Course SSP307- Project Cycle Management

Project-cycle management is one of the core skills required for us as a social worker in providing support, care and service to individual, family, or community in difficult circumstances. The module will enable us to learn skills to develop concept notes and project proposal so.

In this module we will develop an understanding of the importance of project cycle management by engaging in literature study and reflecting upon contextual examples of project management. We will critique key aspects of project cycle process upon reading project management examples from literature and doing case studies. The module is participatory, hands-on, and contextual involving learning of project proposal development and project management skills.

BACKSTORY

I haven't Managed any kind of projects till now so I am glad and hopefully hopping that we will be able to learn how the project proposal are develop and done right way in this module.

For me what I understand project management is its a temporary work with a clear beginning and end successfully such as developing a new product or service in community and nation as whole. The way people organizes and manages resources that are necessary to complete a single project successfully is how I feel what project management is.

Reflection on the Principles & Characteristics of Project Management

During Three month Field work practicum we group of seven were placed in very remote place. The village was known as Thuloonggang. Which was located in the middle of jungle.

Since we were given task to do one project and a produce report from the assigned village after being with the villagers for a month we came to know that villagers are suffering from hypertension and was face difficulties in lowering the level of blood pressure. So thinking that something could help them our group had carried out a research project on The Causes of High blood pressure among the villagers. We found it was necessary to do research on the topic and also create awareness on it.

Resources we used for the first round were questioners, books, pen, pencils and went door to door dividing ourselves into different directions, asking some questions on their dietary like ( amount of salt, oil, alcohol and the illness).

There wasn't any involvement of budget since it didn't require to do so we were already in the village and directly able to communicate with people but we had purchased ( markers, chart papers, tape) and all inorder to convey the message we used those tools to illustrate the causes and spread awareness among the villagers .

After collecting data through face survey and interview we are able to recognize the root cause of hypertension. People they had been consuming more meat, oil, salt, and alcohol that cause high level of blood pressure. Although they are trying to keep fit by consuming some jungle medicines that can lower blood pressure they kept on having more salt and meat. So after knowing that we made poster on various disease along with Hypertension like causes, symptoms, treatment and we also advocate them about the COVID too. Since we were frank with everyone in the village we didn't face difficulties while advocating them. Villagers do believe and practice what we shared. And they are very supportive.

After conducting the research project in the village many villagers are benefitted from project. Also I was able to gained new knowledge on how to conduct the project.

If we don't have knowledge of principles and characteristics conducting project we won't be able to complete or end the project well and won't be able to get there result. As a group we did cooperate togather and help each other to make the project achievable, making the project beneficial to the people and complete on time.

Through several self-assessments, discussions, and tutorial scenarios, I have learned the basic requirements to plan and execute a project professionally. In this self-reflection assignment in the halfway mark of the course, I will cover my progress and learning points while mentioning important factors that helped in achieving the required level of knowledge. I will also cover my goals for the rest of the course and strategy to achieve them effectively.

REFLECTIONS

28 February - 6 March

Introduction to Project Management

Teaching mode: voice over power point presentation

We learnt on six different areas from the voice over power point presentation on the

Concept of Project

I understood project as a set of tasks which must be completed in order to arrive at a particular goal or outcome. New word learnt today is project management it is the discipline of planning, executing and completing projects by using methodologies, processes and tools to guide and manage resources.

Features of Project

I thought that project and programs are same but today I learnt that it’s different. Project has a defined objective with an ending time, and it is usually temporary. Once the goal is achieved, the project process will stop. Long-term benefits to the organization, ROI or new capabilities

Key terms in a project

7 different key terms i learnt and going to use in project are;

Project Lifecycle; it us the five phases (project initiation, project planning, project execution, Project monitoring & control, Project closure).

Project Scope; key aspect of the project planning stage (starting point). (set goals and objectives, detail deliverables, create tasks, establish important dates)

Stakeholder; refers to anyone and everyone involved in a project.

Deliverable: specific outcome of a project creates.

Milestone: are predetermined achievements that help track project progress (Checkpoints).

Resources: are anything necessary to complete a project. In a construction project, materials are an essential resource. That said, other resources like time, labor and equipment are just as important.

Dependencies: refer to how resources must be shared and allocated within a project.

Origin of project management

Like in 1984 Chukha Hydro power project completed and in 2007 Tala Hydro power project completed.

Economic & Social development in Bhutan

Inflation rate: 6.03 % (2022)

Unemployment 5% (2020)

General Literacy rate 71.4 % (2017)

Economic growth for FY 2021-22 is projected at 4.1 percent

Examples of projects in Bhutan

Social projects: Constructions of bridges, schools, farm roads & more Women's Participation Project-2014- 2020 (UNDP)

Economic projects: Industrial parks, hydro power project.

UNIT l Reflection

On Introduction to Project Management

Project management is one of the best approach to deliver the product/items within the given cost, schedule and resource constraints. Project management makes sure that the project is completed within the given cost and time providing customer satisfaction.

Throughout this unit, I learned different aspects of project management, and skills that can be used in the everyday life as long as involve interacting with other people. In this class I learned about how to be a better team member. This semester I was reminded of how important communication is and how people need to keep emphasizing it as one of the most important skills any person could possesses. It was useful, I think it gave all of us a good way to start to see how everyone is different. It made easier for each of us to better understand one another in how our unique personalities can be a challenge when working with others. Another aspect that was covered in class was solving conflicts, this is big and it is essential thing I had learnt after completing unit one.

I strongly dislike public speaking, but I am working to improve my skills in that area because I know how much it’s needed in the workplace. There were many of my classmates who are graduating at the same time as me and it seems like we all have a lot to improve. We need more practice and more willing to put what we have learned in the past into practice. I know that during our schooling days, we have heard from different people about what we should do when we are giving a presentation, but it looks like we did not take it seriously and now we are facing the consequences of giving a presentation like a high school student and not as an almost professional. So I want to do more presentations and engaged in group discussion later on to improve my communication and speaking level.

UNIT II reflection

On Project Management Cycle

Project Cycle Management or PCM is an approach that allows us to manage many different projects and improve the quality of our projects over time. PCM uses the idea of a continuous learning cycle and incorporates logical framework analysis to guarantee that the beneficiaries are involved in the project's design.

Project management cycle is essentially the practice of turning ideas into reality. Learning how the pros plan, budget, prioritize, and execute projects that would help us to do the same in our personal and professional life. A goal without a plan can set us up for hours, weeks, or even months of busy work.

In the introduction module of the course project management cycle, I was introduced to the course through basic project management scenarios and videos. It helped to develop my motivation and interest in the course. After introducing project management I understood the level of responsibility and importance of project management. Doing exercise in Google drive developing our own project gave me confidence and pushed me towards making professional decisions to guide and direct the project towards success. This module with exercises improved my decision making power through critical thinking of the situation. It also enhanced my knowledge circle by discussing different constraints.

After discussing and doing many activities both individual and group it improved my skills to utilize the knowledge in developing an effective management plan that can be merged in the business plan for a successful outcome. It highlighted my strengths and weaknesses that will help in proving my skillset in future. The reading material provided to develop a sample project plan also helped in polishing my skills as understanding the basic mission, requirements of stakeholders, and how to control the project outcome. The module enhanced my vision of the project planning phase by understanding its components and implementation.

UNIT lll Project Design Tools

The unit focused on project and its designing tools. It helped me understand what the tools needed to design a project. Project design is an early phase of the project lifecycle where ideas, processes, resources, and deliverables are planned out. So I understood that the project design comes before a project plan as it's a broad overview whereas a project plan includes more detailed information. Project designing, it is necessary in project management, an early process that makes project come to life. It’s known as a starting phase for the project, because without it, we really don’t have the tools or the blueprint to get the project going.

Question to self, why is project design important?

It is important in project management because it takes care of all the little details that really matter to the project as a whole. They establish who is responsible for identifying, describing, completing the project. During this stage, design thinking is an important practice for effective project management down the line in design.

Unit three was a very useful and real time experience on the life of a social worker in near future its surely going to help us in many ways where I learnt a lot of concepts and learnt how to apply these concepts of project management into a real life project. This unit exposed me to how to effectively plan, schedule, communicate and manage multiple aspects of a project, which is a very complex endeavor. This course brought out all of these elements in a very practical, easy to understand and real life manner that made the learning very useful.

UNIT IV: Results Based Management

Generally I learn how project needs Planning, Implementation, Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting. These are very important. After reaching halfway in the module, I have developed skills to create the baseline of the project like how we have to design project and manage it towards the success.

I had learnt that the orienting all action and use of resources towards achieving clearly defined and demonstrable results since RBM increases transparency and accountability, allowing interventions to complement each other and avoid overlap and waste. Under this unit we had been engaged in group discussion, reading, listening, communication and collaboration we are able to develop our wellbeing in cerebral, emotional, spiritual and social skills.

Guest lecture Dr. Kinley, Dean of Research and Industrial Linkages had talked and discuss on the research and projects in the class. We had discussed and shared ideas regarding the project and the programs ideas.

After learning the result based management in future I hope I will be able to control and ensure that clinical data quality is accurate, complete and verifiable in any projects or any work I engaged into. Also realized that enhancing the safety of patients in a clinical trial, ensuring the rights and well-being of human subjects should protect well as a social worker in the future.

How to be mindfulness while selecting or developing the projects, mindfulness to monitor and evaluate the projects or any other activities we had been assigned to.

How to be acceptance, when the project fails we have to be resilient enough to accept the weakness in life and if it goes well we have to make better than before, or improve it further.

UNIT V: Human resource competencies in project management.

Human resource competencies in project management refers to the activities and employees that assist the organization to meet its stated operational objectives by providing a motivated, well trained workforce which understands what it is about.

If i happen to be a manager, i must form the company into an organization that can learn from and respond to fast changing environments. For that i requires continual monitoring of new advances while developing the project. After the completion of this unit I had learnt that an important aspect of success is the proper placement of technological developments within the company. So when considering succession planning, human resource development is an integral strategic process which enables knowledge, skills and behavior.

I felt that after completion of unit five on human resource competencies in project management it helped me to understand my management skills in present. I was interested to learn how to people they start project and earn. I strongly believe that this unit I have learnt will help me in managing a company as a social worker in the future. Learning this information will make it easier to maintain good employees and develop a reputation for being a great employer. I have gain knowledge and skills to organize, analyze, enhance, assess and understand the dynamics of projects now. What I have learned from the course will help me focus on becoming a successful professional in the changing world of business. The courses helped me to build technique in areas of problem solving, communications, decision-making, ethical management, risk taking and appraisal.