1.0 INTRODUCTION
Project Planning,
Management, Monitoring and Evaluation concepts and principles of planning,
types of planning and plans; strategic planning, participatory planning; the
plan of work, the work calendar, stakeholder analysis; the logical framework
and its application in project development, monitoring and evaluation; project
supervision, leadership and Project administration and management; the concept
of monitoring and evaluation, reasons for monitoring and evaluation, methods
used in monitoring and evaluation,
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of this
unit, you should be able to:
•
Define
the following briefly; Project, Project Planning, Management, Monitoring and
Evaluation concepts and principles of planning,
•
Identify
the stages in planning and execution
•
Explain
Monitoring and Controlling Cycle
•
Discuss
explicitly Monitoring and controlling process group processes
•
Difference
between Monitoring and Evaluation
Concepts and terms related to Monitoring and Evaluation
A project is a
temporary endeavor designed to produce a unique product, service or result with
a defined beginning and end (usually time-constrained, and often constrained by
funding or deliverables) undertaken
to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change
or added value. The temporary nature of projects stands in contrast with business as
usual (or operations), which are repetitive, permanent, or
semi-permanent functional activities to produce products or services. In
practice, the management of these two
systems is often quite different, and as such requires the development of
distinct technical skills and management strategies.
Projects may
be audited or reviewed while the project is in progress. Formal audits are
generally risk or compliance-based and management will direct the objectives of
the audit. An examination may include a comparison of approved project
management processes with how the project is actually being managed. Each
project should be assessed for the appropriate level of control needed: too
much control is too time consuming, too little control is very risky. If
project control is not implemented correctly, the cost to the business should
be clarified in terms of errors and fixes.
Monitoring is
a deliberate systematic means of collection and analysis of information as a
project progresses which intended at adequate efficiency and effectiveness of a
project embarked on with thorough use of resources. It facilitates organization
to determine whether the resources available are enough and are being utilized
satisfactorily. Project monitoring is establishing measure that projects are on
targets and indicators to measure advancement and achievement.
Evaluation involves conscious checking into project effects vis-a-vis the agreed slated plans on accomplishment scale. It concern with outcome process of a blueprint which can be done during and after the project. Evaluation is not an end product but a process expected to take place throughout the stages of a project or action.
Evaluation is a process used to ascertain what has happened during a
given activity, whether a programme or activity is working, and whether the
initial commitment has been carried out and achieved In the course of the
project it is done to ensure any contingency that can hamper the project is
resolved and plans are amended to suit goals of the project. While after
project evaluation is aim at understanding success or fail at the same time
outline the means, measure and medium for improvement ahead of next
implementation of project plan.
The differences between Monitoring and Evaluation
|
Indices of variation |
Monitoring |
Evaluation |
|
Timing |
Continuous, throughout the project |
Periodic review at significant points in the project progress |
|
Scope |
Day to day activities, output, indicators of progress and change |
Access overall delivery of outputs and progress towards objectives and goals |
|
Main participants |
Project staff, project users |
External evaluators, facilitators, project
users, project staff, sponsors |
|
Process |
Regular meetings, interviews, monthly, quarterly reviews |
Extraordinary meeting, additional data collection exercise etc |
|
Written output |
Regular reports and updates to project users, management and sponsors |
Written report with recommendations for changes to project-presented in workshops to different stakeholder |
|
Information users |
Government agencies, researchers, companies |
Stakeholders, top management team, external facilitator’s, staff etc |
|
Intent |
translates objectives into performance indicators and set targets |
examines implementation process for better significant accomplishment vis-a-vis offers recommendations for improvement on slated project |
|
Activities |
activities are linked with resources to aligned with objectives |
activities assess specific contribution of project in relations to result |
Adapted:from
Kepa (1997)
Planning
After the
initiation stage, the project is planned to an appropriate level of the main
purpose is to plan time, cost and resources adequately to estimate the work
needed and to effectively manage risk during project execution. As with the
Initiation process group, a failure to adequately plan greatly reduces the
project's chances of successfully accomplishing its goals.
Project planning generally
consists of:
•
determining how to plan (e.g. by level of detail or Rolling Wave
planning);
•
developing the scope statement;
•
selecting the planning team;
•
identifying deliverables and creating the work
breakdown structure;
•
identifying the activities needed to complete those
deliverables and networking the activities in their logical sequence;
•
estimating the resource requirements for the
activities;
•
estimating time and cost for activities;
•
gaining formal approval
to begin work.
Additional
processes, such as planning for communications and for scope management,
identifying roles and responsibilities, determining what to purchase for the project
and holding a kick-off meeting are also generally advisable.
For new product
development projects, conceptual design of the operation of the final
product may be performed concurrent with the project planning activities, and
may help to inform the planning team when identifying deliverables and planning
activities.
Execute
Executing Process Group Processes
The
execution/implementation phase ensures that the project management plan's
deliverables are executed accordingly. This phase involves proper allocation,
coordination and management of human resources and any other resources such as
material and budgets. The output of this phase is the project deliverables.
|
Monitoring
and Controlling |
1.4 Monitoring and Controlling Process
Group Processes
Monitoring
and controlling consists of those processes performed to observe project
execution so that potential problems can be identified in a timely manner and
corrective action can be taken, when necessary, to control the execution of the
project. The key benefit is that project performance is observed and measured
regularly to identify variances from the project management plan.
Monitoring
and controlling includes:
•
Measuring the ongoing project activities ('where we
are');
•
Monitoring the project variables (cost, effort, scope,
etc.) against the project management plan and the project performance baseline (where
we should be);
•
Identifying corrective actions to address issues and
risks properly (How can we get on track again);
•
Influencing the factors that could circumvent
integrated change control so only approved changes are implemented.
In
multi-phase projects, the monitoring and control process also provides feedback
between project phases, in order to implement corrective or preventive actions
to bring the project into compliance with the project management plan.
Project
maintenance is an ongoing process, and it includes:
•
Continuing support of end-users
•
Updates to the product over time
1.5 Monitoring and Controlling Cycle
In this
stage, auditors should pay
attention to how effectively and quickly user problems are resolved.
Over the course of any construction project, the work scope may change. Change is a normal and expected part of the construction process. Changes can be the result of necessary design modifications, differing site conditions, material availability, contractor-requested changes, value engineering and impacts from third parties, to name a few. Beyond executing the change in the field, the change normally needs to be documented to show what was actually constructed. This is referred to as change management. Hence, the owner usually requires a final record to show all changes or, more specifically, any change that modifies the tangible portions of the finished work.
The record is made on the
contract documents - usually, but not necessarily limited to, the design
drawings. The end product of this effort is what the industry terms as-built
drawings, or more simply, "as built." The requirement for providing
them is a norm in construction contracts. Construction document management is a
highly important task undertaken with the aid an online or desktop software
system, or maintained through physical documentation. The increasing legality
pertaining to the construction industries maintenance of correct documentation
has caused the increase in the need for document management systems.
When changes
are introduced to the project, the viability of the project has to be reassessed.
It is important not to lose sight of the initial goals and targets of the
projects. When the changes accumulate, the forecasted result may not justify
the original proposed investment in the project. Successful project management
identifies these components, and tracks and monitors progress so as to stay
within time and budget frames already outlined at the commencement of the
project.
CONCLUSION
The
discussion in this unit takes us through the understanding of the concept of
Project Planning Management, Monitoring and Evaluation from definition to
process of planning. Controlling. Monitoring and cycle entailed.
UNIT SUMMARY
In this article,
we treated contextual nature of project, Project Planning Management,
Monitoring and Evaluation with consideration to detailed key steps involves in
cycle of it. Project is an ongoing process with evaluation to ensure desired
outcome is achieved by understanding the target, reexamine it in line with
scope of the project and amend necessary correction when need arise to
accomplish slated goals.
ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS
1.
What are the process involved in project Monitoring
and controlling
2.
Why are changes introduced to a project
3.
Write short note on the following:
i.
Project ii. Management iii. Monitoring and controlling
REFERENCES AND
FURTHER READINGS
Aarnoudse-Moens, C.S.,
Weisglas-Kuperus, N., Van Goudoever, J.B., and Oosterlaan, J (2009).
"Meta-analysis of neurobehavioral outcomes in very preterm and/or very low
birth weight children".Pediatrics.124(2):717-28. doi:10.1542/peds.2008-2816. PMID 19651588.
Anderson,
J.R., Albert, M.V., and Fincham, J.M (2005). "Tracing problem solving in
real time: fMRI analysis of the subject-paced Tower of Hanoi".
JCognNeurosci.17(8):1261-74.doi: 10.1162/0898929055002427. PMID 16197682.
Welsh, M.C., and Huizinga, M (2001). "The
development and preliminary validation of the Tower of
Hanoi-revised".Assessment.8 (2): 167-76. doi:10.1177/107319110100800205. PMID 11428696.
Kepa (1997).
Summary of Differences between Monitoring and Evaluation (online)
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