Project managers as great change agents (3)

Here in Nigeria, ginormous amounts of money have been spent on projects that were neither controlled nor monitored. It is unconscionable and scandalous but that is the situation we find ourselves as a nation.

Closing

The closing process consists of those tasks and activities required to conclude the project work, phases or contractual obligations across all the process groups like initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling. Much unlike an operational process, a project by definition has a definite time period during which it must start and end, as stated earlier in this paper. A crucial activity that takes place during this process is the identification and documentation of lessons learned. This is more so because of the usefulness of the document to new projects that are going to be undertaken in future. Other tasks include confirming that all project requirements have been met and completed and obtaining a legal sign-off and final acceptance, organisational process assets update, make final payments, releasing project resources, conducting review meetings, and perhaps rejoicing that the project was successfully completed.

Change management

While project management is primarily about managing programmes and projects and bringing about change, it is not exactly the same as change management, but project managers easily can operate and usually fit into the dual roles. Change management is basically about managing people, hearing them out and trying to have them change set ways in the way they approach their work. Although project management offers very little insight into how to mobilise and motivate people into changing their mindset, a project manager spends about 90 percent of his or her time communicating with the project team and other stakeholders. Project management does not deal with the people risks of the change process with the way change management does. Sometimes it is these people-oriented skills that are important in ensuring the effective implementation of a project and not just the actual deliverables.

Change management helps both senior and middle-level manpower and other stakeholders in an organisation to see the real need for change, deal with the resistance to change, outline plans that guarantee that workers acquire basic and necessary abilities and enthusiasm to meet the new demands the change brings and also to understand the project vision. It is vital for project managers to develop these skills and also to build a dedicated change management function that works closely with the project management function. Planning for the people side of change goes a long way to ease unexpected problems down the road while concentrating on the change assessment, technical, logistical and financial plans needed for the change.

Project managers’ role

All of the above processes and activities that have resulted in creating value and change cannot be achieved without good project managers. They are change drivers and catalysts during the process. Proficient project managers are usually extremely effective business change champions. When changes are proposed and eventually effected, project managers are at the epicentre of the operations and the organisation’s change agenda, performing both project and change management functions. This dramatically increases their personal value. Government departments, businesses and organisations benefit immensely, as they can build the know-how of their own employees thereby creating a higher level of employee commitment to change, and can implement change more successfully.

Epilogue

The mantra of the present administration is change. This is commendable. Insanity sets in when you do the same thing over and over again and you expect a different result. That has been the position Nigeria has found itself over the years. Now change has come and we need to change the ways and manner things are done. It’s time to change direction. The project/programme management practice by nature encourages transparency, accountability (when and where does the buck stop?), discipline, good governance, integrity, capacity building, logical reasoning and continuous process improvement.
Project management is all about strong and purposeful leadership and stakeholder involvement and satisfaction. It is also about taking

charge, assuming responsibility and making sure things are done in the proper way and manner. Studies worldwide have shown that project management delivers the kind of headship, guidance and lucidity of thought needed to help in the proper and efficient management of funds, people and other resources required in achieving the planned objectives of businesses (big, medium or small) and the developmental goals of the government.

Project management is about engaging, solving problems and delivering intended results through an organized, well thought-out methodology. Businesses and MDAs that have a rooted project management mindset possess competitive advantages as far as their operations are concerned. This is why leading corporations and government MDAs worldwide use the concepts of programme and project management to manage, execute, monitor and control every facet of their operations, strategic and other developmental initiatives.

So far the National Orientation Agency has been missing in action. The agency has to take the lead especially in the area of change management. The general public needs to be properly and adequately sensitised as to what is expected of them to bring about the much-needed change.