Analysis of the Monitoring and Evaluation (M & E) Techniques

In this section, the Analysis of the monitoring and evaluation (M & E) techniques will be conducted by the custom woodwork company’s project. The possible cause of failure for the company will also be determined. The section will also give an analysis of Project Control and Management techniques. For this section, the efficient and most applicable methodology for custom woodworking company is the prince2 project methodology which is discussed below.

PRINCE2 PROJECT METHODOLOGY

The adaptability of prince2 project methodology to all types of projects regardless of neither the marketplace nor the industry makes it very successful. Implementation of this methodology requires the provision of adequate training to the member of staff. It entails the establishment of the best practices of project management into the working culture as well as achievement of the organizational goals via improvement in project governance.

Prince 2 is used to determine the personnel who should work on the project. It has many processes, and it explains the type of information that should be gathered. Through the methodology, the roles and the responsibility of staff working in the project are defined.

The company should start with accredited training. The rationale behind starting with training is that the method has many processes and it is a complex system Training equips everyone with the relevant knowledge required for the management of a project. They also obtain an understanding of the terminologies used during the implementation of the method.

THE POSSIBLE CAUSE OF FAILURE FOR THE COMPANY

The principles of the prince2 project methodology sound logical in a training environment. However, application of the method is problematic in many organizations. In some instances, the users of the method put more effort in trying to understand how the method enhances a project fully. As a result, there may be fervent adherence to unnecessary details as well as levels of formality. There could also be the usage of inappropriate shortcuts in projects. As a result, the integrity of the method can be undermined. The management and control of the risks provided by the method can also be undermined. For instance, due to lack of training, the staff of custom woodworking company failed to meet their customer’s delivery dates. As a result, their clients opted to place their orders elsewhere which could have contributed greatly to the project’s failure.

Apart from training, mentoring/coaching is necessary for effective implementation of the method (Andler, 2016). Mentoring/coaching is aimed at ensuring that there is embedment of the concepts PRINCE2 learned during training to ensure that there is a full transference of skills learned in the workplace.

Monitoring and evaluation are essential as it helps the company in deciding which programs to monitor, who to involve, clarifying the company’s aims and objectives among others (White, 2016). Monitoring is the analysis of information collected about a program or project. It is undertaken while the project is ongoing. Evaluation is the retrospective, periodic assessment of an organization, program or project. It is conducted either internally or externally.

ANALYSIS OF THE MONITORING AND EVALUATION (M & E) TECHNIQUES

The first step in M & E entails identification of the aims/objectives of the organization as well as the benefits to be accrued upon completion of the project. In this step, guiding principles are developed with the aim of ensuring that the process timely, credible, relevant, and useful. Information used in this step must be the focused attainment of the aims/objectives of the organization. Conducting monitoring and evaluation aids in assessing any changes made and also providing vital intelligence (White, 2016). For instance, it can help in evaluating and demonstrating the organizations effectiveness in the achievement of the set goals. It can also help in improving decision making and learning about project design, implementation, and operation (Andler, 2016).

The next step entails prioritization of the programs or projects to be monitored and evaluated. It is important to prioritize and decide the projects or programs to be controlled. The reason behind this is that resources are limited hence all programs cannot be monitored at the same time. Lack of prioritization leads to failure. For instance, in the project concept of the custom woodworking company, it was agreed at the meeting that additional production capacity would be added equivalent to 25% of the existing floor area. In making this decision, the management failed to prioritize on the specific fields where the resources should be directed to and instead decided to do the renovation uniformly. This could have been one of the reasons behind the downfall of the project.

The third step should be deciding the persons to be involved in the different stages of M&E process. The key internal and external stakeholders should be identified in this step in an aim of ensuring that the process of M & E is relevant to them. The decision on how to involve them in implementation, design, analysis, and communication of findings should also be done at this stage. The management of the woodworking company failed to involve all the stakeholders during the implementation of the project. As a result, there was lack of involvement, corporation, and participation which caused the ineffectiveness of the project. For instance, with the aim of showing his administrative abilities, Moneysworth decided not to involve the production people claiming that they were always too busy and that would only delay progress. He failed to understand they needed to be part and parcel of all the proceedings of the company for there to be progress.

The next step should entail identification of the questions and issues that need to be monitored or evaluated. These include the requires resources, the organizational capacity, leadership, cost-effectiveness, sustainability among others.

Once the issues and questions to be monitored are identified, their relevance, acceptability, and effectiveness should be identified. Their impact on the organization’s productivity, the environment, and the surrounding community should be assessed. The management should also be well prepared for the implementation of the project (Andler, 2016). The analysis of the project’s impact on the woodworking company was not effectively done. There is evidence from the case study that Moneysworth nor Leadbetter had prepared any meaningful planning for completion such as owner’s inspection and acceptance of the building, or testing, dry-running and production start-up of the production train. This is a sign of lack of preparedness which may be a possible cause of the project’s failure.

Clarification of the organization’s activities, objectives, and pathways to change should be made. The clarification should be done to assess achievements and the progress made in the process. The final and desired impacts on environment, people’s lives and the general performance of the organization should be assessed. The required changes towards the achievement of the organization’s goals must be determined. In the custom woodworking company, the pathways to change as well as the desired change was not prioritized and this would have contributed to the failure of the project. For instance, the management failed to relocate the company for expansion in 1989. Although it is said that the company had enough room for expansion at that time, space was not enough for future development.

Analysis of Project Control and Management techniques

Written procedures and documentation should be availed in the Project’s control and Management Process. The framework and structure for managing and planning should also be availed in written documentation. The documents should be used from the beginning of the project to the end. The implementation process should include the functions of planning, organizing, budgeting, evaluating, authorizing, and monitoring.

The various existing production resources should be availed in the Management Information System. The most important element in the production process are the people (staff, employees, clients among others). The process of project management is valueless without the involvement of the relevant stakeholders. In this regard, the project should and must be implemented and developed by knowledgeable, realistic, dedicated and experienced management professionals (Andler, 2016). From this perspective, lack of involvement in the custom woodwork company, as discussed earlier, must have led to the failure of the project.

REFERENCES

Andler, K. (2016). Implementing PRINCE2 Project Management Methodology. Retrieved from https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/implementing-prince2-project-management-methodology.php

White, C. (2016, November 30). Error. Retrieved from http://www.geog.ox.ac.uk/research/technologies/projects/mesc/guide-to-monitoring-and-evaluation-v1-march2014