Introducing project management perspective in developmental projects
Successful project management involves balancing the triple constraints of scope, time and cost. The high cost of development projects has created a need to equip, prepare and create more capacity among the development sector for ensuring smooth implementation of the project in a transparent and efficient manner. Also it has become necessary for the project managers to possess knowledge in the area of project management processes.
Organisations across the globe are
recognising the value of implementing formal project management processes and disciplines in their workplace. Project management can help them to reach their stated work goals on time and within budget. But the use of these project management procedures and processes is currently limited to the
corporate sector. It is now time that these proven techniques and processes spills over to the development sector.
Though there is no dearth of material on project management and well-defined guidelines for project implementation, information about project management in relation to development projects is lacking. But slowly awareness about this so called corporate practice is seeping into the development sector, and
introducing the need for adopting a project management perspective in the area of a service delivery/intervention, irrespective of the sector it stems from.
Need for project management
Many organisations attempt to apply project management when the organisation has not yet standardised the project management process at the project level. Government organisations, unlike the private sector, do not have a choice on whether to initiate a project. Government agencies cannot start or end projects simply based on the Return on Investment (ROI) or the value to the organisation. Most public sector projects are prescribed either by law (e.g.,
parliament, legislature, or other law-making body) or by political influence.
Development projects, on the other hand, are often handicapped by the
fluctuating human elements (final target audience) that are part of the project. Also the size and scope of diverse
interventions provided make it difficult to cast project management under a
specified head and state predefined
processes for the same. Lack of accurate assessment and failure to document projects also makes it difficult to
measure project metrics.
Issues that commonly crop up when there is no proper project management are often related to resources, time
management, lack of organisation of
capacities leading to under-utilisation of capacities, lack of right knowledge and skills, dissatisfied users, lack of training, project information dissemination, etc.
The important thing, while implementing project management in NGOs and other organisations in the development sector, is to address core issues and their implications. The success of the project will be measured in terms of the qualitative and quanti-tative differences in the lives of the stakeholders and
target audience at the end of the project period. Addressing issues in operations
and the activities thus involved is an
essential ongoing activity.
Relation of project management to development sector
Successful project management involves balancing the triple constraints of scope, time and cost. In relation to ascertaining the success metrics for developmental projects, defining it in monetary cost is, in itself, difficult. But measuring the
qualitative increase is even more of a challenge. Also it becomes necessary for the project managers to possess not only knowledge in the domain area of the
intervention/service being provided, but also to possess knowledge in the area of project management processes.
But the high cost of development projects has created a need to equip,
prepare and create more capacity among the sector in relation to the creation of standards for ensuring smooth implementation of the project in a trans-
parent and efficient manner.
Understanding project management and programme management
Projects in all sectors get executed
irrespective of the methodology used or despite the lack of a separate project management unit. Where the development sector is concerned multilateral agencies have a defined set of project management guidelines for the implementing agencies to adhere to during the period of funding. The guidelines are replete with information relating to
the entire project implementation,
evaluation as well as documentation. But there is a lacuna where information about executing projects in a structured
manner is concerned, and this results in problems such as projects not adhering to timelines, going beyond budget, etc. This is where a proper understanding about project management and
programme management becomes
important, and the need for a project management unit/office in the organisation becomes evident.
Project management
The Project Management Institute (PMI), an international professional society, recognised currently as the leading
certifying agency for project management professionals, has created a ‘Project Management Body of Knowledge’ (PMBOK Guide). PMBOK defines project management as ‘the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities in order to meet
or exceed the stakeholder needs and
expectations from a project.’
Project management stems from the fact that project implementation has
become increasingly multi-dimensional and multi-functional and needs the
services of professionals who have
expert skills in monitoring the project in terms of tasks and sub-tasks, time and cost overruns and the effective management of project resources. Due to the multitude of varied skills and knowledge a project manager must possess, project management is increasingly being
recognised even in academic circles as a specialised branch of management.
Programme management
PMBOK Guide defines a programme as ‘a group of related projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them individually’. Programme management is a concept larger than project management. It is the centralised
management of a portfolio of several analogous projects to achieve the
strategic objectives and benefits.
Project management, from a
strategic or an organisational pers-
pective, however, includes programme management, portfolio management and project management office. In the context of project management, there is a certain hierarchy of strategic plan,
portfolio, programmes and projects. Generally speaking, a programme
consisting of several associated projects contribute to the achievement of the
strategic plan.
Determining the need for establishing a project management office in the development sector
In an organisation which only has a
couple of ongoing projects at a time, it
becomes quite easy to enhance organisational standards by building capacities of the few project managers who
would then follow similar processes. However, for a large organisation,
managing numerous projects simul- taneously, it would become difficult to ensure and enforce organisational
consistency in implementing a common project management methodology.
Many organisations have attempted to solve this problem through a
centralised department or a specific team of individuals who would be respon- sible for varying aspects of project
management and establishing the
methodologies. Many companies call these groups a ‘Project Management Office’ or PMO. Other names include the Project Office, Programme Management Office, Enterprise Project Office, Project
Management Centre of Excellence and Project Management Resource Team.
A typical project management unit is responsible for deploying a consistent project management methodology
within the organisation, including
processes, templates and best practices. Establishing this project management unit though is not a one-time event, but a broad initiative that could take a number of years to implement.
Is the project continually off
schedule? Do the project managers find it difficult to sequence the project tasks and assign proper resources? Do the
target audience often end up waiting
impatiently for the project to get
completed? Posing questions such as the above will aid an organisation to
determine to what extent the need for establishing a Project Management
Office exists. Smaller organisations with few employees may benefit only from training the project managers.
Creating a project management approach: framework for development projects
A project management approach can be made part of the organisation by
following the below mentioned steps. It is essential to remember to always
implement project management
processes in a phased manner and not introduce something which hasn’t been discussed with the project managers.
- Define Project Management
From a management and strategy
perspective define what project
management is and what it means to your organisation. What exactly do you think it will help your organi- sation to achieve? Will it help you to ensure that your resources (human and monetary) are effectively
utilised? Creating a vision for project management is essential at the initial stage itself.
- Identify the ‘God-father’
People are always resistant to change. While implementing any new
process in the organisation it is
essential to also undertake a change management plan. The need for
creating a project management
perspective and its benefits must be informed to the other organisational employees while ensuring that their fears and inhibitions are suitably
addressed.
It is hence beneficial to first identify one employee in the organisation’s management who takes the initiative to guide the organisation towards
implementing professional project management. This project management champion must guide the project team, help them enhance their
skills, and also help them to take
responsibility to implement these new
procedures. He must be able to help the team to relate to the possible
results on the field by use of project management processes.
- Isolate your performance areas for implementation
This is a very crucial activity to
undertake as it involves determining what project management procedures and processes to undertake and
implement initially. Project management can be viewed as a number
of interlinked processes. Standard project management process include initiating processes, planning pro-
cesses, executing processes, controlling processes and closing processes.
Conduct a gap analysis to establish the areas in which the concerned
organisation lags behind during project implementation. Consult with project managers, project personnel in the organisation to receive an
unbiased opinion on the problems faced during project implementation,
and seek inputs from them about
possible ways to correct these issues. Based on the feedback received arrive at a few processes and activities where project management procedures
can be established. This process of
involving all employees encourages participation in the end and helps
to create an atmosphere conducive
to the implementation of project
management internally in the
organisation.
- Determine the initial project
management procedures
The PMBOK describes the key competencies that project managers must develop in 9 knowledge areas:
- 4 core knowledge areas lead to specific project objectives (scope, time, cost, and quality)
- 4 facilitating knowledge areas are the means through which the project objectives are achieved (human resources, communi
cation, risk, and procurement management)
- 1 knowledge area (project integration management) affects and is affected by all of the other knowledge areas
Using the above mentioned
knowledge areas as a reference, the lessons learnt from the employees must be included and new procedures arrived at for implementation. These procedures, be it in planning or
procurement, must work towards
enhancing only some and not all of the current process. These new project management procedures should be created to arrive at a new approach.
- Integrate these procedures into a new/existing project
The procedures arrived at must be relatively easy for the project
managers to implement in already
existing programs or can be implemented on a project which is just about to begin. It is necessary to train the employees to use the new
procedures and ensure that everybody is on a common platform in terms of use of standard project
management processes and tools. Building project management capa-cities across the organisation will
ensure its effective and accurate
implementation.
- Create mechanisms for up-scaling of PM initiatives
Once the efficacy of the new
procedures has been established, it is important to upscale the scope and size of the project management
initiatives being introduced in the
organisation. For larger organisations, introduction of project management tools may ease the burden of the project managers and aid in
monitoring and evaluation.
Project management tools and
techniques assist project managers and their teams in various aspects
of project management, such as
defining Work Breakdown Structures (scope), Gantt charts, PERT charts,
critical path analysis (time), Cost
estimates and Earned Value Analysis (cost), etc.
- Kaizen in project management
Not only is it necessary to enhance the delivery of services and inter-
vention being provided by an
organisation, it is also essential to
continually study the use and benefit of the implemented system. Anything redundant must be done away with. Project management processes must be continuously improved and
adapted to suit the focus of
the organisation and meet its
requirements.
Conclusion
Good project management provides
assurance and reduces risk. Project
management provides the tools and
environment to plan, monitor, track, and manage schedules, resources, costs, and quality. It provides a history or
metrics base for future planning as well as good opportunity to document the project on an ongoing basis.
In India, today the government spending on development alone is around USD 12 billion as per last social welfare department budget estimates. The 20,000 plus NGOs in the country
further raise and disburse hundreds of millions annually. The amount of
money spent every year in the development sector is in truth no indicator of the grim reality that is development in India. Most organisations are plagued by problems such as lack of skilled manpower, lack of funds etc. And these
problems often tend to overlap into the organisation’s functioning. Caught up in executing projects and programs, few organisations are able to pay attention to inculcating project management
perspective into their existing activities. Though interventions are provided, they either come late or when faced with
situations like the recent Tsunami, the lack of organisation in effective aid
delivery becomes evident.
It is nevertheless essential to bring in some project management perspective into the organisation. Implementing project management processes can no doubt be a slow endeavour but its
benefits are very hard to ignore. Not only does it increase the organisation’s
accountability and visibility but it also helps streamline activities. In the long run this not only results in projects that are implemented quickly and for a much lower cost but also gains the trust of the people from whom the projects are
being implemented.
References
Anita Satyajit and Satyajit Suri 2005 © National Institute for Smart Government
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