Delivering Successful Projects Through Effective Stakeholder Management
A key part of any big infrastructure project is stakeholder management. Given that the KVMRT project is a high-profile infrastructure project that lines across densely populated areas, stakeholder management must remain a top priority during the entirety of the project timeline. While the benefits of such a project are plenty, disruptions and disturbances caused during its implementation will have the potential of adversely affecting various stakeholders and unresolved issues may hinder project progress.
En. Mohar Bin Zainal Abidin is the Senior Stakeholder Management Manager, a role in the project whose tasks are wide-ranging. He and his dedicated stakeholder team manage the engagement with the various project stakeholders that includes local authorities, state governments, statutory and non-statutory bodies, business and property owners and communities along the entire project alignment via the respective Work Package Contractors’ (WPCs) PR & Stakeholder Management teams. He provides guidance and direction so that stakeholder communications and engagements are done timely and concerns and issues are attended to and resolved amicably.
Overall, his main objective is to maintain good relationships with various stakeholders as they are the primary team that engages with councils, authorities, property owners, community leaders and so on, by ensuring information about the project is fed through seamlessly as well as to ensure all stakeholders issues are addressed and the relevant authority approvals are in place before construction starts. The stakeholder team can be seen as the conduit between the project team and the community.
In speaking with En. Mohar, he outlines that stakeholder management plays an important role in ensuring successful project delivery. Effective stakeholder management must be planned and guided by underlying principles, and the fruits of this process can foster meaningful, positive relationships with stakeholders on every level.
Besides, he also shares that they employ dedication and various different communication channels through which they can interact with stakeholders across varied demographics, cultures and languages via traditional and digital communications platforms. These platforms include face to face meetings, town halls, email, 24-hour hotlines, social media, mobile information kiosks, and visitor centres. One such avenue is the utilisation of a complaint management system (CMS), where all inputs are gathered and consolidated from the 24-hour MRT Hotline 1800-82-6868 and MRT feedback email. Through these two-way and responsive communication channels, key stakeholder messages are disseminated noting the progress of the project and any issues that might arise during construction. Stakeholder complaints and feedback are also often addressed through the robust CMS processes in place.
Every major project comes with its own set of unique challenges. In regards to En. Mohar and his team, their biggest challenges involve tackling concerns brought up by stakeholders such as the placement of alignments, environmental distress, and potential long-term traffic issues. When speaking on resolutions, En. Mohar emphasised that the most effective solution was to take all feedback and concerns seriously and maintain open and clear communications channels, making sure that no one’s complaints will go unnoticed.
Despite the difficulties and challenges of the job, En. Mohar maintains that he is proud of the role he has and is honoured to be a part of such a significant national project. He goes on to say that despite not having a technical background, the project presented him with unique learning opportunities in the construction field that he had never experienced before. He adds that by learning about the technical aspect of the project through his supportive colleagues, he was able to apply that knowledge effectively during his engagement with stakeholders.
Our dedicated team led by En. Mohar has allowed us to effectively manage and resolve various stakeholders’ issues including alignment redesign, improvement in safety measures, business and services continuity, road diversions, alternate access, road maintenance, environmental pollution such as noise, dust and vibration as well as building cracks and property damage claims.
The quality of our engagement on this major metro project was recognised internationally. In 2017 and 2019, Gamuda won the Community Engagement Award (High Commendation), New Civil Engineer Tunnelling Award and Community Engagement Award, Ground Engineering Awards for the Project for our proactive approach and the maturity of our engagement systems and processes. We achieved this by applying our proven and effective approach to stakeholder engagement mapping – identifying operational needs of surrounding businesses and facilities, which then translates into meaningful construction and delivery approaches to minimise adverse construction impacts.