outline - university of novi sad › pub › download › 14354906670951_wus_aus… · problem...

OUTLINE

Why project management?

Problem Analysis, Stakeholder and Target Group Analysis

Risk analysis

Analysis of the application process

Project management and workplan

Ownership and participation

Introduction

Professional project management is a pre-requisite for successful delivery and stakeholder satisfaction.

An effective project manager needs to organise scarceresources, work under tight deadlines, control projectchange and generate maximum team performance.

The same applies to managing project applicationsand the process of producing successful proposals.

Why Project Management ?

Why Project Management

Reasons for project management:

• Traditional structures, processes and values are often not sufficient anymore to react on demands (e.g. from the market).

• Trend at HE institutions: from input oriented to outputoriented.

• Efficient use of scarce resources.

• Ability to be innovative and able to react on demands by the market/stakeholders.


Project Management Tasks – 3 dimensions:

• Content dimension: handle innovation, complexity through planning and controlling (workplan, budget plan, etc.).

• Social dimension: structure, management, team, integration, competencies, responsibilities, tasks, etc.

• Time frame: processes, timetable, etc.


Which challenges do you encounter or see in this context?

Project Phases - Project Cycle Management

Problem Analysis, Stakeholder andTarget Group Analysis


WHY?

In order to understand a situation to be influenced by a project,

it is essential to be aware of problem conditions.

Required:

• Identification of main stakeholders.

• Precise description of challenges/problems as deviations between desired

conditions and status quo;

• Identification and description of major root causes of the situation;

How does the stakeholder analysis relate to what we have

discussed under communication and conflict management?

Problem Analysis, Stakeholder andTarget Group Analysis (II)

STEPS:

Preparatory analysis

Desk research compiling easily available data

Problem analysis

Tools: Problem tree/solution tree

Stakeholder analysis

Tools: Stakeholder analysis matrix

SWOT analysis

Venn diagrams

Spider diagrams


http://de.slideshare.net/ncsustainability/developing-a-problem-tree


Add link to slideshare presentationhttp://de.slideshare.net/ncsustainability/developing-a-problem-tree

Tools for conducting a stakeholder analysis

Stakeholder analysis matrix

Indicates who is effected how by a general problem or opportunity

Stakeholder and basic

characteristics (e.g.

NGO, IGO, GO etc)

Interest(s) and how

affected by the problems

Capacity and

motivation to bring

about change

Possible actions to

address stakeholder

interests

Different interests

women/men; specific

(vulnerable) groups

SWOT analysis

• Analyses internal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities of an organisation and external threats that it faces.

• Based on the analysis, a strategy can be developed for addressing a certain stakeholder, using the strengths and opportunities to tackle the weaknesses and threats.

Example SWOT analysis:


Venn diagrams

Analyses and illustrates nature of relationship between stakeholder groups (including potential conflicts)

Venn diagrams canalso be used tohighlight potential conflicts betweendifferent stakeholdergroups.


Spider diagrams

Help analyse and provide visual summary of the institutional capacity of a stakeholder.


Linking stakeholder analysis and the subsequent steps

• Stakeholder analysis and problem analysis are closely connected as part of the initial „situation

analysis“ and should be conducted in tandem rather than „one after the other“.

• All subsequent steps to prepare a project plan should also be related to the stakeholder

analysis, making it a point of continuous reference.

• Whenever the project plan needs to be revised the stakeholder analysis should be also re-

considered, as stakeholders involved in a project can change as well. Thus, stakeholder analysis

is not an isolated analytical step, but a process.

Risk Analysis

Risk log - iDEAlabAssumption Potential Risk Mitigation strategy

Political environment will

remain stable and it will not

affect smooth

implementation of the

project

No potential risk which can

be anticipated at the moment

No mitigation strategy

needed at the moment

Key stakeholders of the

project understand the

objectives of the project

and have both capacities

and

willingness/commitment to

achieve its goals.

Key stakeholders may lack

required capacities or

interest.

Ad hoc consultation and

targeted support by project

coordinator and

partners/Consortium.

Regular communication

between partners via

clearly defined formats.

Legal framework and

institutional set up (i.e. of

HEIs and relevant

Governmental bodies) are

conducive to achieve the

envisaged project results.

Legal framework (e.g.

finance/controlling/tendering)

or institutional set up (e.g.

structure of HEI) may not

allow smooth implementation

of envisaged project

activities.

PCU: Communication of the

challenge faced to PM at

earliest possible stage; as

necessary follow up with

Consortium or EACEA to

identify adequate

responses to the challenge

faced.

Necessary data are

available to ensure

implementation of activities

in line with envisaged work

plan.

Relevant data may not be

available (e.g. for QA) to

ensure implementation of

activities in line with

envisaged work plan.

To the extent possible,

collection of available data

(also through additional

means such as

dissemination of

questionnaires etc);

communication of

challenge faced to PM and

as required, follow up by

Consortium.

Example of a risk log

(Source: UNDP)

Risk Analysis

• A risk analysis is normally done in the context of the application

process. It anticipates main risks and identifies possible mitigation

strategies for each risk.

• A risk analysis is the starting point and main reference for risk

management within a project. Risk management is to be seen a

process which stretches from the start to the end of a project.

• An exact, detailed and fully comprehensive analysis of all risks at

the application stage is neither realistic nor desirable, as there is

no clarity yet about all aspects of the project and its implemen-

tation. A risk analysis therefore needs to be updated and

complemented as the project moves ahead.

Risk Analysis

Steps for conducting a risk analysis

Identify potential risks and impact of these risks

„What are possible risks that could affect the project and in which way?“

Identify possible mitigation strategies

„What would be an appropriate strategy to mitigate the identified risk?“

Risk Analysis

Risks can be of different nature...

Project internal risks:

e.g. change of management/turnover, cooperation among partners,

political will of stakeholders, internal financial/organisational

structures etc.

Project external risks:

Includes social, economic, political, legal, technical and natural risks.

E.g. changes of political structures, laws, economic crisis, natural

disasters etc.

Risk Analysis

Analysis of the Application Process

Analysis of the Application Process

• No application process is ever the same than the onesbefore

• Time management is at the core of managing an application process

• Experience is more important than knowledge

Analysing the process and the documents

• Some application documents are more difficult than others –

ask the donor if you are not sure that you understand the

documents and/or the process.

• If possible, go through the application process with someone

who has gone through a similar process under the same

donor before.

No Application Process is Ever the Same

Do you want to and can you apply?

• Do a rough calculation of time and resources for the

application process.

• Do a rough risk analysis.

• Will your institution have the resources to implement the

project when it is granted?

• Is it strategically interesting for your institution/

department/yourself to apply?

• Who are your competitors?


Creating a team – analysing your resources

• How can you best split the workload?

• Who do you want to work with you on the application?

• Who is available, when and for what?

• Explain the whole process to all people involved so they

understand the workflow (don‘t just delegate separate

tasks).

• Communicate all (internal) deadlines to all people involved

so they are aware of and respect the deadlines.

• Meet with everybody together at least once in order to

create a team spirit.


Creating a team

Brainstorm for 1 minute

Reflecting again on our sessions on communication and conflict management - whatare your experiences when creating a team:

What usually goes wrong?

What alsways works for you?

Time management and workflow

• Draw a schedule including tasks and internal deadlines.

• Include a colleague into managing the process so he/she can

step in in case you become unavailable.

• Make sure that internal deadlines are realistic.

• Check the calendar for national/religious holidays.

• What documents need to be submitted with authorisation of

superiors or with signatures?

• Allow for sufficent time for when things go wrong (and

something always goes wrong).

Time Management is at the Core

Documentation

• A good documentation of the application process (notes, comments, save drafts etc.) allows you to draw on yourexperience for the next time.

• Share your experience with colleagues in order to buildinternal capacities.

Experience is More Important than Knowledge

• Set up a team for the application process and

identify a lead person.

• Set up a work plan for the application process, allocating specific,

time-bound tasks to each team member.

• Conduct regular team meetings

• Sometimes it is worth submitting an application in order to gain

experience.

• Every organisation/institution/firm works differently –

don‘t assume, ask!

...summing up

After submission… do not forget tocelebrate this milestone with the wholeteam!

Project Organisation and Workplan

- Clear assignment of roles within the project to staff;

- Clear allocation of tasks, responsibilities and competences;

- Clear communcation paths and knowledge management.

Project Organisation

Steps to be taken:

- Definition of project roles,

- Description of these roles (ToR),

- Depiction of the project organigram,

- Assignment of people/staff member to project roles,

- Task division within the team,

- Agreement on the communication and information flow.


Example of a project organisation:


• Lead partner (main partner): responsible for the implementation, responsible towards the EC, is co-financing the project.

• Partner: takes part in the implementation (e.g. in charge of certain work packages, activities) and in co-financing.

• Sub-contractor: contracted for certain deliverables, not part of the project consortium.

• Others: consultants, steering board, stakeholder, etc., i.e. supporting partners that are not responsible for the project and not financially liable.

Types of Partners

Different Kinds of Consortia

Important aspects of a PA:

- Lead partner should not be held liable for other partner´s mistakes;

- Lead parter should have the right to exclude partners, if they are not performing well or even harm the project implementation;

- Refund payments to the EC should be made proportionally, in accordance with each partner´s share (budget) and tasks;

- Partners can be held liable for their sub-contractors;

- Intellectual Property Rights need to be considered.

Partnership Agreements

Reflecting again on our sessions on communication and conflict management - what are your experiences with

partnership agreements

What usually goes wrong?

What alsways works for you?

WORK PACKAGES - Specification of a WP:

- Clarification and determination of sub-tasks;

- Division into work packages reduces complexity of the project;

- Itemisation/differentiation of content and outcomes through WPs;

- Definition of resources and costs per work packages;

- WPs bring more transparency to the project, in the implementation also to the progress made and the respectivecosts.

Work Plan – Tools and Techniques

WORK PACKAGES (example):

Work Plan – Tools and Techniques

GANTT Chart:

Work Plan – Other Tools and Techniques

Work Plan – Other Tools and Techniques

Ownership and Participation

What is participation?

= Process through which people with an interest (stakeholder) influence and share control over development initiatives and the decisions and resources that affect them.

Concrete measures may include:

• Identify relevant stakeholders• Share information with them.• Listen to their views.• Involve them in development planning and decision making.• Contribute to their capacity building.• Empower them to initiate, manage and control their own

self-development.


Different levels of stakeholder involvement:

Consultation

Participation


Underlying principles of participation

• Focusing on people.

• Learning to listen.

• Sharing control.

• Empowering others.

• Valuing processes.


Benefits and costs of participation

Brainstorming:

• What are the benefits of participation when designing projects?

• What are the costs?

Ownership and participation

Cost of participation

• Higher up front costs in terms of time and resources.• Difficulty in reaching out to marginalized groups.• Potential of creating unrealistic expectations.• Lack of political will to allow wide participation because of fear of loss of

influence over process.• Aggrivating conflicts between stakeholder groups with different

priorities.• Lack of capacity/experience in incorporating participatory, consultative

mechanisms in the development of projects.


Benefits of participation

• Improved project design.• Means of verifying relevance/appropriateness of proposed interventions.• Strengthened stakeholder commitment and ownership.• Enhanced sustainability.• Opportunity to foresee/resolve potential obstacles, constraints and

conflicts.• Means to identify and address potential negative impacts.• Capacity building of stakeholders (including their capacity to analyze

problems and initiate other activities).• Means of ensuring that project benefits are distributed equally.


Useful Sources & References

EU Project Cycle Management Guidelines:

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/multimedia/publications/publications/

manuals-tools/t101_en.htm

UNDP Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for

Development Results:

http://web.undp.org/evaluation/handbook/documents/english/pme-

handbook.pdf

Developing Problem and Solution Tree:


Useful Sources & References

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/multimedia/publications/publications/manuals-tools/t101_en.htm

http://web.undp.org/evaluation/handbook/documents/english/pme-handbook.pdf


Thank you for your attention!

Contacts:

[email protected]@wus-austria.org

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

outline - university of novi sad › pub › download › 14354906670951_wus_aus… · problem...

Documents