RPOU(W) and DCC work together to manage DND infrastructure
October 25, 2023 - Capt Kyle Ho, Real Property Operations Unit (West)
Real Property Operation Unit (West) (RPOU(W)) manages all the Department of National Defence‑owned infrastructure in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
It manages 2,365 buildings and 18.5 million square metres of roads/lots, with a direct annual cost of $240 million. RPOU(W)’s headquarters is located in Edmonton under Commanding Officer Lieutenant‑Colonel John Hallet and Regional Sergeant‑Major Chief Warrant Officer Eric Barney.
Since the transition from the Engineer Service to Real Property Operation, the efforts required to create a sustainable portfolio became a high priority. The command team relied on their professional staff to improve their programs and make the unit more efficient.
On Sept. 15, a working group was conducted at the Defence Canada Construction (DCC) Western Regional Office to brainstorm on improving program schedule management in the West. In attendance at the working group were Engineer Plans Officer Captain John Hufnagel, DCC RPOU(W) Support Manager Michael Yegani, DCC program specialist Dan Twaites, and Mike Gilmore, Project & Program Management Regional Service Line Leader.
Caption
(L-R): Defence Canada Construction (DCC) program specialist Dan Twaites, DCC Real Property Operations Unit (West) Support Manager Michael Yegani, and Engineer Plans Officer Captain John Hufnagel at the DCC Western Regional Office.
Photo by Capt Kyle Ho, Real Property Operations Unit (West)
The working group discussed how to define success on schedule performance. It was one of the key challenges for planners, as there are many uncontrolled factors affecting the outcomes. The working group was trying to determine if the current methodology, using the Joint Program Implementation Tool, is truly as efficient as it could be. The program schedule needs to be adjusted regularly because many factors can cause controlled or uncontrolled slippages. As such, planners constantly monitor their projects and make adjustments in order to get a sense of the budget impacts and where they’ll land at fiscal year end.
The group agreed further investigation into the pre‑planning phases is required to track all the milestones of a project. Tracking the process during the development phase before the procurement phase could also increase confidence and reduce uncertainty of the program schedule.
It was an educational meeting and not all the questions were answered due to time constraints. The group decided to meet a few times a year to continue discussing ways to continuously improve schedule management so RPOU(W) can continue to deliver optimal performance using accurate and credible data. The best program financial performance so far was four per cent below the maximum budget for the overall program based off second‑quarter projections.
Each year since the transition to Real Property Operation has yielded additional areas for improvement and new innovations. With increased expenditure authorities and the move to multi‑year planning, RPOU(W) is well placed to improve performance further to support and address the remaining infrastructure problems in the western region.