Transfer Paper for Project Management Module

Transfer Paper for Module 1: Project Management

• Current situation at a student’s workplace reflecting the content of a course; are there issues?

Being the project analyst in the XXX, I have been involved in project administration activity for few recent years (implementation of public investment projects, mainly in transport sector). However, after completion of the Project Management course under XXX Program, I have critically reviewed the current project design and management practice in my workplace, on the example of XXXX, and below are my findings (due to page limitations, I tried to focus on the most critical aspects, covered by the course):

(1) Project Planning and Building-up. Although I was not deeply involved in the project planning and project preparation process, yet, based on the reviewed project documents, I can conclude that the project planning (so called “concept paper” stage) and preparation (project processing) processes were quite good and comprehensive, and followed all suggested stages of project planning and building-up, as covered by the course, as follows:  

1. The concept paper (planning stage) has (i) clearly defined the problem, (ii) provided comprehensive analysis of all stakeholders and affected people, and (iii) clearly defined the project objectives. The preliminary success criteria were also formulated, which were later reconfirmed / refined during the project preparation phase. The project planning was carried out in close consultation with the Government and the involved stakeholders. Besides, “…extensive consultations with the district authorities, communities and women’s groups took place during the concept formulation stage to identify primary and secondary stakeholders, their interest in the Project, and their perceptions of current problems… UNDP and Mercy Corps, which are working in XXX district, have been also consulted. These two agencies have implemented a range of community-based programs in the project area, and have been consulted on possible areas of cooperation and coordination (Appendix 1: XXX).”

The concept paper has also defined the major activities and time estimate for the project. The rough cost estimate was also prepared based on the comprehensive consultations with the Government and engineers; the preliminary financing sources were identified.

1. The Project proposal (building-up) stage. The project preparation process was also quite comprehensive and covered, among others, (i) development of mission statement and statement of major project objectives, (ii) development of project strategy to meet the agreed objectives, (iii) defining the project scope, (iv) preparation of detailed project implementation schedule, (v) identifying the project teams both within XXX and the Government, as well as the project organizational structure, (vi) defining the project implementation arrangements, (vii) development of detailed cost estimate (budget). Besides, the project team has identified the possible risks, which, if occur, may negatively affect the project implementation, and developed the mitigating measures.

The Design and Monitoring Framework (DMF)^[1] (Appendix 1 of the Grant Proposal) clearly formulated the project’s objectives (expected outcome and outputs), including SMART performance targets and indicators (to identify how the successful achievement of an output, outcome, or impact will be measured) and baseline data, data sources / reporting mechanism, (where information on the status of each indicator can be found, who provides the information, and how the information is collected), project activities and milestones, as well as assumptions & risks.

The project proposal also included many other planning aspects, such as fund flow arrangements, implementation arrangements, procurement plan, plan and timing for M&E activities, etc., which are critical for smooth project implementation.

It should be noted that the project proposal was prepared in close consultation with the Government and all stakeholders (participatory approach), and the Memorandum of Understanding was signed between XXX and the Government to record the discussions held and understanding reached between the Government and XXX on the objectives, scope and components, roles and responsibilities, costing, financing, and implementation arrangements of the Project.