Project Planning, appraisal

 

Block 1 assessment  (90/100)

Many challenges confront today's project managers -- new technologies, remote workforces and a global market to name a few. To take a project from inception to finish can be grueling and you've got to have great dedication and skills if you're going to be successful. But what sets apart good project managers (PMs) from the truly great ones? What does it take to go from being the manager of projects to a game-changing leader? Here are six skills the great PMs share.

Become a customer relationship management expert

Develop positive mutually aligned connections with stakeholders: The first thing any project leader should work on is developing a positive relationship or connection with key stakeholders and project sponsors within an organization. Simply jumping into a project and bypassing this step can elevate risks right out of the gate and could further increase communication gaps down the road. Being able to understand the perspective, experience and resulting behaviors of the primary players helps to create a platform for improved communication and reduces friction.

Develop an understanding of a specific business and its needs: It's not important to know every detail there is to know about a customer's industry; however, trying to research key facts, norms and challenges demonstrates sincere interest as it relates to potentially unique business needs. After all, how can you sell any company on the benefits of your skills as a PM without understanding potential challenges, opportunities and impacts to their business? Once you are able to clearly articulate that you understand their obstacles and their needs, it's less of an uphill battle selling the benefits of a project and alleviating fears.

Pay attention to the big picture, but don't miss the details: The ability to see the broader picture yet not skip over the details is another skill that enables good project leaders to become great project leaders. Being able to connect the dots from start to finish, all the while keeping the higher-level end goal in sight is a valuable skill that offers organizations peace of mind. Organizational leadership simply doesn't have time to ensure project leaders are on top of things. These leaders rely heavily on a project manager to understand their business needs and goals, and also navigate project tasks and milestones with minimal guidance.

Don't just manage teams -- motivate and influence them

Be an effective project leader by leading people, not managing them: Teams need to be able to rely on a project manager to provide them with sufficient guidance when needed and to excel in areas like motivation and communication. As a PM you can't be everywhere or do everything, and this highlights the need to trust the knowledge, skills and abilities of team members. Establishing trusting relationships with stakeholders and team members provides smoother navigation through difficult situations and creates a greater degree of transparency.

Help to build respect among teams and stakeholders: Projects offer opportunities for a diverse set of individuals to bring unique skills, experiences and ideas to the table and helps to build better solutions. Problems often arise when individuals are in conflict and demonstrate a lack of respect for difference or override the contributions of others. This is where tact and skill as a project manager can alleviate tension and encourage team members to refocus on what's best for the stakeholder(s), rather than remaining self-focused. A strong PM is always able to shed light on key factors and help individuals to see the merits of both sides. The need for mutual respect should be expected and communicated from the start and ground rules and applicable consequences should be laid out to avoid disruption and lost productivity.

Influence individuals and teams to optimize their contributions. A large part of the role of a project leader is to influence each team member to give their best regardless of personal views, obstacles, and conflicts. Influence is both an art and learned behavior that is often undervalued and overlooked. It's important to note that influence shouldn't be confused with manipulation. The real value in positive influence is the ability to translate this soft skill into action that results in a win-win for the stakeholders and team. Further, it's imperative individual team members and the team as a whole not only understand their role and how it fits within the project goals, but also that they are committed to continuous improvement for optimal results that benefit the customer.

Putting it all together

Companies are increasingly seeking well-rounded project leaders who exhibit the technical know-how and leadership prowess required to see things and execute from different vantage points. A project manager who has the underlying training combined with these core soft skills can uniquely position him or herself to stand out in their field, achieve optimal results and become a sought after thought leader.

 

Q.3. Simply jumping into a project and bypassing this step can ?????. risks.

 

Nullify

 

Elevate

 

Reduce

 

Stable

 

Q.4. A large part of the role of a project leader is to influence each team member to give their best regardless of , obstacles, and conflicts.

 

personal views

 

obstacles

 

conflicts

 

All

 

Q.5. A strong PM is always able to shed light on key factors and help individuals to see the ????..of both sides.

 

Demerits

 

merits

 

Swot

 

Mirror

 

Q.6. Trusting relationships with stakeholders and team members provides smoother navigation.

 

TRUE

 

FALSE

 

Can't Say

 

Sometimes

 

Q.7. For the success of a project, PMs are becoming ??..

 

CRM Experts

 

Dedicated

 

Skilled

 

Experts

 

Q.8. The ability to see the broader picture yet not skip over the details is another skill that enables good project leaders to become great project leaders.

 

Rare

 

Always

 

Sometimes

 

Never

 

Q.9. What is required for a successful project?

 

Patience

 

Dedication

 

Skill

 

All

 

Q.10. What challenges are faced by today's Project Managers?

 

New Technology

 

Remote Workforce

 

Global Market

 

All

 

Block 2-Case study-  

 

Technical aspects relate to the production or generation of the project output in the form of goods and services from the project's inputs. Technical analysis represents study of the project to evaluate technical and engineering aspects when a project is being examined and formulated. It is a continuous process in the project appraisal system which determines the prerequisites for meaningful commissioning of the project.

Aspects of Technical Analysis

Technical analysis broadly involves a critical study of the following aspects, viz.,

1) Selection of Process/ Technology: For manufacturing a product, more than one process/technology may be available. For example, steel can be manufactured either by the Bessemer process or by the open-health process. Cement can be manufactured either by the wet process or by the dry process.

The choice of technology also depends upon the quantity of the product proposed to be manufactured. It the quantity to be produced is large, mass production techniques should be followed, and the relevant technology is to be adopted. The quality of the product depends upon the use to which it is relevant technology is to be adopted. The quality of the product depends upon the use to which it is meant for. A product of pharmaceutical grade or laboratory grade should have high quality and hence sophisticated production technology is required to achieve the desired quality. Products of commercial grad do not need such high quality and the technology can been chosen accordingly.

A new technology that is protected by patent rights, etc., can be obtained either by licensing arrangement or the technology can be purchased outright. Appropriate technology: A technology appropriate for one country may not be the ideal one for another country. Even within a country, depending upon the location of the project and other features, two different technology may be ideal for two similar projects set up by two different firms at two different locations. The choice of a suitable technology for a project calls for identifying what is called the ‘appropriate technology’.

The term ‘appropriate technology’ refers that technology that is suitable for the local economic, social and cultural conditions.

2) Scale of operations: Scale of operations is signified by the size of the plant. The plant size mainly depends on the market for the output of the project. Economic size of the plant varies from project to project. Economic size of the plant for a given project can be arrived at by an analysis of capital and operating costs as a function of the plant size. Though the economic size of the plant for a given for a given project can be theoretically arrived at by above process, the final decision on the plant size is circumscribed by a number of factors, the main factor being the promoter’s ability to raise the funds required to implement the project. If the funds required implementing the project as its economic size is beyond the promoter’s capacity to arrange for and if the economic size is too big a size for the promoter to manage, the promoter is bound to limit the size of the project that will suit his finance and managerial capabilities. Whenever a project is proposed to be to be set up at a size below its economic size, it must be analyzed carefully as to whether the project will survive at the proposed size (which is below the economic size). Performance of existing units operating at blow economic size will throw some light on this aspect.

3) Raw Material: A product can be manufactured using alternative raw materials and with the alternative process. The process of manufacture may sometimes vary with the raw material chosen. If a product can be manufactured by using alternative raw materials, the raw material that is locally available may be chosen. Since the manufacturing process and the machinery/requirement to be used also to a larger extent depend upon the raw material, the type of raw material to be used should be chosen carefully after analyzing various factors like the cost of different raw materials available, the transportation cost involved, the continuous availability of raw material , etc. Since the process of manufacture and the machinery/ Equipments required depend upon the raw material used, the investment on plant and machinery will also to some extent depend upon the raw material used, the investment on plant and machinery will also to some extent depend upon the raw material chosen. Hence the cost of capital investments required on plant and machinery should also be studied before arriving at a decision on the choice of raw material.

4) Technical Know-How: When technical know-how for the project is provided by expert consultants, it must be ascertained whether thee consultant has the requisite knowledge and experience and whether he has already executed similar projects successfully. Care should be exercised to avoid self-styled, inexperienced consultants. Necessary agreement should be executed between the project promoter and the know-how supplier incorporating all essential features of the know-how transfer. The agreement should be specific as to the part played by the know-how supplier (like taking out successful trial run, acceptable quality of final product, imparting necessary training to employees in the production process, taking out successful commercial production, performance guarantee for a specified number of years after the start of commercial production, etc). The agreement should also include penalty clauses for non-performance of any of the conditions stipulated in the agreement.

5) Collaboration Agreements: If the project promoters have entered into agreement with foreign collaborators, the terms and conditions of the agreement may be studied as explained above for know-how supply agreement. 

Apart from this, the following additional points deserve consideration:

(i) The competence and reputation of the collaborators needs to be ascertained through possible sources including thee Indian embassies and the collaborator’s bankers.

(ii) The technology proposed to be imported should suit to the local conditions. A   highly sophisticated technology, which does not suit local conditions, will be detrimental to the project.

(iii) The collaboration agreement should have necessary approval of the Government of India.

(iv) There should not be any restrictive clause in the agreement that import of equipment/machinery required for the project should be channelized through the collaborators.

(v) The design of the machinery should be made available to the project promoter to facilitate future procurement and/or fabrication for machinery in India at a later stage.

(vi) The agreement should provide a clause that any dispute arising out of interpretation of the agreement, failure to, comply with the clauses contained in the agreement, etc., shall be decided only by courts within India.

(vii) It must be ensured that the collaboration agreement does not infringe upon any patent rights.

(viii) It is better to have a buy–back arrangement with the technical collaborator. This is to ensure that the collaborator would be serious about the transfer of correct know-how and would ensure quality of the output.

6) Product Mix: Customers differ in their needs and preferences. Hence, variations in size and quality of products are necessary to satisfy the varying needs and preferences of customers, the production facilities should be planned with an element of flexibility. Such flexibility in the production facilities will help the organization to change the product mix as per customer requirements, which is very essential for the survival and growth of any organization.

For example, a plastic container manufacturing industry can be produced according to the market requirement. This will give the unit a competitive edge.

7) Selection and Procurement of Plant and machinery

Selection of machinery: The machinery and equipment required for a project depends upon the production technology proposed to be adopted and the size of the proposed. Capacity of each machinery is to be decided by making a rough estimate, as under; thumb rules should be avoided.

i) Take into consideration the output planned.

ii) Arrive at the machine hours required for each type of operation.

iii) Arrive at the machine capacity after giving necessary allowances for machinery maintenance/breakdown, rest time for workers, set up time for machines, time lost during change of shifts, etc.

iv) After having arrived at the capacity of the machinery as above, make a survey of the machinery available in the market with regard to capacity and choose that capacity which is either equal to or just above the capacity theoretically arrived at.

In case of process industries, the capacity of the machines used in various stages should be so selected that they are properly balanced.

Procurement of Machinery

Plant and machinery form the backbone of any industry. The quality of output depends upon the quality of machinery used in processing the raw materials (apart from the quality of raw material itself). Uninterrupted production is again ensured only by high quality machines that do not breakdown so often. Hence no compromise should be made on the quality of the machinery and the project promoter should be on the lookout for the best brand of machinery available in the market. The performance of the machinery functioning elsewhere may be studied to have first-hand information before deciding upon the machinery supplier.

Plant Layout

The efficiency of a manufacturing operation depends upon the layout of the plant and machinery. Plant layout is the arrangement of the various production facilities within the production area. Plant layout should be so arranged that it ensured steady flow production and minimizes the overall cost.

The following factors should be considered while deciding plant-layout:

i) The layout should be such that future expansion can be done without much alteration of the existing layout.

ii) The layout should facilitate effective supervision of work.

iii) Equipments causing pollution should be arranged to be located away from other plant and machinery. For example, generator is a major source of noise pollution.

iv) There should be adequate clearance between adjacent machinery and between the wall and machinery to enable undertaking of regular inspection and maintenance work.

v) The plant layout should ensure smooth flow of men and material from on stage to another.

vi) The plant layout should be one that offers maximum safety to the personnel working inside the plant.

vii) The plant layout should provide for proper lighting and ventilation.

viii) The plant layout should properly accommodate utilities like power and water connections and provisions for effluent disposal.

8) Location of Projects: Choosing the location for a new project is to be done taking many factors into account. The study for plant location is done in two phases. First a particular region/ territory is chosen that is best suited for the project. Then, within the chosen region, the particular site is selected. Thus, we may say that there are two major factors, viz., Regional factors and site factors, to be considered.

 

Q.1. The ultimate choice of technology depends upon the ??????.. of the product proposed to be manufactured.

 

Quantity

 

Price

 

Material

 

Age

 

Q.2. For pharma prodcution, which technology is required for production.

 

High

 

Imported

 

Automated

 

Sophisticated

 

Q.3.A technology appropriate for one country may not be the ideal one for another country.

 

FALSE

 

TRUE

 

Sometimes

 

Never

 

Q.4. The choice of a suitable technology for a project calls for identifying what is called the ???????. technology?

 

Cold

 

Hot

 

Vibrated

 

Appropriate

 

Q.5.Scale of operations is signified by the ??????. of the plant.

 

Price

 

Size

 

Production

 

All

 

Q.6. The agreement should also include penalty clauses for ???????. of any of the conditions stipulated in the agreement.

 

Spoilage

 

Fraud

 

non-performance

 

All

 

Q.7. It is always better to have a buy?back arrangement with the technical ??????...

 

officer

 

Assistant

 

collaborator

 

Expert

 

Q.8. What form the backbone of the industry?

 

Plant

 

Location

 

None

 

Both

 

Q.9. Cement can be manufactured by ????? process.

 

Wet

 

Dry

 

None

 

Both

 

Q.10. Technical aspects relate to the ?????????... of the project output in the form of goods and services from the project’s inputs.

 

Production

 

Generation

 

None

 

Both

 

Block- 3( Case Study) – 

 

One of the most important parts of the project planning process is the financial analysis. The goals of this phase are to determine whether or not to take on the project, to calculate its profits and to ensure stable finances during the project. In other words, financial analysis evaluates project liquidity and profitability. Liquidity is assured by cash flow analysis, while the profitability is evaluated by the following techniques:

·         Payback period analysis

·         Accounting rate of return

·         Net present value

·         Internal rate of return

Cash Flow Analysis: A cash flow is one of the most important parts of the financial analysis for a project or a business. It represents a listing of the project cash inflows and outflows divided into time periods. The time periods may be months, quarters or years, depending on the project needs. A cash flow can be created for either the past accounting period (it is called the cash flow statement) or the future accounting period (the cash flow budget). Apart from the cash flow projections, the cash flow budget may contain the actual cash inflows and outflows, allowing you to monitor the accuracy of your projections.

The main benefit of cash flow budgeting is that it quickly points out any liquidity problems in the future. It shows when the company would experience cash deficits and allows you to take corrective actions in advance by reducing the outflows, changing the time of certain transactions or borrowing the money. The cash flow budget can also identify the time periods when the company will have excess amounts of cash, allowing you to use this cash in order to create additional revenue.

Payback Period Analysis: Payback period analysis is a method that will tell you in how much time you can earn the same amount of money that you would spend on the project. 

When this method is used for project comparison, the projects with shorter payback period rank higher — they are more liquid and less risky than the projects with longer payback periods. A payback period of three years or less is considered good, while the projects with payback period of one year of less should be considered very important and should be prioritized.

However, the payback period formula has two disadvantages. First, it ignores the revenues after the payback period, meaning that the project that returns $20,000 after a five year payback period ranks lower than the project that returns nothing after a three year payback period. Secondly, and more importantly, it ignores the time value of money.

Accounting Rate of Return (ARR): Accounting rate of return is a simple method used to quickly estimate a project's net profits. It represents yearly profits as a percentage of the initial investment:

Salvage value is the value you can earn by selling the asset after its useful life has passed. For the purpose of this formula, useful life of an asset is measured in years. For example, if you buy a machine for $10,000, use it for four years and then sell it for $2,000, the depreciation would be:

After calculating the depreciation, we can use its value to calculate the accounting rate of return. If the new machine would earn us $4,000 per year, the accounting rate of return would be:

Another advantage of the accounting rate of return is that the project's entire useful life is considered, not just the payback period. On the other hand, this method does not use cash flow data and does not consider the time value of money.

Net Present Value: Unlike the previous two methods, net present value (NPV) considers the time value of money. Basically, due to its earning capacity, the same amount of money is worth more right now than at some point in the future. For example, if you deposit $100 in a savings account with a 5% interest rate, the money invested today would be worth $105 in one year. On the other hand, $100 received one year from now would be worth $95.24 today.

So, the net present value allows you to find the today's value of the future net cash flow of a project. If the value is greater than the cost, the project will be profitable. You could also compare multiple projects, where those with greater difference between the net present value and the cost are ranked higher. 

Internal Rate of Return (IRR): The internal rate of return is another financial analysis method that allows you to calculate the time value of money. The IRR of an investment represents the discount rate at which the net present value of costs (negative cash flows) of the investment equals the net present value of the benefits (positive cash flows) of the investment. In other words, it represents the interest rate which is equivalent to the amount of money you expect to earn on the project.

Theoretically, all projects in which the internal rate of return is higher than the cost of capital are profitable. However, it is advised to only accept projects where the internal rate of return is several percentage points higher than the cost of borrowing, in order to compensate for the risk and time associated with the project.

 

Q.1. ?????.. Means the period required for getting the invested money back.

 

ARR

 

NPV

 

IRR

 

Pay Back

 

Q.2. Cash Flow Analysis deals with ??????..

 

Cash Inflows

 

Cash Outflows

 

Both

 

None

 

Q.3. IRR is a point where NPV is ?????

 

Greater

 

Lower

 

Zero

 

None

 

Q.4. Future value is used to know the ????. Value of an asset.

 

Present

 

Future

 

Equal

 

Greater

 

Q.5. The NPV is used because it considers the ????.. Value of the invested money.

 

Present

 

Forecasted

 

Future

 

Approximate

 

Q.6. The projects in which the internal rate of return is higher than the cost of capital is ??????.

 

Losers

 

Stable

 

Profitable

 

Perfect

 

Q.7. NPV is the difference between Present Value of cash inflows and cash outflows.

 

TRUE

 

FALSE

 

Can't Say

 

Sometimes

 

Q.8. In case of multiple projects, the project whose NPV is greater, would be rejected.

 

FALSE

 

TRUE

 

Sometimes

 

Can't Say

 

Q.9. The main advantage of cash flow budgeting is that it quickly points out any ??????.. problems in the future.

 

Funds

 

Accounting

 

Technical

 

Liquidity

 

Q.10 Financial Analysis is one of the ????? part of Project Analysis.

 

Primary

 

Secondary

 

Important

 

Wasteful

 

Block 4 ( Case Study)-

 

Risk Management is the process of identifying, analyzing and responding to risk factors throughout the life of a project and in the best interests of its objectives. Proper risk management implies control of possible future events and is proactive rather than reactive.

For example: An activity in a network requires that a new technology be developed. The schedule indicates six months for this activity, but the technical employees think that nine months is closer to the truth. If the project manager is proactive, the project team will develop a contingency plan right now. They will develop solutions to the problem of time before the project due date. However, if the project manager is reactive, then the team will do nothing until the problem actually occurs. The project will approach its six-month deadline, many tasks will still be uncompleted, and the project manager will react rapidly to the crisis, causing the team to lose valuable time.

Proper risk management will reduce not only the likelihood of an event occurring, but also the magnitude of its impact.  I was working on the installation of an Interactive Voice Response system into a large telecommunications company. The coding department refused to estimate a total duration estimation for their portion of the project work of less than 3 weeks. My approach to task duration estimation is that the lowest level task on a project whose total duration is 3 months, or more should be no more than 5 days. So… this 3-week duration estimation was outside my boundaries. Nevertheless, the project team accepted it. It appeared an unrealistic timeline for the amount of work to be done but they were convinced that this would work.  No risk assessment was conducted to determine what might go wrong. Unfortunately, this prevented their ability to successfully complete their tasks on time. When the 3 weeks deadline approached and it appeared that the work wouldn’t be completed, crisis management became the mode of operation.

Risk Management Systems: Risk Management Systems are designed to do more than just identify the risk. The system must also be able to quantify the risk and predict the impact of the risk on the project. The outcome is therefore a risk that is either acceptable or unacceptable. The acceptance or non-acceptance of a risk is usually dependent on the project manager’s tolerance level for risk.

If risk management is set up as a continuous, disciplined process of problem identification and resolution, then the system will easily supplement other systems. This includes; organization, planning and budgeting, and cost control. Surprises will be diminished because emphasis will now be on proactive rather than reactive management.

Risk Management…A Continuous Process: Once the Project Team identifies all of the possible risks that might jeopardize the success of the project, they must choose those which are the most likely to occur. They would base their judgment upon past experience regarding the likelihood of occurrence, gut feel, lessons learned, historical data, etc.

Early in the project there is more at risk then as the project moves towards its close. Risk management should therefore be done early on in the life cycle of the project as well as on an on-going basis.

The significance is that opportunity and risk generally remain relatively high during project planning (beginning of the project life cycle) but because of the relatively low level of investment to this point, the amount at stake remains low. In contrast, during project execution, risk progressively falls to lower levels as remaining unknowns are translated into knowns. At the same time, the amount at stake steadily rises as the necessary resources are progressively invested to complete the project.

The critical point is that Risk Management is a continuous process and as such must not only be done at the very beginning of the project, but continuously throughout the life of the project. For example, if a project’s total duration was estimated at 3 months, a risk assessment should be done at least at the end of month 1 and month 2. At each stage of the project’s life, new risks will be identified, quantified and managed.

Risk Response: Risk Response generally includes:

·         Avoidance…eliminating a specific threat, usually by eliminating the cause.

·         Mitigation…reducing the expected monetary value of a risk event by reducing the probability of occurrence.

·         Acceptance…accepting the consequences of the risk. This is often accomplished by developing a contingency plan to execute should the risk event occur.

In developing Contingency Plans, the Project Team engages in a problem-solving process. The end result will be a plan that can be put in place on a moment’s notice. What a Project Team would want to achieve is an ability to deal with blockages and barriers to their successful completion of the project on time and/or on budget. Contingency plans will help to ensure that they can quickly deal with most problems as they arise. Once developed, they can just pull out the contingency plan and put it into place.

 

Q.1. In developing Contingency Plans, the Project Team engages in ?????.. process.

 

Precautionary

 

Maximising

 

Copying

 

Problem solving

 

Q.2. The process of eliminating a specific threat, usually by eliminating the cause is called??

 

Active

 

Proactive

 

Responding

 

Avoidance

 

Q.3. Accepting the consequences of the risk is called???..

 

Avoidance

 

Mitigation

 

Acceptance

 

Rejection

 

Q.4. ??????.. plans will help to ensure that they can quickly deal with most problems as they arise.

 

Active

 

Positive

 

Contingency

 

Advance

 

Q.5. Risk Management is a ?????.. Process.

 

Positive

 

Negative

 

Profitable

 

Continuous

 

Q.6.Once the Project Team identifies all of the possible risks that might jeopardize the success of the project, they must choose those which are the most likely to ????...

 

Pass

 

Fail

 

Occur

 

None

 

Q.7.The process of eliminating a specific threat, usually by eliminating the cause is called??

 

Active

 

Proactive

 

Responding

 

Avoidance

 

Q.8. Proper risk management implies control of possible future events and is ????... rather than reactive.

Safer

 

Dangerous

 

Neutral

 

Proactive

 

Q.9. A successful Project analysis requires???? management.

 

Action

 

Proper

 

Efficient

 

Crisis

 

Q.10. Risk Management is the process of identifying, analyzing and responding to risk factors throughout the life of a project and in the best interests of its objectives.

 

Identifying

 

Analysing

 

Responding

 

All

 

 

 

Block-5 ( Case study)-

 

Case Study- Project Implementation Issues

“The basic requirement for starting the implementation process is to have the work plan ready and understood by all the actors involved. Technical and non-technical requirements have to be clearly defined and the financial, technical and institutional frameworks of the specific project have to be prepared considering the local conditions. The working team should identify their strengths and weaknesses (internal forces), opportunities and threats (external forces). The strengths and opportunities are positive forces that should be exploited to efficiently implement a project. The weaknesses and threats are hindrances that can hamper project implementation. The implementers should ensure that they devise means of overcoming them. Another basic requirement is that the financial, material and human resources are fully available for the implementation”.

Implementation of Social Projects: As mentioned before, social projects are also very common in the water and sanitation field, as they usually target the human factor that is crucial for achieving sustainability of the SSWM measures. These projects are usually related to the change of behaviours and strengthening of capacities by awareness-raising campaigns, training activities, institutional set-ups, etc. As these projects cover a wide range of activities that are case-specific, how the implementation will take place will vary from case to case. However, the implementation of a project will always be successful if management strategies and coordination guidelines are clearly defined.

Independent of the type of project to be carried out, a work plan is needed indicating the pursued objectives, the expected results, the activities to be developed, as well as the budget available and timeframe given. Each of the activities has to be assigned to a particular individual, department or organisation that should have proven experience and the capacity to achieve the goals. Local community workers, who can speak the local languages, are the first to integrate into the project, as these types of actions require that the implementers know the culture of the community to gain their trust and achieve a real impact.

It is of primordial importance that the financial resources are readily available at the beginning of the action, so the members of the team have the budget to initiate the activities and cover their own expenses. The management team should look for strategic partnerships with local leaders and spokespersons, giving institutional backup to the actions. Directors and CEOs of the leading organisation should participate in the opening ceremonies or kick-off meeting supporting the local workers, thus facilitating future activities that will be done in the field.

Activity and financial reporting procedure have to be prepared and communicated to the members of the team. It should be clear from the beginning of the action, how all the costs incurred will be reported and reimbursed. It is important to keep procedures as simple as possible, using simple tables and template for reporting costs, field visits, interviews, workshops, meeting minutes, etc.

A controlling strategy has to be developed, in order to monitor the work done on the field. A clearly defined decision-making process will set the roles and responsibilities of the members of the team: field worker ->task leaders -> work package leader -> project manager -> coordinator of the project -> steering committee. This ladder will allow for immediate correction of actions and efficient use of (human) resources.

Communication channels should be kept open between the field workers and the management team, making use of mobile phones, SMS, E-mails, etc. It is important to avoid overloading the team with bureaucratic procedures that nobody will follow (like newsletters, long reports, weekly E-mails, etc). Instead, monthly meetings should be planned, bringing the field workers together to report, exchange experiences and learn from each other’s successes and failing stories.

 

Q.1. As per the case, Communication channels should be kept open between the field workers and the management team.

 

Field Workers

 

Management

 

None

 

Both

 

Q.2. A ????. strategy has to be developed, in order to monitor the work done on the field.

 

Controlling

 

Defensive

 

Active

 

Proactive

Q.3. The implementation of a project will always be successful if management strategies and coordination guidelines are clearly ????...

 

Written

 

Presented

 

Defined

 

All

 

Q.4. It is important to keep procedures as ???... as possible, using simple tables and template for reporting costs, field visits, interviews, workshops, meeting minutes, etc.

 

Lengthy

 

Forward

 

International

 

Simple

 

Q.5. For a social Projects what type of people are required.

 

Soft Skilled

 

Unskilled

 

Skilled

 

Local

 

Q.6.What hinders the Project Implementation?

 

Weaknesses

 

Threats

 

Both

 

None

 

Q.7. Who should participate Directors and CEOs of the leading organisation should participate in the opening ceremonies or kick-off meeting supporting the local workers, thus facilitating future activities that will be done in the field?

 

Directors

 

CEOs

 

Both

 

None

 

Q.8. Social projects normally relate to ????.

 

Sanitation

 

Water

 

None

 

Both

 

Q.9. The working team should identify their ???. For the success of a project.

 

Strengths

 

Weaknesses

 

Threats

 

All

 

Q.10. The basic requirement for starting the implementation process is to have the work plan?????...by all the actors involved.

Ready

 

Understood

 

Both

 

None

 

 

 

Full Syllabus Assessment

 

Case Study- Project Implementation: Issues and Prospects

Implementation is the process that turns strategies and plans into actions in order to accomplish strategic objectives and goals. Implementing your strategic plan is as important, or even more important, than your strategy. The video The Secret to Strategic Implementation is a great way to learn how to take your implementation to the next level.

Critical actions move a strategic plan from a document that sits on the shelf to actions that drive business growth. Sadly, the majority of companies who have strategic plans fail to implement them. According to Fortune Magazine, nine out of ten organizations fail to implement their strategic plan for many reasons:

·         60% of organizations don’t link strategy to budgeting

·         75% of organizations don’t link employee incentives to strategy

·         86% of business owners and managers spend less than one hour per month discussing strategy

·         95% of the typical workforce doesn’t understand their organization’s strategy.

A strategic plan provides a business with the roadmap it needs to pursue a specific strategic direction and set of performance goals, deliver customer value, and be successful. However, this is just a plan; it doesn’t guarantee that the desired performance is reached any more than having a roadmap guarantees the traveller arrives at the desired destination.

Getting Your Strategy Ready for Implementation

For those businesses that have a plan in place, wasting time and energy on the planning process and then not implementing the plan is very discouraging.  Although the topic of implementation may not be the most exciting thing to talk about, it’s a fundamental business practice that’s critical for any strategy to take hold. The strategic plan addresses the what and why of activities, but implementation addresses the who, where, when, and how. The fact is that both pieces are critical to success. In fact, companies can gain a competitive advantage through implementation if done effectively.  In the following sections, you’ll discover how to get support for your complete implementation plan and how to avoid some common mistakes.

Avoiding the Implementation Pitfalls: Because you want your plan to succeed, heed the advice here and stay away from the pitfalls of implementing your strategic plan.

Here are the most common reasons strategic plans fail: Lack of ownership: The most common reason a plan fails is lack of ownership.  If people don’t have a stake and responsibility in the plan, it’ll be business as usual for all but a frustrated few.

·         Lack of communication: The plan doesn’t get communicated to employees, and they don’t understand how they contribute.

·         Getting mired in the day-to-day: Owners and managers, consumed by daily operating problems, lose sight of long-term goals. 

·         Out of the ordinary: The plan is treated as something separate and removed from the management process.

·         An overwhelming plan: The goals and actions generated in the strategic planning session are too numerous because the team failed to make tough choices to eliminate non-critical actions. Employees don’t know where to begin.

·         A meaningless plan: The vision, mission, and value statements are viewed as fluff and not supported by actions or don’t have employee buy-in.

·         Annual strategy: Strategy is only discussed at yearly weekend retreats. 

·         Not considering implementation: Implementation isn’t discussed in the strategic planning process. The planning document is seen as an end in itself.

·         No progress report: There’s no method to track progress, and the plan only measures what’s easy, not what’s important. No one feels any forward momentum.

·         No accountability: Accountability and high visibility help drive change.  This means that each measure, objective, data source, and initiative must have an owner.

Lack of empowerment: Although accountability may provide strong motivation for improving performance, employees must also have the authority, responsibility, and tools necessary to impact relevant measures.  Otherwise, they may resist involvement and ownership. 

It’s easier to avoid pitfalls when they’re clearly identified. Now that you know what they are, you’re more likely to jump right over them!

Covering All Your Bases: As a business owner, executive, or department manager, your job entails making sure you’re set up for a successful implementation. Before you start this process, evaluate your strategic plan and how you may implement it by answering a few questions to keep yourself in check. Take a moment to honestly answer the following questions:

·         How committed are you to implementing the plan to move your company forward?

·         How do you plan to communicate the plan throughout the company?

·         Are there sufficient people who have a buy-in to drive the plan forward?

·         How are you going to motivate your people?

·         Have you identified internal processes that are key to driving the plan forward?

·         Are you going to commit money, resources, and time to support the plan?

·         What are the roadblocks to implementing and supporting the plan?

·         How will you take available resources and achieve maximum results with them?

·         Implement your strategic plan effectively

Our solution includes a dedicated strategy advisor that will support the completion of your plan and its successful implementation.

You don’t need to have the perfect answers to all these questions right now, but just make sure that you’ve given all the questions equal consideration.  You don’t want to look back six months from now and wish you had identified some big issues that are now threatening your success. If you’ve identified some red flags, assess if they’re huge obstacles or small ones. If they’re big, get them out of the way before you implement, even if it means pushing your timeline out for a while.

 

Q.1. For those businesses that have a plan in place, wasting time and energy on the planning process and then not implementing the plan is very ????...

 

Positive

 

Negative

 

Discouraging

 

Effectivel

 

Q.2. A????. plan provides a business with the roadmap it needs to pursue a specific strategic direction and set of performance goals.

Written

 

Defined

 

Strategic

 

Positive

Q.3. The plan doesn’t get communicated to employees, and they don’t understand how they contribute is due to lack of ?????

 

Understanding

 

Communication

 

Conflicts

 

Lack of confidence

 

Q.4. The plan is treated as something separate and removed from the management process is due ????

 

Geniusness

 

Newness

 

Ordinary

 

Simplicity

 

Q.5. If people don?t have a stake and responsibility in the plan, it?ll be business as usual for all but a frustrated few is lack of ????..

 

Confidence

 

Finance

 

Ownership

 

Positivity

 

Q.6. Employees don’t know where to begin is ????. Plan.

 

International

 

National

 

Overwhelming

 

Short

 

Q.7.????? is required for the success of a plan.

 

Mission

 

Vision

 

Goal

 

All

 

Q.8. Companies can gain competitive advantage through implementation if done ????..

 

Jointly

 

Properly

 

effectively

 

Same day

 

Q.9. How many percentage of the typical workforce doesn?t understands their organization? S strategy.

 

75

 

60

 

90

 

86

 

Q.10. As per case,???.. % of organizations don’t link strategy to budgeting

 

40

 

50

 

60

 

70

 

Course Summary Assessment