Administration and Management Flashcards
Cost-Benefit Analsyis
estimates the total moentary value, costs, and beneftis of a project; typically used for public projects such as highways and other public facilities.
Requires that all costs and benefits be c onverted to a monetary value; social and environmental benefits such as preservation of open space; this conversion is one of the biggest challenges
Costs and benefits must be set for a particular time and for a specified location; must compare the current situation without the project/
If benefits over costs are greater than 1, the monetary benefits of the proejct outweight its monetary costs.
Cost-Effectiveness analysis
a method for selecting among competing projects when resources are limited.
Cost of new strategy - cost of current practice/effect of new strategy-effect of current practice
Net Present Value
Calculates the net monetary value of a project, discounted to today’s present value. If ned present value of project is greater than 0, the monetary benefit of the project outweighs its cost.
Need to know the years of the project’s lifespan, the quantified monetary benefits, the monetary costs, and the interest rate.
An alternative is to calculate an internal rate of return. The project’s net present value is at zero and the interest rate is blank. If the calculation results in a n interest rate that is greater than the available market interest rate, then the project would be financially beneficial.
Project Management Techniques
Goals Achievement Matrix (GAM): a comprehensive way to evaluate a project. It consists of a project evalutaion matrix that includes competing projeccts in rows and evaluation criteria in columns. Eval. Criteria are based on the various stakeholders groups that may be impacted byy the costs or that may receive benefits. Matrix shows the anticipated attainment of a project’s goals and the assignment of accomplishing a goal to a group. END OF COMP PLAN - ACTION PLAN
Gantt Chart: Focuses on the sequence of tasks necessary for a project completion. The length of each taskbar corresponds to the duration of each task. The relationship usually shows dependency, where one task cannot begin until another is completed. Helps think through all tasks; work out who is responsible; how long each task will take; possible problems; ensuring schedule is workable and right people are assigned to each task
Linear Programming: attempts to find the optimum design solution for a project. Takes a set of decision variables, within constraints, and generates an optimum design solution.
Program Evlauation and Review Technique (PERT): scheduling method that graphically illustrates the interrelationships of proejct taks. Good choice when precise time estiamtes are not available for project tasks. Used in conjunction with CPM; analyzing tasks involved for completing project; esp. time needed to complete each task. minimum total time needed to complete project is the goal
The PERT planning process involves the following steps:
* Identify the specific activities and milestones;
* Determine the proper sequence of the activities;
* Construct a network diagram;
* Determine the critical path;
* Update the PERT chart as the project progresses.
Critical Path Method (CPM): a project analysis tool that generates a critical path though the project tasks. Each project task has a known amount of time to complete and cannot be completed before the previous one is completed. The longest pathway is the critical pathway. Complex projects with many interrelated activities;
FPERT and CPM work when a project is of a large-scale.
Effective Management
requires consideration of organizational form, human resources, administrative operations, and strategic planning. Budgeting and finance is also an essential aspect of internal operations.
Strategic Planning
is used to guide an organization in determining its future. Strategic planning sets goals, objectives, and policies for reaching the set of objectives. This allows an organization to imagine its future while also understanding the changes in operations needed to achieve the desired future. A strategic plan is short term, typically five or fewer years, with specific objectives. The strategic plan should address several major questions:
What is the current situation and how is that situation likely to change in the foreseeable future?
Where are we going as an organization?
How will we get there?
There are eight elements to a strategic plan:
Analyze the community or organization’s needs.
Identify results - determine what long-term objectives the city or organization is going to pursue.
Admit uncertainties - analyze the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) relating to the objectives.
Involve strategic stakeholders.
Develop and evaluate alternatives.
Identify the role of the city.
Develop a funding policy.
Evaluate performance.
Strategic planning is helpful in looking at needed organizational changes or a particular issue, but it cannot be used to effectively plan a city as a whole.
results-oriented management
Results Oriented Management and Accountability or “ROMA,” defined as “a sound management practice that incorporates the use of outcomes or results into the administration, management, and operation of community action agencies.” ROMA was launched in 1993, when Congress passed the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) to improve federal program effectiveness and public accountability. The intent was to focus on results, service quality, and customer satisfaction. The ROMA framework has been adopted by a broad range of community service organizations.
Benchmarks, measures, and statistical analysis are used to ensure program quality, effectiveness, and equity.
Benchmarks
performance data used for comparative purposes. A program can use its own data as a baseline benchmark against which to compare future performance, or it can use data from another program as a benchmark.
target measure to gauge how a comm is doing related to a target
Impacts
The direct or indirect effects or consequences of achieving program goals
Outcome indicators
describe observable, measureable characteristics or changes that represent achievement of an outcome.
Inputs
resources a program uses to achieve program objectives.
Measures
can be quantitative or qualitative, objective, or subjective. The particular form of measurement used is depended on the objectives to be measured, the availability of opportunities for measurement, and the cost of the measurement process.
Measures
can be quantitative or qualitative, objective, or subjective. The particular form of measurement used is depended on the objectives to be measured, the availability of opportunities for measurement, and the cost of the measurement process.
Project MGMT
Scope
Schedule
Budget
Local Planning Agency Management
Formalized accreditation programs do not yet exist for planning departments.
Police, public health, parks, public schools have the accreditation program set up
