Module 4

Question 1

Benefits of involving stakeholders

Answer 1

Stakeholders have skills and knowledge that can be leveraged when developing accurate estimates regarding budgets, time requirements, levels of effort, and other resources required for completing the work of the project.

Project stakeholders are often in the best position to identify potential project risks and make plans to mitigate their impact.

New staff and/or partner staff can benefit from improved project orientation when they participate in planning activities. These activities help ensure a common understanding of the outcomes and outputs of the project.

Question 2

Goal of the implementation plan

Answer 2

The goal of the implementation plan is to:

• Ensure that the project arrives on time, on scope, and on budget
• Ensure that the project meets established quality parameters
• Emphasize comprehensive, logical planning
• Model the project for review by the project team and other stakeholders.

Question 3

What are the essential components of an implementation plan?

Answer 3

Schedule Plan - Included in this plan is the scope of work, a time frame for the project, and a budget.

Risk Plan - During planning, further detail is added and the risks are revisited, ensuring that response strategies and owners are in place and still relevant.

MEAL Plan -

Communication and Stakeholder Engagement Plans - the project team will develop plans for the engagement of stakeholders, as well as stakeholder communication, during this phase.

RACI Chart - The RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) is a tool that outlines roles and responsibilities for activities and tasks.

Supply Chain Plan - this plan outlines in detail all the assets, procurement, and logistical components of the project.

Human Resource Plan - the human resource plan expands on who will be required, with what expertise, and when. It includes a plan for managing people during the remainder of the project.

Question 4

5 Steps of Schedule Planning

Answer 4

Activity Definition
Activity Sequencing
Activity Resource Estimating
Activity Duration Estimating
Schedule Development

Question 5

Activity Definition

Answer 5

Comprehensively identifying the activities that need to be performed to produce the project deliverables. This step involves using the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) to define and detail the project and product scope.

Question 6

Activity Sequencing

Answer 6

Identifying the relationships that exist among the various schedule activities. This step involves using the Network Diagram to put all activities in sequence.

Question 7

Activity Resource Estimating

Answer 7

Allocating the type and quantity of resources needed to perform each scheduled activity. Here the team collaboratively develops estimates for all resources including budget, materials/supplies, human resources, vendors, and contractors.

Question 8

Activity Duration Estimating

Answer 8

Estimating the time required to complete project activities. The team determines the amount of time each activity will take, identifies the critical path, and calculates the project duration.

Question 9

Schedule Development

Answer 9

Creating a project schedule based on activities, sequences, durations, resources, and schedule constraints. In this step, the team develops the Gantt Chart based upon the outputs of the previous four steps.

Question 10

Component parts of activity definition

Answer 10

Project Scope - Project scope relates to how the deliverables are created and delivered. Project scope provides a comprehensive and detailed description of the work required to achieve the project deliverables.

Project scope is provider-oriented, meaning it depends upon what the project team decides will be the most appropriate way to deliver the product scope.

Product Scope - Product scope is defined by an unambiguous and comprehensive specification of the products and/or services that are to be delivered. It includes all of the required deliverables of the project, meeting the agreed specification.

Product scope is customer-oriented; its definition must be agreed to by the customer (the funders and users) of the project’s deliverables.

Question 11

Risks of undefined scope

Answer 11

Unclear expectations
Inaccurate estimates
Scope creep

Question 12

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Answer 12

The WBS arranges the project scope in an outline or hierarchy of ‘work packages.’ It provides a hierarchical task list that breaks down the project process into increasingly detailed tasks.

Comes in a graphical, indented format.

Question 13

The number and the quality of project resources are contingent on a number of factors, including (but not limited to) the following:

Answer 13

• Time
• Budget
• Regulations and organizational policies
• Other factors that affect resource availability

Question 14

What is monitoring?

Answer 14

Monitoring is a continuous review of project progress at the activity and outputs levels to identify any necessary corrective action.

Question 15

Why monitor?

Answer 15

Monitor to analyze the current situation, identify issues, find solutions, discover trends and patterns, keep project activities on schedule, measure progress against outputs, and make decisions about human, financial, and material resources.

Project monitoring informs the project manager about where the project performance is in terms of money, time, risk, quality, and other areas of project progress.

Question 16

What is evaluation?

Answer 16

Evaluation is gathering and analyzing information to determine progress toward delivery of activities and outputs, and contributing to achievement of outcomes and goals. Evaluations tend to explore questions like, “Is the project successful at achieving its outcomes?” and “Is the project contributing to its ultimate goal?”

Question 17

Why evaluate?

Answer 17

Evaluate to measure project effectiveness, to determine whether outcomes have been achieved, to learn how well things are being done, and to learn lessons for future improvement.

Question 18

What is accountability in the MEAL context?

Answer 18

Accountability, in the MEAL context, is ensuring that there are mechanisms in place to request and receive feedback from stakeholders during the project, learn from that feedback, and use it as a tool for iterative project planning. Accountability also means that the project team should be as transparent and participatory when possible.

Question 19

What is learning in the MEAL context?

Answer 19

Accountability, in the MEAL context, is ensuring that there are mechanisms in place to request and receive feedback from stakeholders during the project, learn from that feedback, and use it as a tool for iterative project planning. Accountability also means that the project team should be as transparent and participatory when possible.

Question 20

Internal control processes should be designed with these objectives…

Answer 20

• Promoting the effectiveness and efficiency of operations
• Increasing the reliability of project outcomes
• Promoting compliance with applicable laws and regulations
• Protecting organization resources, both physical (e.g., human resources, machinery, and property) and intangible (e.g., reputation, intellectual property)
• Reducing risk of fraud and corruption.

Question 21

Effects of poor internal controls

Answer 21

Poor or excessive internal controls reduce productivity, increase the complexity of systems, increase the time required to complete processes, and add no value to the activities.

Question 22

examples of what can be included in a communications plan include:

Answer 22

• Narrative and financial reports
• Regular meeting schedules
• Press releases and external publications

Question 23

What is a RACI chart?

Answer 23

a matrix typically created with a vertical axis (left-hand column) of tasks or deliverables, and a horizontal axis (top row) of roles. The RACI chart derives its name from an acronym of the four key roles most typically identified in the matrix: responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed.

Question 24

Responsible

Answer 24

A responsible person is one who does the work to achieve the task.

For each task, there is typically one role that is the lead in completing the work, although others can be delegated to assist.

Question 25

Accountable

Answer 25

The accountable person is the one who must approve (sign-off) the work that the responsible person provides. There must be only one accountable person specified for each task or deliverable.

Question 26

Consulted

Answer 26

A consulted person is one whose opinions are sought and with whom there is two-way communication.

Question 27

Informed

Answer 27

The informed are those who are kept up to date on progress, often only on completion of a task or deliverable and with whom there is just one-way communication.

Question 28

Supply Chain Planning

Answer 28

There are three components of the supply chain: procurement, logistics, and assets. All three components of the supply chain need to be planned for in coordination with the schedule, and all the relevant stakeholders should be involved in the process.

Question 29

Human Resources Planning

Answer 29

Planning for human resource needs should be done in coordination with the HR Department and any other relevant internal and/or external stakeholders. This is particularly true if working with implementing partners. Delays in projects often occur as a result of lengthy recruitment times and staff turnover during the project.

Question 30

A comprehensive human resource plan considers the following:

Answer 30

• Who will be required and when?
• Will any technical experts be required?
• Will you be working with contractors and vendors and what role will they play?
• What are the staff development capacities and plan?
• How will team members be evaluated?
• What kind of motivational system is in place? How will staff be rewarded/reprimanded?
• What does the project organizational chart look like?

Question 31

Closure Planning

Answer 31

Comprehensive project plans need to include a project closure plan that describes how a project intends to evolve upon completion of the project.

A closure plan may include several scenarios or contingencies that address risks. The plan may also allocate additional resources in the event that it is not possible to exit entirely.

Question 32

Participatory Principle

Answer 32

The participatory principle is important to the Planning phase. Participatory planning seeks to involve the right stakeholders at the right time, to help make plans more accurate and informed.

Planning involves creating estimates of the time and resources required to complete activities. These estimates should be developed by the people who will be conducting the activities. Involving support teams (human resources, supply chain management, and finance), as well as implementing partners, helps to ensure that the estimates created are as accurate as possible.

Question 33

Benefits of participatory approach to sustainability planning

Answer 33

Make the plans more relevant and accurate

Help identify any gaps that need to be addressed before the project closes

Promote stakeholder buy-in and motivate them to sustain the outcomes, products or services

Build capacity of stakeholders who may be taking over the activity, outcomes, service, product, etc., once the project closes.

Question 34

Integrated Principle

Answer 34

An effective implementation plan puts together all the elements of the project, like pieces of a puzzle, to create a complete picture. For this to work, it’s important that each component is NOT operating in a silo. MEAL, supply chain, human resources, finance, and direct and indirect activities all must be included in the plan.