ABSTRACT

Engineering projects emerge as practical interactions designed to solve a problem, meet a need, or maximise an opportunity. Over time, this definition of a project has become stronger from a conceptual point of view. The prevailing technical ideal (the best solution) in modern times transformed itself into a “technical and economic ideal for the implementation phase”. Since the 1970s there has been a strong level of awareness in terms of environmental aspects, with the aim of minimising the impact of these actions. In this context, the “accident” (philosophical term) arises which not only enables the analysis of projects themselves, but also within the context of the environment in which they are based.
This social change became known as Post-modernity in subsequent decades, and is echoed by different experts. With regards to engineering projects, this new situation has a different focus which this thesis will aim to analyse, and subsequently develops more of a transformational ability within the territory.
All of the above has created a new area of expertise with regards to engineering projects, which counted on the existing knowledge of old Project departments in Engineering Schools linked to the territory. As a result, and thanks to society’s involvement through some business owners, this laid the foundations for what later became known as the Asociación Española de Ingeniería de Proyectos (AEIPRO).
Aeipro was created with the aim of encouraging relationships between University Departments involved in the Project field with the business sector, as well as promoting study, by means of an Annual Congress which has taken place every year since 1994. This series of Congresses led to a conceptual advancement which has been focusing on “new fields” of investigation in this area. With reference to this current study, it is important to highlight what are known as “social aspects” and their involvement in the formulation process of an engineering project.
Currently, one of the most novel models which has arisen in this area is called the Working with People (WWP) model. This collaboration model integrates activities based on three key components which are intrinsic to the project: ethical-social, technical-entrepreneurial and political-contextual. Therefore, it is necessary to identify which of the agents involved are the key players in each of these components.
This thesis includes a series of publications, which the author has developed further since the start of their professional career up to the current day, relating, developing, internalising, analysing and proposing a transformational project concept in the territory based on the WWP components which are developed and conceptualised throughout the study.
A case study is used which involves a water supply hydraulic engineering project in 33 towns in the Cuenca province (PANIATS), and was originally considered purely from a technical point of view (based on achieving a specific objective), which was very limited from the start as there was no participation or acceptance amongst the population who considered it as something good (supplying the municipalities with drinking water instead of having water from high-capacity limestone wells) but not of great interest. In fact, subsequent delays with the implementation have not been met with any public opposition.
Based on this project’s analysis, a study is outlined which sets out all the potential that an engineering project has in the current postmodern context. As a result, consideration of ethical-social, political-contextual and technical-economic components forms the basis on which the solution shown in our case study is based. Failure to consider these components has limited and temporarily cancelled out its potential, including technical potential.
This study hopes to demonstrate intellectual support as part of a technical, economic and social focus on the project across the 33 towns, so that its inhabitants accept the project and its potential as their own as well as mobilise themselves as a key opportunity for their future. Through a series of studies in the area in order to see the exploitation of hydraulic resources that were released, the aim is to show how as a result of adapting to the new WWP model it is possible to improve the standard of living, social structure and the success of a project, which could currently be considered a disaster.