeholders has ensured that relevant information was
received and understood by all parties. In the SCG project, this allowed HHCG’s internal staff and
sub-contractors to gain a clear understanding of the client’s brief, as well as ensured that the
client’s Project Manager, Architect, and Structural Engineers were able to understand the capacity
of both HHCG and the project progress. As a result, I was able to coordinate with all of the
relevant stakeholders in order to successfully manage the project and deliver satisfaction for the client.
4. Good verbal and written communication skills and the ability to deal effectively with people
at all levels.
As a confident and experienced communicator, I present messages in a clear and concise manner,
structuring written communication to ensure clarity. Strong communication skills have been
essential to successful performance in all of my previous roles, and I have an equally
well-developed capacity to communicate in oral form. In all projects that I have been involved in, I
have provided clear and concise information to a wide variety of stakeholders both verbally and in
writing.
During my tenure at Hanson Heidelberg Cement Group, I successfully managed a project involving
the development of a new building for the Medical Science Faculty at the University of Newcastle.
Throughout this project, as with others that I worked on, I was required to provide a monthly
written report to my manager regarding the progress. Written communication was also conducted
with the client during the initial stages to ensure a clear understanding of the scope of the project.
Following this initial written briefing process, communication with the client was conducted
verbally, either by telephone or in person, in order to provide details of progress and to discuss
any issues as they arose. I also met on a weekly basis at separate times with the project Drafters,
the construction team and the Engineers in order to both provide instruction and receive relevant
information. On all occasions, I presented my messages clearly and confidently, focusing on key
points, while using appropriate and unambiguous language. This allowed all parties to understand
the role that was required of them and enabled them to work effectively as a component of the
project team. As a result of my effective verbal and written communication skills, the project for
the University of Newcastle was delivered successfully and within set time frames and budget.
When working on a project, I am often required to utilise my negotiation skills in both written and
oral forms in order to influence stakeholders in regards to the resolution of issues facing the
project. For example, in carrying out the management of the Sydney Cricket Ground wall
renovation and replacement project, it became evident that it was not achievable to produce the
walls in the colour specified by the architect. In order to resolve this issue, I first wrote to the
Architect via email to clearly explain my concerns and reasoning for not being able to produce the
walls in the preferred colour. I then arranged a face-to-face meeting to discuss and present the
three available alternative colours that the Architect was able to select from. Due to my ability to
clearly and effectively communicate what the obstacle was and convey the available solutions, the
Architect was satisfied with the alternatives offered and the project was able to continue without
further delay.
As these examples demonstrate, I have extensive experience in communicating effectively with
people from a diverse range of backgrounds and at various levels within a project. I am adept at
tailoring my communication style to my audience to ensure that messages are delivered in a way
that is readily received and understood.
5. Capacity to operate both independently, using initiative and self direction, and as a team
member to produce consistently high quality work.
Adept at working both independently and within multidisciplinary teams, I have the ability to
adapt my working style as required in order to achieve the best outcomes for the task at hand.
Previous roles have required me to exercise a large degree of independent judgement and
autonomy in order to deliver successful outcomes.
In one of the projects that I managed for Hanson Heidelberg Cement Group (HHCG), the client
requested that a specific concrete mix was used for the planks of a bridge that we were delivering.
HHCG did not currently have a Roads and Maritime Services authority to use that particular
concrete mix as the authority previously granted had expired – this prohibited HHCG from using
the required mix on the road. Upon learning this, I immediately commenced the process of
seeking renewal of approval, while investigating the possibility of using alternative concrete mixes.
I concluded that an alternative mix was not a viable option, and also discovered that the time
delay in receiving an approval from the Roads and Maritime Service would prevent the project
from being completed according to the client’s deadline. In need of a third solution, I investigated
external companies that had current approval to use the required mix and, after determining that I
could do so within budget, outsourced the supply of the planks to a company holding a current
approval. This process of independently pursuing a solution to a barrier to success clearly
demonstrates my initiative and self-directed enterprise that I contribute to a project.
Likewise, I have the ability to contribute well to team goals and operations in order to ensure that
high quality work is produced by the team. This was demonstrated in my role as a member of the
Design Team at Sinclair Knight Merz while working on the Hunter Expressway project. In this role it
was essential that I contributed effectively to the team, as each individual team member was
assigned varied responsibilities for different aspects of the project. Only through each individual
team member communicating effectively with others within the team, as well as delivering their
assigned tasks to a high standard and within set time frames, was the team able to achieve
success. Our effective team collaboration resulted in high quality work in regards to the design
aspect of the project and was delivered to the satisfaction of the client.
6. Ability to use initiative and maintain a high degree of confidentiality, discretion, and
judgement while maintaining a strong customer service approach.
Able to exercise discretion in my work, many of the projects that I have contributed to, or
managed have required me to maintain strict confidentiality in my dealings. I have often received
access to design drawings or plans which are in draft form or not for public viewing, and it has
been my responsibility to ensure that only the necessary people are granted access to these
documents. This has frequently been the case when there is strong public interest in a project,
such as on a site like the Sydney Cricket Ground. When managing a project, I am required to grant
access to the Aconex project site for various stakeholders, such as internal employees, Engineers
and sub-contractors. In doing so, I ensure that access is granted on a needs-only basis, and that all
stakeholders remain aware of their obligations with regard to confidentiality.
My extensive experience in managing projects has ensured that I have developed confidence and
proficiency in making sound judgements following the evaluation of available information. One of
the decisions that I was required to make while employed at Hanson Heidelberg Cement Group,
related to the expansion of the quarry used for sourcing concrete materials. In order to expand
the quarry, it was necessary to conduct blasting and excavation, a task which internal staff would
have been capable of executing with the use of hired equipment. Realising however, that this
would have required the recruitment of casual labour to backfill these staff, I reached the
conclusion that outsourcing the blasting and excavation work would allow a more efficient
delivery of the objective. Having made the decision to outsource the work, I was able to
successfully deliver the expansion of the quarry as directed in terms of time frame and budget.
I am comfortable in making decisions and judgements following evaluation of alternatives and I
am able to do so by constantly remaining mindful of the desired end result of a client or customer.
I maintain a customer-focus by consistently referring to the initial scope, specifications or request
from the client and facilitating ongoing communication as a project evolves to ensure that
emerging needs are met. This results in high levels of customer satisfaction and facilitates client’s
confidence in the fact that I am more than capable of delivering on project desirables. In addition,
my ability to use initiative and maintain a high degree of confidentiality, discretion, and judgement
while maintaining a strong customer service approach has resulted in many ongoing and
successful client relationships.
