Project and Project Management:

A project is temporary in that it has a defined beginning and end in time, and therefore
defined scope and resources. And a project is unique in that it is not a routine operation, but a
specific set of operations designed to accomplish a singular goal. So a project team often
includes people who dont usually work together sometimes from different organizations and
across multiple geographies.
The development of software for an improved business process, the construction of a building
or bridge, the relief effort after a natural disaster, the expansion of sales into a new
geographic market all are projects. And all must be expertly managed to deliver the on-time,
on-budget results, learning and integration that organizations need.
Project management, then, is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to
project activities to meet the project requirements. The Project management is the application
of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project
requirements. Project management is accomplished through the appropriate application and
integration of the 47 logically grouped project management processes, which are categorized
into five Process Groups. These five Process Groups are:
Initiating,
Planning,
Executing,
Monitoring and Controlling, and
Closing.
Project management knowledge draws on ten areas:
Integration

Scope

Time

Cost

Quality

Procurement

Human resources

Communications

Risk management

Stakeholder management

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Background of the Project:

A Projects Background is a formal document containing a common description of what is
expected to be done within the project, what prerequisites for the project are, and how to
produce the expected amount of work. The document is to be created prior to the
implementation process to make a foundation for further goal setting and implementation.
Primary focus (what is to be addressed by the project)
A list of prerequisites and key reasons for launch
A very common description of how to perform the project
A plain explanation of the desired outcome
Designing a background document for a project is usually a duty of the project manager. This
person considers the information to create a comprehensive background. Along with the
document the manager needs to develop a description specifying more information about the
project, as compared to the background document.
Example:
Bangladesh one of the poorest and most densely populated countries in the world, is beset by
floods, tidal storms, famine and disease. The arsenic hazard in Bangladesh villagers now
appeared as a real disaster', affecting thousands physically, physiologically, mentally and
economically; it is intensifying malnutrition, poverty and destitution among the already poor
villagers. The fresh and clean water crisis is increasing day by day in our country. Not just
drinking water, water for daily use was created with a global problem. The main problem is
the low availability of water. To consider all the aspects, we are going to reduce the
availability of safe drinking water. For the scarcity of pure drinking water, the people of
southern part of Bangladesh lead unbearable livelihood. Khulna, Bagerhat and Sathkhira
district are in the midst of a mass poisoning in history, dangerous level of arsenic have been
found in ground water, entering thousands of people sip by sip as they drink from arsenic
contaminated water. New York Times magazines published an article on the arsenic problem
in Bangladesh and it said if our country would the United States, they would call out the
National Guard and get everyone bottled water. Arsenic in drinking water poses the highest
cancer risk ever found and we could be talking about hundreds of thousands of deaths. This is
really a medical emergency for Bangladesh.
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Project Area:
Project planners are effectively navigators. They plan what needs to be done and schedule it
into a time frame. Planners identify which activities are critical to successful delivery, and
which can afford to slip. They track the project to keep it to time and budget.
Project planners working for the client project team work out the feasibility of design options
and the delivery of design. Working for a contractor, project planners analyse the build
sequence and organise workforce and materials. Aspects of cost/risk management and project
planning can be encompassed within project controls. Several planners/project controllers
may be required on a project.
Working Area:
Mollarhat Upazilla in Bagerhat District of Khulna
Dimension

178.88 square km

Population

1,30,878

Total Family

28,498

Village

102

Deep Tube well

123

Shallow Tube well

94

Number of River

Number of Primary School

59

Upazila Health Complex

Upazila health and family welfare center

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Project Activities:
First Three months: Data Collection, Data entry and Documentation
Next Six months: Field Work
Rest Three months: Observation and Report Finalization
Total working Period: 1 year

Vision of a Project:
A Project vision is a dream or a picture to be achieved ultimately. It is created by consensus.
Forms mental image of future to which people can align. Project vision describes something
possible, not necessarily predictable. It provides direction and focus, pulls people, who hold
it, towards it.

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Vision statement:
A vision statement describes what you want to achieve in the future.
The vision statement answers the question Where do I want to be?
It defines the optimal desired future statethe mental pictureof what you want to achieve
over time, say in five, ten or more years.
It inspires you to give your best and shapes your understanding of why you are doing what
you do.
Example:
To ensure safe water for all of the projected area with tube well water testing and mitigation
of arsenic from drinking water by using Sono arsenic filter and various modern
technologies.

Mission of a Project:
Mission is a statement of project. A mission is a very big, long-term end-result or
achievement. There may be objectives, goals, strategies, executions and tactics all used to
achieve the mission, but the mission is the biggest and most important thing to be
accomplished.
Mission statement:
A mission statement describes what you want now and how you will achieve your long term
aspiration.
A mission statement does not define a long term future state but is more concerned with the
present state. It answers the questions of: What do I do?, How do I do it?, and Who do I
do it for?, What makes me different, and What is the benefit?
It talks about the present leading to the future, and how you will get to where you want to be.
Example:
The project mission is to ensure safe drinking water for all, arsenic mitigation with modern
technologies and growing up awareness with seminar and campaign.

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Goals:
The project goal is results to be achieved. It describes ideal states to be achieved at some
unidentified future time. Defined consistent with and related directly to vision and mission.
Guide everyday decisions and actions. Do not necessarily deal with measurable results.
Example:
Awareness through environmental education will not only create sustainable development
and protect health but will also lead to successful arsenic mitigation projects;
The only way to ensure safe water is definite steps in the project that safeguard quality of
water;
Dug wells water pumps with special emphasizes to obtain water bacteria and arsenic free for
the people
New place of tube wells. If tube well near water pond is arsenic free or low arsenic, aquifer
on channel sand etc. advise to shift other tube wells to this site;
Introducing the people with modern technology of purification of water and they applied it
from themselves;
The rain water will be preserved as safe drinking water with rain reservoir plant;

Objectives:
Objectives are concrete statements describing what the project is trying to achieve. The
objective should be written at a lower level, so that it can be evaluated at the conclusion of a
project to see whether it was achieved or not. Goal statements are designed to be vague.
Objectives should not be vague. A well-worded objective will be Specific, Measurable,
Attainable/Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound (SMART).
Objectives should refer to the deliverables of the project. In this case, it refers to the upgrade
of the telephone system. If you cannot determine what deliverables are being created to
achieve the objective, then the objective may be written at too high a level. On the other
hand, if an objective describes the characteristics of the deliverables, they are written at too
low a level. If they describe the features and functions, they are requirements, not objectives.

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Example:
communication in order to raise awareness of arsenic contamination and its effects
blanket testing of tube-wells
identification of patients with arsenic poisoning (arsenicosis)
providing assistance to obtain safe water supplies.
Introducing inexpensive sand filter using local clay pot, sand (and charcoal, if water is
contaminated with pesticides, etc.). Innovating clay potters to introduce optimal water
containers and sand filters and importantly protecting dug wells from surface and
surrounding geological formation.
Create the pond water as a safe drinking water and using the method of Sono Arsenic
Filter to provide arsenic free water;
Build up Rainwater reservoir and ensure its proper uses.
The whole program will build up within 1 year.

Strategy:
Project strategy is a direction in a project that contributes to success of the project in its
environment. Strategy is how to achieve an objective, goal (or even a mission). It is a
thoughtfully constructed plan or method or action that will be employed to achieve the result.
We often talk about people who are good strategists. These are people who excel at devising
schemes and plans and courses of action to achieve the desired result.
The long term aim is for the project to be carried out through NGOs, with close
involvement of the DPHE. The planning unit for the project is the upazila, and
implementation involves the following elements:
Communication to raise awareness, using a varied, multimedia campaign that reaches
people through a variety of channels, such as rural doctors, imams (religious prayer
leaders) and teachers.
Blanket screening of all tube-wells in the upazila using field test kits, with the results
backed up by laboratory tests.
Identification by trained doctors of people suffering from arsenicosis, using house-tohouse searches or community health-camps.

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 Provision of alternative water supplies in communities where more than 60 per cent of
the wells are affected by arsenic.
Strengthening and expanding national laboratory facilities in order to establish a
national system for monitoring water quality.
Researching low-cost, effective treatment options for surface water and groundwater
as well as improved methods for measuring arsenic in the field.

Project Implementation:
Project implementation (or project execution) is the phase where visions and plans become
reality. This is the logical conclusion, after evaluating, deciding, visioning, planning,
applying for funds and finding the financial resources of a project.
Implementation simply means carrying out the activities described in your work plan.
Executing a project in the water and sanitation sector is a very complex mission, as it requires
the coordination of a wide range of activities, the overseeing of a team, the management of
budget, the communication to the public, among other issues. Independent of whether it is a
social project to raise the awareness and promote hygiene or it is a construction project for
service delivery, there is a certain process that has to be followed. The following lines will
give you an introduction into the implementation of projects in sustainable sanitation and
water management, and highlights key aspects that have to be taken into account for a
successful implementation.
Elements of planning in a project:
1. Aim:
Any organization should have definite aim. The aim should be clearly defined so that it can
guide and direct the activities of the enterprise. The main aim of a cooperative organization is
to do service and to improve the economic conditions of members. Calvert's definition of
cooperation clearly exhibits this aim.
2. Objectives:

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Webster's Dictionary defines objectives as "that towards which effort is directed or end of
action or goal". Hence objectives or goals may be described as the ends towards which the
group activities are aimed.
People say "Effective management is management by objectives". A cooperative organization
can have sub-objectives for each department or sections and they can be united to have board
based objective.
3. Policies:
A policy is a verbal, written or implied basic guide that provides direction to a manager for
action. Policies guide the actions of an organization's performance and its objectives in the
various areas of operation.
4. Procedures:
Procedures spell out the actions to be taken out in practice to achieve the organizations
objectives as stated in the policies. Procedures may be static or changed often. Organizations
have set procedures for procuring raw materials, recruitment of personnel etc.
5. Methods:
Methods are work plans, since they provide the manner and order, keeping the objectives,
time and facilities available. Methods involve only one department and one person. They
contribute to the efficiency in working and help work planning and control. Methods are used
in manufacturing, marketing and office work.
6. Rules:
Rules are different from procedures and policies. A rule requires a specific and definite action
be taken or not taken with respect to a situation. Rules do not allow any discretion in their
application. Also they do not allow any leniency to come in the way of their application.
7. Budget: Budget is essentially a plan expressed in quantitative terms. Budgets involve both
planning and control element. Like the plan, budget is flexible, realistic and operates within a
framework. A budget is differentiated from other plans in the following respects:-

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a. It is a tool for planning and control.

b. A budget covers specific period.
c. Budget is expressed in financial terms.
8. Programs:
Programs show the way and lay down procedure for activities to take place within a time
limit for accomplishing, the stated objectives. The constituents of a program are objectives,
policies, procedures, rules, methods and resources to be made use for obtaining the
objectives. Programs enable the management to anticipate and prepare them ahead to meet
future eventualities.
9. Strategies:
Koontz and O'Donnell consider this as an important planning element. "Strategy concerns the
direction in which human and physical resources will be deployed and applied in order to
maximize the chance of achieving a selected objective in the face of difficulties".
In corporate planning strategy serves as a master plan which the company adopts for the
realization of the objectives. It provides skill and judgment to the management to predict and
foresee what difficult and complex situations are likely to arise and they can take timely
action to avert them or at least to minimize the risk and uncertainty.

Project Formats:
Project concept paper (PCP)
The purpose of a concept paper, from the sponsors point of view is to determine if the
proposed project fits with the sponsors goals and has a chance for success. The applicants
purpose in developing a concept paper is to capture the interest of the funding agency and
demonstrate that the idea she is proposing is worthy of further consideration.
Concept papers should be clear and concise. Keep to fewer than five pages--three pages if
possible. Obviously, use a font large enough not to strain the eyes and avoid the use of
industry-specific jargon if submitting to a sponsor who may not be dedicated to your field.
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 Introduction
Purpose
Project Description
Goals and Objectives/Research Questions
Methodology and Timelines
Benefits/Anticipated Outcomes
Support Needed & Costs
Contact Information
Project cycle management (PCM):
PCM or Project Cycle Management is an approach to manage multiple projects or programs
and to improve the quality of projects by learning from one project and applying the lessons
in the following ones. The approach was introduced by the World Bank in the 1980, and
spread throughout the development world in the 90s, when it was picked up by the European
Commission. Following an evaluation on Aid Efficiency, the EC introduced PCM as its main
approach to manage and evaluate development project proposals.
Since then, other donor agencies and NGOs picked it up, although not always voluntarily.
The fact that donor agencies actively pushed PCM and models and tools related to PCM led
to resistance and often gave this approach a bad rep. One of the main tools of PCM, apart
from the overall cycle, is the logical framework. With its emphasis on participation from both
partners and beneficiaries, PCM incorporated the logical framework approach (LFA) and
added two main elements:
The link between the long term policies or the strategic framework of the organization
and their execution in the form of projects (or programs)
Learning from experiences: PCM puts a heavy emphasis on monitoring and
evaluation. The main idea behind the cycle is that the quality of projects gradually
improves as lessons are passed on from one project to the next.
Also, within a single project there is flexibility and learning, as continuous monitoring allows
the people who manage the project to adapt the activities and planning to the (changing)
situation in the field. At least, that is the theory.

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Example:
Timeline:

Data Collection
Project staff
selection

Research Cell
orientation

Project inception
meeting

Start Survey Work

Training on
documentation
and report Writing

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Data Entry
Provide Project
Progress report

Identify and key

Problems about
Arsenic

Identify the Situation of Arsenic

Affected People and their
present source of water

Regular monitoring with the Project activities

Provide leadership training to the youth researcher

Networks build up
Upazilla
TNO

Agriculture
Officer

District
Comissionar

Health
Officer

Teacher

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Project Action

Build up
Deep Tube
Wells
Purify the
Pond Water

Build up the
Sono Arsenic
Filter

water
purification
tablets

Rainwater
reservoir
Free
Arsenic
Checkup

Seminar and Discussion

Discussion and
Presentation about
Arsenic

Guideline about
Purification of
Water

Motivated with free

T shart, Cap and
Awarness Books

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Problem Analysis:
Problem tree analysis is best carried out in a small focus group of about six to eight people
using flip chart paper or an overhead transparency. It is important that factors can be added as
the conversation progresses. The first step is to discuss and agree the problem or issue to be
analyzed. Do not worry if it seems like a broad topic because the problem tree will help break
it down. The problem or issue is written in the center of the flip chart and becomes the 'trunk'
of the tree. This becomes the 'focal problem'. The wording does not need to be exact as the
roots and branches will further define it, but it should describe an actual issue that everyone
feels passionately about.
Example:
In the project the risks to successful implementations are:
Limited time period.
Limited budget scope.
Lack of proper administrative facilities.
Lack of digital instruments.
Unavailability of perfect resource person.
Some bias problem in research activities.
The Recalcitrant of nature.

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