Evaluation Of Lower Solukhumbu Education Rebuild And Recovery Project Management Plan (2015)

Project Background

Critically evaluat the Project Management Plan of the  Lower Solukhumbu Education Rebuild and Recovery Project (2015).

This report offers a detailed analysis of the Lower Solukhumbu Education Rebuild and Recovery Project (2015) with respect to the quality of the report generated. Specifically,  it examines the structure of the Project Management Plan and evaluates it using theories and practices recommended by different literature. Additionally, the report identifies the various elements of a PMP and compares it with relevant literature  materials to establish if it was able to make available all the pertinent and significant information in a clear, concise and meaningful manner to all interested parties.

Thus, a detailed evaluation is conducted on various elements such as quality management, cost management, governance and scope management plan in order to establish if the project management plan complies with the established standards of practice. In turn, this will help to determine what has been done correctly and what needs to be done.

The analysis is based and guided by various tools such as project management plan journals, textbooks, and government templates among others. These documents act as a guide on how to prepare a comprehensive project management plan. Furthermore, the analysis also utilizes academic resources such lecture handouts, recordings and class readings.  

All in all, the analysis has been used to make conclusions that help to shed light of the various strengths and weaknesses of the Lower Solukhumbu Education Rebuild and Recovery Project. At the end of the analysis, the report provides various recommendations that the project may initiate to make improvements in the project.

The Lower Solukhumbu Education Rebuild and Recovery Project (LSERR (2015)) was initiated with the aim of implementing a major rebuilding program in the region to restore infrastructure.  After the devastating earthquakes in Nepal in 2015, the Australian Himalayan Foundation (AHS) focused its efforts to rebuilding schools in the affected Lower Solukhumbu region. The foundation has been providing essential educational and health services in the area for the past one decade. Out of the 281 schools in the Solukhumbu region, 231 were damaged and 48 needed rebuilding after classrooms were completely destroyed by the earthquakes. Therefore, the AHS is working in collaboration with Australian structural Australian structural engineers. Other project sponsors and partners include Taylor Thompson Whitting (TTW) and HASSELL. The project has also been working with the Himalayan Trust NZ and the Himalayan Trust UK to help rebuild schools in the affected region.

Contents of the PMP

The project has pioneered an innovative lightweight steel frame design for education centers and schools. It also incorporates contemporary seismic design principles. Notably, these designs are light enough to be transported but also string enough to withstand the effects of future earthquakes. By and large, the project is an ambitious, long-term commitment to the people of Nepal to help build safer and stronger schools in the region.  

The Project Management Plan therefore provides a framework to align all the stakeholders of the project in attaining its objectives with the intention to promote transparent and accountable decision-making. It also aims at ensuring that LSERR (2015) delivers and meets the expectations and requirements of all involved parties, among them the three donors, communities and implementing partners in the society where the project is being implemented.

Project Management Plan

The typical project cycle starts with the conception of the idea. Afterwards, the idea is conceptualized into a business concept and backed by a rich background of information to attract the interests of potential donors and sponsors. Eventually, it evolves into a developed plan that can be executed and implemented (USQ 2018).  The planning phase is one of the most important and most crucial phases of the project. It is also one of the most difficult tasks in project as it requires intensive data collection, processing, analysis and documentation (USQ 2018). It is worth noting that these steps are critical to the success of the project as it can help build or break the support and confidence of the stakeholders on the project. Mainly, this is because the planning process help provide the essential information to the donors and other stakeholders on the viability and feasibility of the plan. Thus, the planning process is critical. It is after the planning phase that the Project Management Plan is developed.

Various institutions and scholars have tried to define the meaning of PMP and what it actually means. These definitions have been provided in the table below.

Table 1: PMP definitions 

From the various definitions of a PMP, one notes that the document acts as a guide for the project from the first step of implementation up to the last step during completion. For this reason, the PMP needs to be concise, logical and easily comprehensible to help the sponsors and stakeholders understand the entire process.  

Structure Comparison

 For a PMP to be relevant, it must be structures in a manner that is logical and consequential to the intended audience. Even though there is no standard formula and structure that a PMP should follow, there are various indicative structures that have been suggested over time. These forms and structures have been described in Table 3.2 below.

Structure Comparison

Table 2: Theoretical Framework of PMP Structures

Overall the PMP structure of LSERR (2015) is consolidated and divided into relative sections. Referring to the indicative structure provided in USQ (2018) and the PMP guidelines provided by the New South Wales Government (2011), the PMP has implemented most of the main sections under which further headings are listed. What is more, the structure used in the LSERR (2015) PMP is very organized. Therefore, it is relatively easy to navigate through the document just as recommended by the standard guidelines of USQ and NSW Government. It is also worth noting that logical sequencing and organization of the document allows the audience to go through various sections of the document smoothly and effortlessly without the need to go back to the table of contents to locate the required information. In this regard, the technique used by the PMP to consolidate the information in the report into definite sections makes it much easier and simple for the audience to locate any information within the document. Notable, this comes in handy as not every stakeholder is interested in reading the entire documents. Thus, the relative sections allow them to go through only those sections that they are interested in. Consequently, this helps to save on time required to look for information within the document.

In addition, it can be noted that the PMP of LSERR (2015) has incorporated a majority of the components as recommended by the USQ (2018) and NSW Government (2011). Most of the topic headers are consistent with the suggestions provided by the two guidelines. Also, the information required for these sections have been included and incorporated within the various sections of the PMP document. Nevertheless, it is also worth noting that some major parts are missing from the PMP document. According to the USQ (2018), a PMP should include an executive summary at the beginning of the document that covers and informs the reader about the project’s description, deliverables and milestones. However, the PMP of LSERR (2015) has skipped this essential element of the report by failing to include it at the beginning of the document. The inclusion of an executive summary would have been helpful in providing an overview and brief idea as to what the reader should expect from the PMP. Even so, it compensates this lacking by providing a comprehensive introduction section that explains the purpose of the PMP and its objectives.

Aside from the executive summary, the NSW Government (2011) recommends that a good PMP should include a section that describes the objectives and scope of the report. Commendably, the PMP of LSERR (2015) has included a section that clearly highlights the objectives of the document. However, instead of including the cope section at this point, the section was included as part of the introduction at the beginning of the report. The NSW Government also requires the discussion of key issues and aspects of the project at this point. Notably, this section is scarcely discussed in the document. Furthermore, the USQ (2018) requires that a mission statement be included in this section of the report. Unfortunately, in this case, the reader will have to dig deeper into the project in order to find information pertaining to the vision and values of the project since they have not been included in the table of contents.

Regardless, the layout of the PMP for LSERR (2015) is very efficient and effective. Mainly, one can attribute this to the fact that the documents has organized and put the major components under different sections just as recommended by the NSW Government (2011). As a result, it is much easier for the reader to analyze the contents of the document as the details are made easily available. In turn, this makes the structure of the PMP very effective and efficient as the users can easily navigate through the various sections and pages to reach the information that they are looking for. It is also worth pointing that the use of proper numbering and headings throughout the document helps the reader of the document to locate any information within the document very quickly and easily. What is more, most of the information included in the document has been indicated and included in the table of contents.

One important and outstanding feature of the PMP of LSERR (2015) is its flow of structure and information. Specifically, the flow of the document is admirable as the information in the document builds up from the generals one and then to the specific and complex ones. Profoundly, this is very important as it allows the reader to develop an understanding of the background information first before being introduced to the technical aspects of the project. In turn, this ensures that the interests of both the layman stakeholder and the expert ones have been catered for in the document. All factors taken into consideration, the structure and layout adopted in the PMP of LSERR (2015) is effective and follows a majority of the recommendations as regards to structure as provided by the NSW Government (2011) and USQ (2018).

Theoretical framework of PMP contents 

It is imperative to note that the purpose of  a project determines the elements included in its  preparation. According to Stackpole (2011) every projects has unique needs and therefore a standard content discussion cannot be applied across the board. Thus, a good PMP should incorporate all the important components for the project with comprehensive plans on the project implementation and control (Chapman 1997). Today, different literatures have diverse views on what should be contained in the PMP. However, there are various elements that have been categorized as important and essential and, therefore, must be included during the preparation of a PMP. These elements have been highlighted in the table 4.1 below

Table 3 Literature recommendations on the contents of a PMP

From the analysis in the table above, it is apparent that the plan of LSERR (2015) has incorporated a majority of the elements that have been recommended by the best practice. Nonetheless, we are going to analyze the extent to which the information provided is extensive, sufficient and relevant.

Content analysis of LSERR (2015)

Scope planning 

Fundamentally, the scope planning used in the LSERR (2015) is very brief. As a result, it does not follow the recommended steps.  Regardless, the details included in the scope clearly indicates that the organization undertook the three preliminary steps of the scope planning face. That is, the data collection, scope definition and WBS creation and validation. The report clearly indicates that a comprehensive needs assessment was conducted to identify schools, then an identification of schools followed before project activities began.

Schedule plan 

Profoundly, a schedule plan is one of the most fundamental elements of good PMP because it contains information on important activities of the project. Commendably, the PMP has indicated that the project schedule plan would be prepared in the format of a Gantt chart that outlines the sequence of the events and activities of the project throughout its life cycle (Burke 2011).

Cost management plan 

Burke (2011) suggests that the cost management plan is very critical in determining how the project will be completed within the available budget. As such, a good budget helps in strategizing the spending level to ensure it is within the means and funds available for the project (Thomsett 2009). In this respect, the PMP of LESRR provides a brief overview of how the funds will be raised and used throughout the life of the project. However, it does not provide a detailed breakdown of how the available funds will be used and allocate to the various phases of the project.

Quality management plan 

Lester (2013) suggests that quality management is very critical in the process of project management and therefore, it is important for an organization to include it in the PMP. In this regard, the report provides a maintained quality management plan in the appendix section. Mainly, the plan is prepared to ensure that the integrity of design, procurement and delivery of the various aspects of the project are of the highest possible quality.

Risk Management plan 

As recommended in the PMI (2013) handbook, the PMP of LSERR (2015) has identified its risks according to their types. In addition, the plan has conducted a However, it would have been much better if the PMP utilized a SWOT analysis to identify not only the weaknesses and threats but also the strengths and opportunities available to the project.

Procurement Plan 

The procurement plan provided in the PMP of LSERR (2015) is very brief. As a result, it does not include most of the information recommended by Kloppenborg (2015).  Speficially, the PMP failed to follow the steps suggested as regards to considering inputs based on cost analysis, conducting procurements through suppliers and controlling the procurements.

Conclusion

The Lower Solukhumbu Education Rebuild and Recovery Project has incorporated most of the relevant contents in its PMP as recommended by various literatures. It has incorporated fundamental elements such as scope planning, quality management, risk management, and procurement. However, it failed to provide other essential components of the PMP such as human management plan and stakeholder management. Additionally, most of the contents have been provided in brief details. The report also lacks an executive summary, yet it is one of the most important elements of a good PMP. As regards to its structure, the report has used a good layout that is easy for the reader to navigate through the pages and look for the information they need. Overall, the PMP of LSERR (2015) can be considered as an average PMP because it has successfully covered a majority of the components of a good PMP.

There are a few areas where improvements can be made to make the PMP of Lower Solukhumbu Education Rebuild and Recovery Project better. Therefore, the following recommendations can be implemented (Mundaring 2014).

• An inclusion of an executive summary that summarises the contents of the PMP and gives a general overview of the information contained in the document.
• A comprehensive discussion of the process of scope planning and the tools used to achieve the results.
• A detailed human resource management plan that highlights the various personnel involved in the project.

References

Burke, R 2011, Advanced project management – fusion method XYZ: a project methodology systems approach for the project sponsor to implement corporate strategy, Burke Publishing, London, pp. 48-57.

Johnstaff 2015, project management plan for the Lower Solukhumbu Education Rebuild and Recovery Project, 1st edn,

Lester, A 2013, Project management, planning and control: managing engineering, construction and manufacturing projects to PMI, APM and BSI standards, Elsevier Science, Saint Louis.

NSW Government 2011, Project management guideline, NSW Government, Canberra, viewed 25 May 2018, https://www.finance.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/policy-documents/Project%20Management%202011.pdf.

PMI 2013, A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), 5th edn, Project Management Institute, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

Shire of Mundaring 2013, State government decisions on the metropolitan local government review- proposed amalgamation- city of swan with shire of Mundaring, Shire of Mundaring, Western Australia, viewed 25 May 2018, https://www.mundaring.wa.gov.au/AboutCouncil/Council/Minutes%20%20Preceedings/418/Late%20Item%2013.2.1%20-%20Council%20LGAB%20Submission.pdf

Stackpole, C. 2011, Constructing the Project Management Plan, In PMP® Certification All?in?One for Dummies®, Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, pp. 381-400.

US Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation,An introduction to project management, US Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation, USA viewed 25 May 2018, https://www.usbr.gov/excellence/Finals/FinalIntroPM.pdf 

USQ 2018,MGT8022 Project-based management: module 4 materials, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, viewed 25 May 2018, https://usqstudydesk.usq.edu.au/m2/course/view.php?id=11697

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