Project Glasgow 2014

Herv Rey, head of overlay at Glasgow 2014 Limited, is a project management professional with 20 years global experience on complex and international projects.

He joined Glasgow 2014 at the end of 2011 and is currently in charge of all temporary infrastructures across 35 competition and non-competition venues.

Speaking at the APM Scottish Conference Herv explained some of the thinking in bringing together a huge project such as the Commonwealth Games.

He said: I have been involved in all stages of projects from inception to completion, carried out various responsibilities and enjoyed each new challenge. I appreciate working in this dynamic and ever-changing environment, on large projects where pressure is steady and deadlines are non-negotiable."

I spent 8 years abroad in Africa working on projects. I tried to transform my skills into my passion and jumped into sport and I have been doing this for 12 years.

Herves job relates to the design and protocol of the infrastructure required for the Games.

We have to bring them to international standard for this kind of event, he says. Were talking about all the temporary facilities and services around. When we leave it has to be as it was when we first got here as its temporary.

The infrastructures themselves are quite simple but we need to get it right. With any project, we need to get it right first time. This is non-negotiable and this is where the pressure is.

One of our first tasks is to design the different venues and were fortunate to have a city of Glasgows size to work with. We have our own departments of sport, logistics, transport, etc. We need to accommodate them, which is an ongoing process and part of the design.

Herve defined four phases in the design process.

During these stages, we try to move further and further into details. Its a meteoric process, he explains. Were designing in a very short time, along with engineers and architects so the timeframes are tight and we have to get it right first time.

Procurement is everything. We have 61 tasks that are contracted. This isnt different from other construction projects but we need to engage with the supply chain managers and so on to get it right. We need to procure in advance. Timing is crucial. We need to make sure that all our contracts are very strong and precise.

A difficult challenging is managing the people involved in bringing the Games together.

Its one of the most difficult and challenging areas, he says. I arrived in December with a team of 8 people, and today we are 85-strong. Its a significant growth. It works well. You need to realize that its not a regular company with processes in place. We are starting from scratch. We need to define everything, as theres nobody to give us direction. This for me is an enormous challenge that were always facing.

You need the right balance, and obviously you need local people as they know the area and the people. This is the Games for Scotland so its important that Scottish people are involved.

A lot of project managers think they can be revolutionary when it come to big projects, but the reality is its important to find the right balance between the theory and pragmatism of each project.

It is extremely demanding as we are starting out from a blank sheet of paper. Not all of the previous games have been entirely successful in terms of infrastructure so there is a big pressure to make sure that we get it right.

This article first appeared in Project magazine. APM members can read all feature articles from Project magazine over recent years by accessing the Project magazine archive.

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