Successful transport decision-making - Osmose

Vol 1 - Table of Contents Next Tips for successful project
(i) Manage the process
Once the main project is underway, successful achievement
of project objectives at each stage, within the agreed budgets,
is dependent on careful management of the project decisionmaking
process. This requires a regular and on-going
assessment of the activities that have been accomplished
against the agreed project plan and topic specific plans.
Where any discrepancies are identified, it is important to act
quickly to deal with the problem, in an appropriate manner.
This may involve diverting resources temporarily from one
activity to another, or rescheduling the timing and sequence of
activities. Depending on the nature and extent of the problem,
procedures should have been agreed to determine whether
the necessary actions can be taken or authorised internally by
the project management team, or require external
authorisation.
(iii) Overcome barriers
Barriers can - and are likely to - arise at any point during the
course of project implementation, either due to changes in
external conditions (e.g. local election), or due to difficulties
encountered during the execution of the project. Some can be
anticipated, while others cannot.
Effective project management can deal with such problems in
a number of ways. First, by having procedures in place to
quickly identify problems; second, by having developed a
number of contingency plans; and, third, by having in place
flexible and adaptable procedures that can respond quickly to
changed circumstances.
In some cases to respond to certain barriers fast access is
needed to senior decision-makers (e.g. local politicians)
outside the project team.
(D) RUNNING THE PROJECT
(ii) Monitor input, process and
outcomes
Monitoring of resource inputs, project outputs and the process
of project management is crucial to efficient and effective
management, since up-to-date information is needed, both to
identify problems and establish the appropriate response.
Here a wide variety of data is needed, covering various types
of resource use and interim outputs, to be compared against
the project plan. This data will be drawn from a wide range of
sources, both internal and external to the project team.
At later stages of the project, monitoring is also an important
input to determine whether the overall goals of the project
have been achieved, in terms of final project outputs and
intended outcomes.
(iv) Carry out project assessment
This task is more focused on outcomes than processes, and
is concerned with identifying whether project outputs and
expected outcomes have been achieved, by referring back to
the project’s objectives.
It relies on the collection of appropriate monitoring data.
Identifying project impacts and establishing causation can be
problematic, and requires a well designed data collection
strategy (e.g. before and after studies, use of control areas)
and data analysis.
Various techniques are available to assist with project
assessment, and in some cases governments may require the
use of a particular form of technique (e.g. cost benefit
analysis). Stakeholder input should form an important part of
the project assessment process, rather than it being treated
simply as a technical exercise.
management
1. A project needs to have both project output and
project outcome objectives.
2. Clearly define project tasks and responsibilities.
3. Use a simple defined project process (or framework),
with a staged approach.
4. Re-evaluate the operational and technical viability of
the project throughout all stages.
5. Incorporate and understand the current and future
needs of key stakeholders.
6. Build excellence in project management techniques
across the organisation.
7. Use multi-skilled project teams.
8. Secure dedicated resources for each stage of the
project.
9. Place a high importance on the early stages of
project planning.
10. Always consider potential risks and devise a
contingency plan.
11. Use a ‘project champion’ to act as the figure head
and public face of your project.
12. Be aware of the difference between the
management and engagement process and its
intended transport outcome.
13. Use measureable criteria (e.g. indicators) to help
establish the success of the project.
14. Monitor and evaluate, so that lessons learnt can be
used for future projects.
15. Be aware that, on a day-to-day basis, some project
processes operate on an informal basis; this can be a
great strength.
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