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Project selection and management in international development organisations( Télécharger le fichier original )par Landry Iragi Mugaruka University of Hertfordshire - MSc. Project Management 2014 |
7.1 Referred ReportsActionAid Strategy (2012 - 2017), ?People's Action to End Poverty?. [Accessed on: 1st of August 2014] Available at: http://www.actionaid.org/sites/files/actionaid/peoplesactiontoendpoverty28pp.p df ChristianAid (2012), ?How Christian Aid assesses Value for Money in its programmes?. [Accessed on: 3rd of August 2014] Available at: https://www.christianaid.org.uk/images/value-for-money.pdf ChristianAid (2012), ?Partnership for Change: The Power to End Poverty?. [Accessed on: 5th August 2014] Available at: http://www.christianaid.org.uk/Images/2012strategy.pdf OXFAM Annual Progress Report (2013), ?My Right, My Voice?. [Accessed on: 8th of August 2014] Available at: http://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/my-rights-my-voice-annual-progress-report-2013-317556 OXFAM Strategic Plan (2013 - 2017), ?The Power of People Against Poverty?. [Accessed on: 11th August 2014] Available at: University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 58 http://www.oxfam.org/en/countries/oxfam-strategic-plan-2013-2019-power-people-against-poverty Plan International (2009), ?Programme Accountability and Learning System (PALS)». [Accessed on: 15th August 2014] Available at: https://plan-international.org/about-plan/how-we-work/effectiveness/approach-programming-effectiveness/pals/ Plan International (2010), ?Promoting Child Rights to End Poverty?. [Accessed on: 17th August 2014] Available at: https://plan-international.org/about-plan/resources/publications/about-plans-work/promoting-child-rights-to-end-child-poverty-1/ Plan Worldwide Annual Review (2013). [Accessed on: 22nd August 2014] Available at: https://plan-international.org/where-we-work/americas/publications/plan-worldwide-annual-review-2013 Water Aid (2012), [Accessed on: 24th August 2014] ?Sustainability Framework. [Accessed on: 16th June 2014] Available at: http://www.wateraid.org/uk/google-search?query=framework Water Aid (2009 - 2015), ?Global Strategy?. [Accessed on: 24th June 2014] Available at: http://www.wateraid.org/uk/who-we-are/annual-reports#/annual-reports 7.2 Reports Not UsedAction Against Hunger (2013), ?Aid for Nutrition? http://www.actionagainsthunger.org.uk/resource-centre/online-library/detail/media/aid-for-nutrition-2013/ Common Wealth Secretariat (2013), ?Report of the Common Wealth Secretariat? http://thecommonwealth.org/sites/default/files/page/documents/Report%20of%20the %20Commonwealth%20Secretary-General%202011-2013%20Low%20Res.pdf Health Poverty Action (2012), ?Annual Review? http://www.healthpovertyaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Annual-Review-2012-13-web.pdf International Development Institute (2013), ?Striving towards 2015 - IDS Annual Report? http://www.ids.ac.uk/publication/striving-towards-2015-ids-annual-report 59 University Of Hertfordshire (2014) International HIV/Aids Alliance (2014), ?Annual Report? http://www.aidsalliance.org/resources/240-2013-report-and-accounts International Rescue Committee (2013), ?Annual Report? http://www.savethechildren.net/sites/default/files/SCIAR2013Interactive.pdf Malaria Consortium (2012), ?Annual Review? http://www.malariaconsortium.org/pages/annual review 2011 2012.htm Save the Children (2013), ?Annual Review? http://www.savethechildren.net/sites/default/files/SCIAR2013Interactive.pdf War Child UK (2013), ?Annual Report? http://www.warchild.org.uk/about/publications/war-child-annual-report-2013 World Vision (2011), ?World Vision Strategy 2011 - 2015? http://www.worldvision.org.uk/who-we-are/strategy/ University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 60 8. Personal Reflection Looking back at what I have experienced when writing my dissertation, I have realised that it was very enjoyable with many eye opening moments. Having worked in the Development Sector for two years prior to coming to England for my masters, I already knew that my research topic would be centred on International Development Organisations in Africa and what can be done to improve their project selection processes. My initial idea was to focus on a single case study, the organisation I had been working for in Kenya for two years but this quickly changed after conducting my literature review. I started my research by conducting a literature review on project portfolio management and international development projects in general. The literature review on project portfolio management allowed me to understand what portfolio management was about much more than when it was discussed in the classroom and also introduced me to the three major frameworks associated with project portfolio management and their different processes. The review of literature on international development organisations introduced me to two frameworks I had never heard about before, the Logical Framework Approach (LFA) and the Project Management for Development Professionals (PMD Pro) with the LFA being the blueprint used by development organisations when they design their own programme selection frameworks. Designing my literature review in this manner would later turn out to be beneficial for the remaining sections of my dissertation. My initial plan was to use a single case study but following the advice of my supervisor, I decided to focus on international development organisations in the United Kingdom with the aim of getting information about how they select their programmes and projects then use this information to develop a framework that could be used by development organisations in Africa. However, due to conflicting schedules and the responses I got after contacting the fifteen organisations whose managers I wanted to interview, my supervisor and I agreed that the collection of information would be done in the form of a documentary analysis. I was sceptical at first because I did not believe that I would get enough information from the annual reports and strategic plans of these organisations but to my big surprise, they were really explicit about their project selection processes. Out of the fifteen organisations I had contacted, I decided to focus on five of them which gave a good representation of the sectors in which most development organisations are involved in. cutting down the number of organisations to study, simplified the analysis phase of my dissertation because even though the University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 61 information I needed could be found in the different reports and strategic plans, it took a lot of time to collect it and make sense out of it. Going through those different documents helped me find links between what I presented in the literature review on international development organisations and the content of the reports and strategic plans I had reviewed for the analysis section of my dissertation. The Logical Framework approach, the success factors for development projects and the lack of a project management tools specifically designed for development projects were the topics that were mostly discussed. These links allowed me to develop a framework built around my experience in the development sector, the literature on project portfolio management and the findings of my analysis. The biggest challenge I faced throughout the process of writing this dissertation was time management especially during the term time. It wasn't easy for me to start working on my dissertation as it was outlined in the Gantt chart I had submitted with my proposal, juggling between assignment deadlines, preparing for exams, getting my Ethics Form approved and planning interviews was not easy. One of the things I would differently would be to contact the organisations I wanted to interview In January therefore giving them enough time to schedule the interviews because even though the information I got from the reports was relevant, interviewing project managers would have added more to this research in terms of scope. University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 62 Appendix 1 APPLICATION FOR ETHICAL APPROVAL OF A STUDY INVOLVING HUMAN PARTICIPANTS FORM EC1:
63 DECLARATIONS
DECLARATION BY APPLICANT (See GN 2.1.3) DECLARATION BY SUPERVISOR (see GN 2.1.3) (Signature) (Name in BLOCK CAPITALS and position within the School) Enter your name here....LANDRY IRAGI MUGARUKA...Date... If you are a member of staff, please obtain the signature of your line manager to indicate their agreement to this application: Enter your name here...Date... Where the participant is a minor or is otherwise unable, for any reason, to give full consent on their own, references here to participants being given an explanation or information, or being asked to give their consent, are to be understood as referring to the person giving consent on their behalf. (See Q 19 above; also GN Pt. 3, and especially 3.6 & 3.7) I confirm that the proposed study has been appropriately vetted within the School in respect of its aims and methods as a piece of research; that I have discussed this application for Ethics Committee approval with the applicant and approve its submission; and that I accept responsibility for guiding the applicant so as to ensure compliance with the terms of the protocol and with any applicable ethical code(s).
University Of Hertfordshire (2014) University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 64 Instructions for Applicants Applicants are advised to read the Guidance Notes before completing this form. Use of this form is mandatory [see UPR RE01, SS 7.1 to 7.3]. Your School may choose to add additional School specific questions in a separate appendix to the Form EC1. Please clarify with your Supervisor whether your School has chosen to append any extra questions. Approval must be sought and granted before any investigation involving human participants begins [UPR RE01, S 4.4(iii)]. Abbreviations GN=Guidance Notes UPR=University Policies & Regulations Q=Question S=Section SS=Sections Pt =Part PLEASE NOTE: Where alternative answers are offered, put a cross in the appropriate box. For example: X YES Where a «write in» answer is requested, begin in the space provided below the question and continue as necessary. All questions must be answered. Please answer in BLACK. 65 1. THE STUDY
Q1. Please give the title (or provisional title) of the proposed study. (NB - you will be asked for further details later) Project Selection and Management in International Development Organisations 2. THE APPLICANT
Status: X Q2. Please answer either Q2.1 or Q2.2 by providing the information requested. Q2.1 should be answered by individual applicants, both staff and students, who require protocol approval for work which they themselves intend to carry out. Q2.2 should be answered by academic staff requiring approval for standard protocols governing classroom practical work (or equivalent work) to be carried out by a specified group of students. (See GN 2.2.1 & 2.2.19) Q2.1. Name of applicant/(principal) investigator Programme of study or award (e.g. BA/MSc/PhD/Staff research) MSc. E-mail address Name of supervisor Mike Herman Supervisor's contact details (email, extension number) EXT: 5474 School/Department
University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 66
Please note: Risk Assessment Form EC5 is mandatory for all Class Protocol Applications and must accompany this application. Q2.2. Class Protocol Applications Only. Name of applicant/(principal) investigator (member of staff) School/Department Programme of study or award (e.g. BSc/MA) Module Title Year/group to be governed by the protocol Number of students conducting the study Programme Tutor (if different from the applicant) E-mail address 3. DETAILS OF THE PROPOSED STUDY
Q3. (a) Is it likely that your application will require NHS approval? (See GN 2.2.2) (b) Please confirm whether your research involves any of the following: NHS Patients Clinical trial of an investigational product X YES NO (If YES, please answer (b) & (c)) (If NO, please continue on to Q4) University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 67
If your study is likely to require NHS approval or is a Clinical Trial of Investigational Medical Products or Devices, DO NOT complete this form any further and submit it to your relevant ECDA at this stage. All NHS applications must be made on an IRAS form. If your study is a Clinical Trial of Investigational Medical Products or Devices involving one of the above specified categories, you will be contacted by the relevant ECDA with information on the next steps. Please note, you will be issues with a UH Protocol Number but this will not be valid until you have sent your relevant ECDA a copy of your NHS approval. The aim of my dissertation is to find out how project selection and management principles of Project Portfolio Management can be applied in International Development Organisation. My study's objective is to compare theory with practice by analysing which techniques are commonly used in the portfolio selection process in International Development Organisations, the impact that the strategic objectives of these organisations have on their selection process and the other factors that have an influence on the selection process. The findings will be compared and contrasted to the project portfolio management theory leading to the development of a framework that can be used by International Development Organisations. The human participants involved in this study Q4. Please give a short synopsis of your proposed study; stating its aims and highlighting, if appropriate, where these aims relate to the use of human participants. (See GN 2.2.3) Please enter details here. (c) Please confirm whether this study is considered to be a Clinical Trial of Investigational Medical Products (CTIMP) or Clinical Trial of Investigational Medical Devices. (See GN 2.2.2) If YES, please indicate if the study involves any of the following categories: Adults who lack the capacity to consent Pregnant women A group of more than 5,000 people Study would be undertaken overseas Clinical trial of a medical device Exposure to any ionising radiation Children under 5 Human Tissue YES X NO University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 68
will be the project managers involved in the selection of projects in their respective organisations.
The study will be divided in two parts: the first part will be a review of literature on Project Portfolio selection and management and the second will be a study of the techniques used and other factors that have a direct influence on project selection in UK based International development organisations. The human participants' views will be captured through written and oral interviews (Skype, telephone) and the findings will be summarized and used to develop a project selection framework for International Development Organisations.
Starting Date 01/05/2014 Finishing Date: 22/09/2014, the day before the final submission N/A YES X NO University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 69
If YES, please state the relationship between anyone else who is present other than the applicant and/or participants? (e.g. health professional, parent/guardian) (b) Will the proposed study be conducted in confidence? If NOT, what steps will be taken to ensure confidentiality of the participants' information. (See GN 2.2.8) 4. HARMS, HAZARDS & RISKS
Note: You are advised to read GN 2.2.10, 2.2.11, 2.2.12 & 2.2.13 carefully before you answer the following questions.
Q11, Q12, Q13 & Q14 - NON INVASIVE STUDIES ONLY
If YES,
Yes (If YES, please fill out Appendix 1 - (If NO, answer Q11, Q12, Q13 Increased Hazards and Risks. & Q14) Once this is complete, move on to Q15) YES X X No NO University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 70
X NO YES YES NO X
(b) Please describe in appropriate detail what you would do should the adverse effects or events which you believe could arise from your study, and which you have mentioned in your replies to the previous questions, occur. (See UPR RE01, S 2.3 (ii) and GN 2.2.13) Q12. Will or could the study cause discomfort or distress of a mental or emotional character to participants and/or investigator(s)? (See NG 2.2.11) If YES, University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 71 5. ABOUT YOUR PARTICIPANTS
I intend to send a questionnaire to different project/programme managers in UK based International Development Organisations. The UK based International Development Organisations identified are: - Bond for International Development - World Development Movement - Hope International Development Agency - OXFAM UK - Action Aid UK - Adam Smith International - British Council - Christian Aid - Common Wealth Secretariat - Crown Agents - CDC Group - Save the Children UK - GRM International - Help Age International - Garfield Weston Foundation - Tree Aid - Charities Aid Foundation - Department for International Development - UK Trade and Investment - The Overseas Development Institute - Action Against Hunger - Health Poverty Action - International Development Institute - International HIV/Aids Alliance - International Rescue Committee - Malaria Consortium - War Child UK My ongoing research may establish contact with similar IDOS. University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 72
Initial contact will be made via email to present the research topic and inquire about the willingness of the project/programme managers to take part in the study. Since I have worked for the Centre for the Development of Entreprise (CDE), I already have credibility and contacts in the International Development community. The second part will be giving an explanation of how their views on the practices they used to select projects will be gathered through the written interview and if possible a telephone or Skype interview. Information on the confidentiality of the study will also be given to the participants. Q17. By completing this form, you are indicating that you are reasonably sure that you will be successful in obtaining the number of participants which you hope/intend to recruit. Please outline here how you intend to recruit them. (See GN 2.2.14) My target is10 to 12 participants but I will attempt to contact about twice this number. 6. CONFIDENTIALITY AND CONSENT
[For guidance on issues relating to consent, see GN 2.2.15 & Pt. 3.] N/A (See UPR RE01, S 2.3 & 2.4 and GN 3.1) If NO, please explain why it is considered unnecessary or impossible or otherwise inappropriate to seek informed consent. If YES, please attach a copy of the Consent Form to be used (See Form EC3 & EC4 for reference and GN 3.2), or describe here how consent is to be obtained and recorded. The information you give must be sufficient to enable the Committee to understand exactly what it is that prospective participants are being asked to agree to. X YES NO University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 73
All the data will be encrypted and stored on my password protected laptop.
The data will be stored on my password protected laptop during the project until the dissertation has been marked, moderated and the final assessment verified by the University.
Name, occupation, contact details and employer's name. The information will be stored in my password protected laptop and encrypted on my personal storage devices.
If YES,
If YES, please give here an indication of the kind of further use that is intended (or which may be possible). X YES YES X NO NO University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 74
If a satisfactory CRB Disclosure is required, a copy of this must be attached to Appendix 2 in order for reviewers to be able to consider your application. Q22. If your study involves work with children and/or vulnerable adults you will require a satisfactory Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure. (See GN 2.2.17) Please indicate as appropriate: If NO, will the data be kept for a set period and then destroyed under secure conditions? If NO, please explain here why not. X
YES NO 7. REWARDS
Q23. (a) Are you receiving any financial or other reward connected with this study? (See UPR RE01, 2.3) (b) Are participants going to receive any financial or other reward connected with the study? If YES, give details here. If YES, give details here. YES YES X X NO NO University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 75
(c) Will anybody else (including any other members of the investigative team) receive any financial or other reward connected with this study? If YES, give details here. YES X NO University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 8. OTHER RELEVANT MATTERS
University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 76 APPENDIX 1 - INCREASED HAZARDS AND RISKS This section is to be completed if your answer to Q10 affirms the USE OF INVASIVE PROCEDURES in your study. Note: You are advised to read GN 2.2.10, 2.2.11, 2.2.12, 2.2.13 & 2.2.18 carefully before you answer the following questions.
If YES,
77
If YES,
If YES, YES YES X NO X NO University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 78
(b) Please describe in appropriate detail what you would do should the adverse effects or events which you believe could arise from your study, and which you have mentioned in your replies to the previous questions, occur. University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 79 Please revert to Q15. University Of Hertfordshire (2014) University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 80 Appendix 2 Dissertation Proposal Background The aim of my dissertation is to find out how the Project Selection and Management principles of Project Portfolio Management can be applied in International Development Organisation. I am interested in the selection of projects and their management in International Development Organisations because of the two years I spent working in a Private Sector Development Organization in East Africa. Project Selection was one our biggest challenge because of the strategic objective of the organisation which was to develop the private sector in East Africa by making local private companies more competitive regionally and also making it possible for them to access new markets. The only way through which we could make it possible for these companies to benefit from our support (both technical and financial) was through the implementation of projects. The projects were proposed by the local companies and our job was to select the right projects for our portfolios. Using a Balanced Scorecard method, we were able to rank and prioritise projects and decide how our budget will be spread amongst them. This method however, did not guarantee that the projects would be completed within the agreed cost, scope and time and that the projects deliverables were still in line with our strategic objectives. This led me to conclude that something must have been wrong with our selection process and the way we monitored the progress of our projects once they were given the green light. Different studies demonstrate that many organizations have been trying to implement projects that support or are closely tied to their goals and strategy (Meredith & Mantel, 2010; Gardiner, 2005) and it has also been proven that projects under implementation in most cases have little or no apparent link to the Organisation's strategy and goals (Englund & Graham, 1999). These observations make my research relevant in that I am trying to come up with a way of implementing the principles of project selection and management embedded in Project Portfolio Management in International Development Organizations to ensure that the right projects are selected and that they are managed the right way. Project Portfolio Management is the management of project pipeline so as to make project contribute to the overall organisation success by bridging the gap between University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 81 operations management and project management (Levine, 2005). LaBrosse (2010) argues that Project Portfolio Management is a way for organizations to analyse and manage in a coordinated way a group projects to reap benefits not available if they were managed individually with the goal of finding the best mix and timing of current projects to achieve the organization's overall goals. My intention is to focus on two main aspects of Portfolio Management: the selection of projects and the monitoring and control of projects. I will aim to find out what is being proposed by different authors and practitioners in the Project Portfolio Management field about the selection of projects and the alignment of the project selection process with strategic objectives and how it can be used to control the progress of projects while at the same time making sure that criteria tested during the selection process are still viable throughout the implementation phase. My research will look at how the principles of Project Portfolio Management can be applied by International Development Organizations to ensure that the right projects are selected and to facilitate proper project progress monitoring and control. Research Questions - to understand how project portfolio selections can applied within an organisation - to understand the nature of International Development Organisations as opposed to traditional project-based organisations, and - to propose a framework for the selection and management of programmes and projects in International Development Organisations - Method Using an interpretive philosophical perspective, I will review the literature on Project Portfolio Management to understand how it can be applied in an organization and the benefits it presents. I will also review the literature on International development projects to understand their nature, what makes them different from other types of projects and their critical success factors. Fifteen UK-based Development organisations will be contacted for this research with the aim of understanding how the way they select programmes and projects for their portfolios. The data will be collected in the form of written questionnaires that will be sent to the project managers and members of the project selection committees of the selected University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 82 organisations. Using multiple case studies will help me compare and contrast the project selection process of these organisations and also spot any differences between project selection theory and practice if they exist. Timescale The first milestone of my Dissertation is the submission of the Draft Proposal and the First Information Form on the 3rd of February 2014. Following the submission of the Draft and FIF, the final research design will be submitted on the 28th of February 2014. I have allocated myself 21 days to conduct a thorough review of literature on Project Portfolio Management from the 3rd of March to the 31st of March 2014 to come up with a Draft literature review. Twenty days have also been allocated for the analysis of secondary data on Project Selection in International Development Organisations and to get a feedback on the written interview that will be sent to the selected International Development Organisations from 1st of April to the 30th of April 2014. The dissertation draft preparation will take forty four days giving me enough time to put together the information collected under the supervision of my assigned research supervisor from the 1st of May to the 1st of July 2014. The submission of the first dissertation draft will be done during the month of August 2014 leading to the submission of the Final Dissertation on the 23rd of September. 83 University Of Hertfordshire (2014)
University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 84 Potential Problems/Limitations Literature on International Development Organisations is limited with many authors on focussing on the skills and attribute of project managers in the development sector and not the programme selection process which might lead to having the same authors cited repeatedly throughout the dissertation. Not getting enough responses from the organisations selected might have an impact on the whole research because the aim of the research is to compare and contrast the project selection processes of these organisations then propose a framework that they can apply when selecting programmes and projects. References Englund, R. L. & Graham, R. J. (1999). From Experience: Linking Projects to Strategy.. Journal of Production and Innovation Management. 16 (1), 52-64. Gardiner, P. D. (2005). Project Management: A Strategic Planning Approach. UK: Palgrave Macmillan. p81 LaBrosse, Michelle. (2010). Project-portfolio management. Employment relations today 37.2 : p75-79. Meredith, Jack R. and Mantel, Samuel J. (2010). Project Management: A Managerial Approach. 7th ed. Asia: John Wiley & Sons. p37-106. Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2012) Research methods for business students 6th edn. Pearson 85 University Of Hertfordshire (2014) Actual Timescale
University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 86 The actual timeline I followed differs from the one I had planned when submitting my proposal because of two main reasons: - Preparation of Semester B exams - The change in research scope These changes in schedule had an impact on the Literature Review, Methodology and the Findings and Analysis section of the dissertation in terms of completion time and draft preparation. The change of scope was initiated in the month of April when the project managers contacted for the interviews, due to conflicting schedules, redirected me to the different Annual Reports and Strategic Plans. The impact of this change is that I now had to find these documents and read them to find out if they contained the information I required. The month of May was split between preparing for Semester B's final exams and working on the Literature Review for which I produced a draft on the 23rd of May. In the month of June, I started to work on the Methodology section and I also started to extract the information I needed from the different reports in order to compare the sampled organisations. The draft was completed on the 22nd of June and was refined throughout the month of July. I started to work on my Findings in that same month and by mid-August, I had already produced a draft of the Findings and Analysis Section which was later on refined in early September. University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 87 Appendix 3 Dissertation Log
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University Of Hertfordshire (2014) 89 Meeting 4
Meeting 5
Meeting 6
Postgraduate Dissertation Guideline - Hertfordshire Business School Page 1 26 |
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