Table of Contents
What is Project Implementation?
- Project implementation is the segment wherein visions and plans come to be a reality.
- This is the logical conclusion, after evaluating, deciding, visioning, planning, applying for finances, and finding the monetary resources of a challenge.
- The implementation degree of the project cycle is in many approaches the most critical, as it’s miles in the course of this stage that planned advantages are delivered.
- All different stages within the cycle are therefore essentially supportive of this implementation stage.
- A task has to be implemented successfully while the allocation of undertaking obligations to the assignment team in the organization.
Why/Purpose of Project Implementation:
- To put the action plan into operation
- To deliver the results, achieve the purpose(s) and contribute effectively to the overall objective of the project;
- To manage the available resources efficiently; and
- To monitor and report on progress.
Things We Must Do During Project Implementation:
- Update the stakeholder analysis to ensure that all the needful stakeholders (primary and secondary) are invited
- Reassess the risks to the project.
- Monitor and review the progress that the project is making towards achieving its objectives.
- Feed the learning from monitoring and reviewing returned into the project design.
- Returned to the log frame and make adjustments or upgrades in which appropriate.
Project Implementation Plan:
- An implementation plan for a project refers to a detailed description of actions that demonstrate a way to enforce an activity in the project inside the context of achieving project objectives, addressing requirements, and meeting expectations.
- The motive of the project implementation plan is to provide stakeholders with the self-belief that accomplishment of a modern-day challenge has been properly considered and to list the tasks, activities, and processes worried in producing deliverable.
Steps for Project Implementation:
The project implementation plan includes the following steps:
- Creating the list of outcome required
- Allocate the champion for each outcome
- Determine what action need to be taken for outcomes to be achieved
- Establish roles, budgets, and accountability
- Set up a tracking sheet to monitor progress
- Follow a project management methodology
- Schedule and undertake a review in six months
a) Creating the list of outcome required
- First of all, a project implementation plan must ensure what we want to achieve by the end of the project.
- To decide the actions and the priorities of tasks, we need to list the outcomes that we want to reap via this implementation exercise.
b) Allocate the champion for each outcome
- We need to allocate a champion to head everyone, a champion who could be encouraged to attain the outcome and hold the entire undertaking team responsible for accomplishing it.
- Look for those contributors of a team who have a vested interest in attaining these final results, or who’re passionate and devoted to a successful implementation.
- Share those roles around the team (give chance to every team member) so that the responsibility is not limited to a single person.
c) Determine what actions are needed to achieve the outcomes
- In this phase of the implementation plan, we need to write down all the actions that will help the team to successfully achieve the outcomes. For this, we can discuss ‘what are the steps needed to do to reap this outcome?’
- Make sure that these actions are doable, feasible and relevant as per your available resources and goals
Questions to ask in this phase include:
- Who do we need to talk to?
- What needs to be decided?
- What resources are needed?
- What milestones need to be set to know we’re on track?
- When do we need to check on the progress of those milestones?
- What potential setbacks do we need to plan for?
- Do any tasks need to be done before taking this action?
d) Establish roles, budgets, and accountability:
- Once we’ve got the listing of actions that will make certain of the entirety of implementation activities, we need to decide the jobs and obligations of the implementation team.
- We may also want to define:
- When do we want each action to be carried out?
- What is the budget is required?
- Who is accountable and responsible for it (each action)?
e) Set up a tracking sheet to monitor progress
- A tracking sheet will provide you with a quick at-a-glance replacement of where implementation plan is and what moves are complete, in development, or late.
- This allows us to quickly address any issues to get the project back on track.
We recommend imposing a traffic mild manner via your tracking sheet for ease of use:
- Green color– movements completed
- Yellow color– actions in development
- Red color – running late or the task is at risk
f) Follow a project management methodology
- A project management method is a series of various governance controls, shape, and processes which are designed to help you manage your activities, time, and sources more efficaciously and handle problems proactively once they arise.
- While there are many existing project management methodologies you could implement, different mission control methodologies, combining the right amount of documentation, communication, governance, and control, is one of the highly used methods to complete projects on time and budget whilst creating effective outcomes even in challenging environments.
g) Schedule and undertake a review in six months
- Every time you enforce a project in your organization, it must be regularly reviewed.
- Through the evaluation process, it’s critical to take a look at what labored and what didn’t to identify areas for improvement.
- It is also important to take a look at the setbacks you encountered along the way and how they may have potentially been avoided or reduced to take this understanding into your subsequent set of implementation activities.
- This review will also help you to plan the activities better next time.
Phases of Project Implementation:
Project Implementation involves the following phases:
- Project activation phase, and
- Project operation phase
1. Project activation phase
- This is the phase where arrangements are made for the project implementation i.e making arrangements to start the project.
- Project activation phase involves the coordination and allocation of resources to make the project operational.
2. Project operation phase:
- From the name itself, this phase is the implementation phase of the project.
- It is the practical management phase of a project.
- Here, project inputs are transformed into outputs to achieve immediate objectives.
Approaches to Project Implementation:
a) Top-down Approach
- Implementation mainly is done by agencies from outside the community with limited involvement by the beneficiaries.
b) Bottom-up Approach
- Beneficiaries implement the project.
- Outside agencies may provide financial resources and technical assistance.
c) Collaborative Participatory Approach
- Both top-down and bottom-up approaches to project implementation are applied in the process.
Factors Affecting Project Implementation:
a) Factors that lead to the success of projects
- Political commitment
- Simplicity of design
- Careful preparation
- Good management
- Involvement of beneficiaries/community
b) Factors and problems that lead to the failure of projects
- Financial problems
- Management problems
- Technical problems
- Political problems
c) Other typical implementation problems
- Poor scheduling of projects leading to delays in implementation.
- Mis-allocation of funds
- Delay and sometimes lack of counterpart funding
- Lack of accountability and transparency
- Bureaucracy in decision-making.
- Selfishness/nepotism/favoritism by some project managers.
Methods to Track/Plan Project Implementation:
a) GANTT chart:
- GANTT chart is also known as the development chart.
- It is a simple chart showing the timing allocated for each project activity.
- It displays the frequency and period for implementation.
Ways to construct a Gantt chart:
- List the activities that to be executed/implemented
- Determine the associated activities that can be carried out at the same time and identify those to be carried out sequentially
- Estimate the quantity of time required for each activity
- Keep the time represented on the horizontal axis, and activities on the vertical axis.
- Highlight or color-code the time required for each activity
b) Critical Path Method or Network analysis
- This approach is an algorithm for scheduling and planning project works.
- This is regularly used alongside the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT).
- This approach involves detecting the longest path (sequence of duties) from the start to the end of a project and defining the critical responsibilities.
- Critical are tasks that impact the cut-off dates of the entire project and require closer attention and thorough control.
- Critical Path approach is used for complex projects where delivery terms and deadlines are vital, in such regions as construction, defense, software development, and others.
c) Project Evaluation and Review Techniques (PERT)
- Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) is one in every of the broadly used approaches in diverse areas.
- It involves complicated and specific planning and visual tracking of labor effects on PERT charts.
- Its core element is the evaluation of tasks performed within the project.
- Originally, this approach was developed by using the USA Navy for the duration of the Cold War to boom the performance of labor on new technologies.
- This method suits exceptionally for large and long-time period initiatives with non-ordinary obligations and tough requirements.
d) Simple formats
References and For More Information:
https://onlinepmcourses.com/project-implementation-your-guide/
https://www.angelo.edu/services/project_management/Project_Implementation.php
https://www.project-management-knowhow.com/project_implementation.html
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/project-implementation-eight-steps-to-success/
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/project-implementation-eight-steps-to-success/
https://www.brighthubpm.com/resource-management/62531-what-are-the-steps-of-project-implementation/
https://www.insightautomation.cc/articles/8-steps-to-successfull-project-implementation
http://www.123projectmanagement.com/project-management/7-steps-to-success/
https://www.broadpoint.net/broadpoint-blog/5-key-factors-to-implementation-project-success-part-1
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2486820?seq=1
https://journals.indexcopernicus.com/search/article?articleId=2151932
Author of the article:
This article is written by Mr. Nigam Koirala. Mr. Koirala is a Public Health Graduate from a reputed university of India. He holds more than five years of experience in public health sector and is currently working as a Assistant Professor in Nepal.
