Project Management and its importance in Developing countries

Project Planning’word is made by two words ‘Project’ and ‘Planning’ so it is good to define these two words differently before defining the project planning for better understanding. Project is a one-shot, time limited, goal oriented, major undertaking, requiring the commitment of varied skill and resources in a temporary organization (Project Management Institutions of USA). Project generally originates from plans. They serve as the building blocks for development planning. Most foreign aid is project based. Project is temporary organizations established to achieve specific goals. Planning is predetermining future. It is looking ahead. It is the process of setting goals and choosing actions to achieve the set/specified goals. In planning, we decide in advance what work need to do, how, when to do it and who is to do it. It provides goals and targets, which serve as standards to measure and control the performance. It helps to set the future course of action and ways in implementing it allocating ad mobilizing the available resources in good/sustainable manner. We can understand planning more clearly from the statement made by some writer as below: “Planning, in general, can be described as the function of selecting the enterprise objectives and establishing the policies, procedure, and programs necessary for achieving them’- Harold Kerzner. “Planning, refers to what is to be done, how it is to be done and who is to do it” _ S. Chaudhary Therefore, Planning is a statement of estimation of sequencing and scheduling the work, which is made in present to accomplish the objectives in the future Now, we have got some idea about defining project planning. in brief we can say project planning is future work plan of project. The planning phase of the project is concerned with the development of the project for investment these involved task are 1. Feasibility Study-weather the Project is implementable or not. 2. Appraisal-it is done after the feasibility study to evaluate the project ability to succeed. 3. Design-detailing implementation plan, work plans, making design-specifying specification etc. Thus, project planning is concerned with looking ahead at the future work plan of a project. It is deciding in advance about 1. What activities need to be done in the project? 2. How those activities will be done, when and deciding who will do it. Project planning is defining project objectives, determining and evaluating alternatives course of action, and selecting action plans to achieve project objectives. It is estimating, sequencing and scheduling of project work and allocation of resources in a co-ordinate with effective manner. It is planning the project work in a logical and structural manner, which provides the standard in measuring the performance. David I. Cleland defines that project planning is the process of thinking through and making explicit the project’s objectives, goals and strategies necessary to bring the project through its life cycle to successful termination. Effective project planning can be formulated from the right and accurate information these are:1. The statement of work- detail description of work which is needed to perform by project 2. Project Specification: Statement of procedures quality standard, organization policies and procedures of technical contents. 3. Milestone Schedule: determined formal reporting report of progress, project start and end dates. 4. WBS (Work Break Down Structure): Breakdown of work into smaller forms in a sequential manner, which are necessary and integrable. Developing countries are characterized by low level of economic and human development these indicators and low per-capita income shows their underdevelopment. Developing countries including Nepal are highly affected by red-tapism, delaying in decision making, low performance and accountability, mal coordination between politicians and bureaucrats, imbalance development, poor need identification of poor and marginalized community, corruption, low quality service, inefficiency at work, lack of monitoring and evaluation, lack of skilled/professional manpower, institutional incapability. Week transport and communication facilities, poor data base, poor management, week financial resources etc these can be listed more than mentioned here which are blocking our nations to achieve expected direction of development. Above situation gives an image in our mind about the needs and importance of project Planning in scenario of developing countries because of these factors, project planning could be more relevant and functional in developing nations. It provides: 1. Easy to manage. 2. Easy to measure the results 3. Easy to see the efficiencies of capital. 1. Reduce risk and uncertainty: in project to a minimum. Developing countries including Nepal’s environment is full of risk. Project planning is flexible to reduce risk and complexity. 2. Allocate resources and mobilize: in a coordinated manner available locally, nationally either received by international Aid agencies and mobilize the resources for balance growth and development of nation in a sustainable manner. 3. Helps to establish performance standard: that helps to measure progress (monitoring), monitor resources, usage and assess the viability of project. 4. Provide work structure: for its execution that means WBS will provide the sequences and schedule of work, which will help to perform works on priority basis and on time. 5. Establish process and procedures: which helps in controlling project work. 6. Complete Project; achieve result on time, to the cost and desired quality. 7. The more complexity of the project the more we need project planning 8. Assist in national plan: today the implementation of Nepal’s development plan depends heavily on project planning/ management. The project management model is widely used to implement projects in public, private and NGOs sector. 9. Bureaucratic model failed in managing development change in developing countries thus project planning is needed to cope with the changes. 10. Project planning involves the target parties the project that will promote community participation and finally build the ownership of project. Without ownership realization not a single project will sustained. 11. Similarly it also helps in intuitional development, and human resource development. References:1. Kerzner, Harold (1987) Project Management, CBS publishers & distributors, New Delhi, India. 2. Little and Mirrlees (1974), Project Appraisal and Planning for Developing countires, New York. 3. Choudhary, s. (1998); Project Management, New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill.