1 1 United Nations Project Management Skills Workshop (2 days)

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United Nations

Project Management Skills Workshop

(2 days)

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Outputs of this Workshop

At the end of the training, participants know: How to link new projects to the UN’s mandate

and strategic framework The concept of the Project / Programme

Management Cycle How to prepare projects for implementation –

using the “results-chain” as a tool (see also “Logical Framework Matrix”)

How these concepts apply to the Monitoring and Evaluation of projects

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Expected Accomplishment and Overall Objective of the Workshop

This is supposed to…:• Increase the quality of your projects… which in the end is meant to:• Help to improve the performance of the UN

overall

Exercise 1: Introduction

What is the point strategic project planning?

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The context of our projects....

United Nations (Your Organisation)

The programme it belongs to

Our Project

Projects are used to create products and deliver business benefit

Where the benefits of an individual project are meant to complement the benefits of other projects

Where our project (and the programme) are meant to help our organisation to fulfil its mission

Martin Steinmeyer

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You need to make sure that....

United Nations (Your Organisation)


Our Project .. your project is not here...

... But really here!!!

Martin Steinmeyer

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You also need to make sure that....

United Nations(Your Organisation)


Our Project

... your project really has a chance of solving the problem you mean to address...

... and thereby contributes to the objectives and mandates of the United Nations

Martin Steinmeyer

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Characteristics of a Project

Has a defined start and an end; Has agreed, and well defined outputs and produces

measurable effects (expected accomplishments); Has a balance between time, cost and quality; Has interrelated tasks, often grouped into phases; Has a temporary, often multidisciplinary project team

brought together for the project; Might entail the involvement of people from other units or

organizations.

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The Project Context

Organisational Politics

Stakeholder Objectives

External Pressures

Time

Cost Quality

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Project Management

Structuring and facilitation of processes of change in order to produce outputs and accomplishments in the most effective and efficient way.Dealing with complexity and uncertainties related to the

context and to human interactions;Dealing with the subjective perceptions and values of actors

involved;Continuous collection and analysis of information, in order to

take decisions and to make adaptations to achieve quality outputs.

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The Project Management Cycle

Concept Phase

Implementation Phase

Development PhaseEvaluation Phase

Project Charter

Project Document

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Concept Phase

Project Identification

Scope the Project

Assemble Project Team

Identify and analyse stakeholders

Project Finance

Risk Management

The Project Charter

Identify the problem to be addressed

Develop „Intervention Logic“ (how will project address the problem?)

United Nations MandateMulti-annual strategic framework

Introducing: the Intervention Logic

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Overall / Goal Objectives

Expected Accomplishment

Outputs

Activities Inputs

Physical and non physical means necessary to undertake activities

High level objectives to which the project contributes

The main result of the project / main benefit to target group

The (tangible) products of undertaken activities

Tasks executed as part of the project to produce the project’s outputs

Martin Steinmeyer


Levels of the Intervention Logic – Example

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Overall Goal / Objectives


Outputs

Activities Inputs

Money, human resources, materials, equipment

Access to urban water and sanitation in Country X expanded

Improved management of water-related services by municipal water utility in capital

Maintenance scheme, Improved staff capacity, Improved procurement, etc.

Staff needs assessment and training, developing procurement guidelines, etc.

Martin Steinmeyer


Intervention logic during “planning” and “implementation”

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Overall Goal / Objectives


Outputs

Activities Inputs

Money, human resources, materials, equipment

Plan

ning

Impl

emen

tatio

n

Martin Steinmeyer

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Scoping the Project- example (i)

In Scope of this project management skills workshop will be:

Provision of practical tools, techniques and methods to manage projects;

Use of harmonized terminology (with RBB) Refresher programme for some –new information for

others; Work with ‘real life’ projects; A workshop manual and handouts; Work in plenary as well as small group sessions.

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Scoping the Project- example (ii)

Out of Scope of this project management skills workshop are:

Project finance and bids Project management software Management of project teams, teambuilding exercises

and methods.

In your groups, please:• Clarify the background & the problem(s) the project is

meant to address• Draft a first version of your project’s intervention logic:

– The Overall Goal / Objective– The Expected Accomplishment– The Outputs– The Activities

• Define / refine the scope of your project (borderline cases)

Exercise: The first approach to your project

18 Martin Steinmeyer

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Objectives (i)

Outcome

Output 1 Output 2 Output 3

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Programme, Project, Component…

Programme

Project 1 Project 2 Project 3

Component 1

Subcomponent

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Stakeholders (i)

...are any individual/s, groups of people,

institutions or firms that may have a relationship with the project.

They may – directly or indirectly, positively

or negatively – affect or be affected by the

process and the outcomes of the project.

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Stakeholder AnalysisRest of

theOrganisati

on

FinanceDepartme

ntStaffUN Project

Management Training:

Stakeholders

Trainer Team

Project Manager

s

Staff Develop

ment Unit

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Stakeholders (ii)

• Beneficiaries:Those who benefit from the implementation of the project• Target group/sThe group/entity who will be immediately and positively

affected by the project (outcome level)• Project Partners:Those who help to implement the project (output level)• And finally: “Troublemakers”:Those who can give you grief...

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Stakeholder Analysis

List all relevant stakeholders.

Who is the target group?

Who are the beneficiaries?

Who are the project partners?

Who might have a positive/negative impact on the project?

Who might be affected by the project negatively?

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Stakeholder Analysis (i)

Classifying stakeholders according to "Importance"and "Influence"

Influence

Impo

rtan

ce

0

1

S1

S2S3

S4

S5

S6

S7

S8

S9S10

HighLow

Low

High

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Stakeholder Analysis (iiii)

Identifying Stakeholder Expectations

Stakeholder They want and We Want:

They Want but We Don‘t:

We Want but They Don‘t:

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Stakeholder Analysis (ii)

Strengths Weaknesses

Opportunities Threats

In your groups, please:• Brainstorm and list all relevant stakeholders• Pick two (2) of our three (3) analysis tools (map, matrix, SWOT) and

apply to your project• Determine for your project

– Who is / are the target group/s for your project?– Who can you use as project partners?– Who are potential "troublemakers"?

• Consider: What changes to your original project design should you make?

Group Exercise: Stakeholder Analysis


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Stakeholder Analysis (i)

X

Z

FC

A

M

B

Q

Venn diagram: the size of the circle depicts the influence of the stakeholder; the closeness or distance of the circles depict the relationships between the stakeholders

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Stakeholder Analysis (iii)

Rank your stakeholders along this continuum:

Totallysupportive

Strongly Against

NeutralModeratelysupportive

Moderately Against

X QZAY

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Risk Assessment Matrix

IMPACT/

PROBABILITY

Impact 4: major

Impact 3: medium

Impact 2: low

Impact 1: insignificant

Probability A: almost certain

Probability B: likely

Probability C: moderate

Probability D: almost zero

Identifying Responses to RisksPrince 2 Risk Response Categories:

•Prevention: Eliminate source of risk, stop risk from happening•Reduction: Reduce probability of risk happening•Acceptance: Deciding to “do nothing” about a risk•Contingency: Prepare for risk to happen by identifying contingent time, money, actions•Transference: Give risk to someone else, e.g. insurance company, contractor

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In your groups, please:• Brainstorm on the main risks your project is

facing• Develop a Risk Assessment Matrix for your

project• Decide how you will manage the identified risks in

your project, using the 5 risk response categories

Group Exercise: Risk Analysis


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The Project Charter

• A Project Charter is a concise and clear framework that summarizes the work done in the concept phase of the project.

• It is a presentation format for project proposals.

• Project proposals are budget proposals.

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Checklist for Drawing Up a Project Charter

What is the organisational rationale for the project?

Are the project objectives (outputs and expected accomplishment) clear and unambiguous?

What actions need to be done? Who is going to do them? What resources are required? What is not going to be done?

Is everything feasible and realistic`?

Are outputs, expected accomplishment and obcectives „measurable“? If so what measures should be used?

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Project Charter (example)

Project Name:

Background / Problem to be addressed:

Intervention Logic (Project Objectives, Expected Accomplishment and Outputs):

Scope (point out „borderline issues“):

Team/ Resource roles: Who does what?

Project Risk Assessment: Which ones have we anticipated? How are we planning to react to the major risks (design!!!)

(Project Milestones: What needs to happen when? Include project review dates in this section)

(Achievement Measurement: How will we know if we‘ve succeeded?)

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Project Proposal: quality criteria (example) •Relevance relates to whether the project addresses the real problems of the intended beneficiaries.

•Feasibility relates to whether the project objectives can be effectively achieved.

•Sustainability relates to whether project benefits will continue to flow after the external support has ended.

??

In your groups, please prepare your projects for presentation to “the board”:•Review the project design against the three quality criteria (relevance, feasibility, sustainability)

Make adjustments where necessary•Fill the different sections of the project charter (Project Name, Background, “Intervention Logic”, Scope)•Agree on who should present the project concept to “the board” (4 minutes of presentation)

Group Exercise: Drafting the “Project Charter”


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The Development

Phase

Planning Resources:

Material

Equipment

MoneyRefine the scope to

balance T/C/Q (develop the log-frame matrix)

List tasks and activities

in relevant sequence

Develop an efficient scheduleand budget for resources

People

Ensure approval of plansby relevant stakeholders

Review/ Audit

The Logical Framework Matrix (LogFrame)

‘... IF results are delivered, AND assumptions hold true,

THEN the project purpose will be achieved ...’

Intervention Logic

Sources of Verification

Assumptions (Risks)

Activities

Outputs


Overall Goal /

Objective

Means Cost

Status Quo

Indicators

40Martin Steinmeyer

Activity and resource scheduling

LogFrame: Planning & Management Tool

550017504250 750 40011003100

Budget

550017504250 750 40011003100

Budget

SalariesAllowancesVehicle Op.Office Tel/FaxSeedsFertiliser

5000 55001250 17503750 4250

750 750400 400850 1100

2300 3100

Budget

WorkplanWorkplan

Workplan

Results-based workplans & budgets

LogFrame

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Scheduling

Scheduling aims at producing a sequence for the activities to be carried out to meet the project key dates and objectives - and forms the basis for planning resources and for monitoring.

Break down main activities into tasks and subtasks

Think about dependencies

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Diagrams to Show the Order of Project Tasks: Network Diagrams

Task C Task DTask BTask A

Task D

Task C

Task B

Task A

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Diagrams to Show Order of Project Tasks

Task A Task B

Task A

Task B

Finish to Start : The end of the predecessor and the start of the successor are related.

Start to Start : The starts of predecessor and successor are related.

Example: Task B cannot start until task A has finished.

Example: Task B can start at the same time/ shortly after the start of task A.

Tasks can be related in different ways:

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Diagrams to Show Order of Project Tasks

Task A

Task B

Finish to Finish : The ends of predecessor and succesor are related

Example: Task B can finish at the same time/ shortly after Task B has finished.

Tasks can be related in different ways:

In addition lead-time before an activity as well as lag-time after an activity can be defined

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Critical Path Method

The Critical Path Method displays activities and events of a

project graphically as a network. It helps to identify which

activities are critical to maintaining the schedule (those lying

on the „critical path“) – and which are not.

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Critical Path Analysis

Analysis and planning steps:

1. Identify and list all (sub)activities

2. Determine the duration of each (sub)activity

3. Identify the sequence in which the (sub)activities have to be carried out (predecessor) – and their interdependence

4. Draw the diagram (nodes and arrows –an „activity on arrow“ diagram)

5. Identify the critical path

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An Example for CPMActivity Duration Required

Predecessor

A Design guide on history teaching 5 months None

B Identify schools to participate in testing of the new guide.

1 month None

C Translate preliminary guide 2 months A

D Print and distribute guide to pilot schools.

3 months A, B

E xxxx 2 months A

F Train sample of trainers 3 months C

G yyyyy 4 months D

H zzzz 2 months B,E

I oooo 1 month H

J Write project report 1 month F,G,I

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CPM Diagram: An Example

1

25

47

8

3 6

A 5m

B 1m

E 2m

D 3m

C 2m

G 4m

F 3m

J 1m

H 2m

I 1m

The critical path is the path that takes longest. Delays of the activities on this path will cause the project to be delayed.

Adapted from Baker, S.L.

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Gantt Charts

Gantt charts are another technique that can be used for scheduling. They are bar graphs that help plan and monitor project development or resource allocation on a horizontal time scale.

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Gantt ChartsIn general, Gantt charts indicate the exact (planned & actual) duration of a specific task, but they can also be used to indicate the relationships between the tasks (inter-/ dependence), planned and actual completion dates, cost of each task, the person/s responsible for each task and the respective milestones.

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Working with Milestones

Milestones are important, clearly defined events in the course of a project that are of particular interest for the project manager.They represent the project progress and are supposed to take place on a specific date.

„Milestones are events of particular importance.“E.g. the end of a task, a decision taken, end of a project phase, etc. – it is the project manager who has to decide what is an „event of particular importance“.

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Milestone Trend Analysis

Milestones can be used to monitor project progress andidentify trends.Steps for a milestone trend analysis:

1. Define milestones in terms of „content“ and date2. Review milestones periodically verifying the

schedule3. Estimate new, likely dates for milestones, if

necessary4. Enter milestone dates in the chart5. Comment on deviations6. Think about possible consequences of and

remedial action for deviations from plan

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Milestone Trend Analysis

01.01.

01.04.

01.07.

01.09.

01.09.01.01. 01.04. 01.07.

Reporting

Milestone

Ascending line: target date delayed

Straight line: target date as planned

Descending line: target date earlier than planned

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The Implementation

PhaseMotivate/ lead andmanage the team

Fully mobilise all/ relevant/appropriate project activities

Monitor and Control – as appropriate

Problem Solving

Don‘t ForgetRisk Management

Review Progress –

And Audit

Ensure organisation andcommunication are current and

timely

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The Close Out Phase

Finish Work

Negotiate Settlements

(tie up loose ends)

Evaluate andReview

Hand Over to Operations

Monitoring and

Evaluation

Monitoring and

Evaluation

Information Accountability

Learning Legitimacy

The Purpose of Monitoring and Evaluation

Stockmann/CEval

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M&E throughout the life of a project

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Desired situation

PROJECT

Mid-term Evaluation

End-of project or final evaluation

Ex-post orimpact evaluation

Present situation: ex-ante evaluation

Time

Sustained benefits and impact

...monitoring

Martin Steinmeyer

MonitoringClarifies program objectivesLinks activities and their resources to objectivesTranslates objectives into performance indicators and sets targetsRoutinely collects data on these indicators, compares actual results with targetsReports progress to managers and alerts them to problems

Complementary role of Monitoring (M) & Evaluation (E)

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EvaluationAnalyses why intended results were (not) achievedAssesses causal contributions of activities to resultsExamines implementation processExplores unintended resultsProvides lessons, highlights significant accomplishments and offers recommendations for improvements

Martin Steinmeyer

Criteria for Evaluating Development Assistance

Slide No. 60

Impact

Did people we woke up did useful things we hoped they would do? Did others join in?

“Worth” of an

activity

Effectiveness

Efficiency

Relevance

Sustainability

Did we wake people up? How many?

How cheap was the bang? Were there cheaper bangs around?

Did people want (or need) to be woken up in the first place?

When we stopped making noise, did people keep on doing this, or did they fall back asleep?

Our Project: Waking people up (with a big bang)

Evaluation Criteria and the LogFrame

Evaluation criteria & logframe levels

sust

ain a

bility

Overall goals /objectives


Outputs

Activities

Meansallocation

action

utilisation

change

Problematic Situation

relevance

efficiency

effectiveness

impact

61Martin Steinmeyer

What is an IndicatorQuantitative or qualitative factor or

variable that provides simple and reliablemeans to measure achievement, to reflect

changes connected to an intervention,or to help assess performance of an actor.

Example: Change of # of qualified and experienced teachers per 1000 children of primary-school age in area X in one year

Developing Indicators


• It must be verifiable by the evaluator and a third party

• It must be linked to the results intended or to significant changes in the situation

• It must be manageable to collect, present and to track over time

Some also want indicators to be „S.M.A.R.T“:

Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant, Timebound

What makes a good indicator?


• Specific: Indicator is clearly stated, focused on result to be measured and described as “change”

• Measurable / Monitorable: possible to collect information to decide if Indicator has been achieved

• Achievable: Indicator correlates to target that can be attained by project

• Relevant: Indicator represents a result in intervention logic

• Time-bound: Achievement indicator target is linked to expected date of accomplishment

S.M.A.R.T Indicators


Implications of Indicator Selection

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• Change in total # of trained teachers (in country X; city Y)

• “# of teachers trained per year• “# of trained teachers per 1000 children“• “% of teachers (per school) that have

received training / have at least a Masters Degree

• “% of students who indicate that they have a “trained teacher”

• “% of teacher who are proficient in core curriculum of country X”

• “Teacher qualification index”; i.e. taking into account “% of underqualified teachers”; % of beginning teachers” per school.

influences…… which tools you will have to

use to gather data!

influences…… how costly your monitoring

system will be!

influences… … what skills you will need in your team!

influences… … what the monitoring data (findings) can be used for!

Conceivable Indicators for “access to qualified teachers”

In your groups, please:• Develop a set of indicators for the different levels

of your intervention logic• Think about the “Sources of Verification” (“where

will my data come from”) for each of the indicators.

• Present them to the other groups

Exercise: Develop a set of indicators for your project


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Thank You!!!!

Documents

1 1 United Nations Project Management Skills Workshop (2 days)