Project Management in Barnardos Fundraising - Case Study Example

Business Report: Project Management in Barnardo’s Fundraising Name Institution Professor Course Date Executive Summary Successful raising of funds calls for a focused, strategic effort entailing careful project planning and coordination. Fundraising events are a trendy form of raising funds to support charity organisations. Barnardo’s charity supports fundraising events aimed at helping vulnerable youths and children. However, while fundraising events are great money makers for such firms, they can be expensive and time consuming if not will planned and managed. Approaching a fundraising event with a focused mindset facilitates the success of the event. The topic of project management is essential in such events as it offers scores of techniques to help team members in setting and managing the initiative from the start to the end. Drawing from the proposed Barnardo’s fundraising event and extensive research, this report determines and assesses every step involved in professional project management. The report identifies key elements of the fundraising event that include project initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control and closure. The report highlights the importance of addressing each of these stages and concludes that a project team should have concise and solid fundraising plan that helps in reaching the target sponsors and customers. Strong leadership, timelines and communications are paramount. Existing risks, constraints and assumptions should be effectively analyzed for completeness of the proposed project. Table of Content 1.0 Introduction Charities are considered non-profit organisations, independent from government, directed by volunteers and committed to improving the welfare of others. They are regulated to follow strict financial and legal procedures, which may augment bureaucracy and regulation, but which permits augmented transparency, trust and high operational standards. Charities focus on philanthropic goals with activities generally directed towards the common good or public interest with apparent perceived benefits for humanity. The Barnardo’s offers children’s services that help children in poverty and support young carers. It is a charity organisation that cares for vulnerable young people and children. Barnardo’s provides a detailed range of counselling, adoption, education, local support, training and residential services for scores of children and their families. The organisation functions to change the lives of vulnerable young people and children with its objectives being to enable these people realise their full potential (Barnardo’s 2015). To meet its objectives, Barnardo’s raises funds through different activities. Our group was tasked with identifying a fund raising opportunity to generate money for the Barnardo’s charity. Our goal was to raise least £500 in three days through homemade food in a project dubbed as Eat and Help with the aim of developing project management skills and teamwork. This project called for effective teamwork, leadership and management, and project management. The focus of this report is on project management. Project management is relevant in this business context because it offers scores of techniques that helps team members in setting and managing the fundraising event from the start to the end. According to Cavusgil, Rammal and Freeman (2011), one way that scores of non-profit organisations use to source funds is through establishing and launching non-profit business initiatives. From the thrift shops that assist in underwriting a local soup kitchen to mail-order gift catalog that supports public radio programming, non-profit business initiatives are enormous and essential in fundraising. Although these endeavours provide a bright future for charity organisations that successfully launch and manage them, they pose a great risk. Regularly, such business initiatives are hampered by the actuality that managers of these projects hold little skill or experience in ordinary business management and no skills in the project management areas that are essential in kicking off a successful fundraising project. Although project management is not a language that is spoken in most non-profit organisations, non-profit business initiatives can benefit from application of project management techniques and tools. Fundraising events for charity organisations can be fun and call for hard work and are sometimes risky. However, effective project management skills take people via every factor of successful project planning and implementation. Project management focuses on developing new techniques for running projects effectively within the agreed period and budget while still maintaining quality 2.0 Barnardo’s Charity and the Need For the Fundraising Event Children as young as ten years are at risk of sexual exploitation. One out of twenty children in the United Kingdom has been sexually abused and most of the abused children remain tight-lipped about their predicament. Children also experience neglect from their parents where one out of fourteen children have been emotionally abused by their parents. These children need help and protection. Barnardo’s identified over 21,300 children as needing protection and help. One in every five children has been exposed to domestic violence while one in every five teenagers has been physically abused by their girlfriends or boyfriends. Over 100, 000 children live in homes with high-risk domestic abuse. Based on a research carried out by Barnardo’s, 3.5 million children in the United Kingdom are living in poverty with 1.6 million of these children living in severe poverty (Barnardo’s 2015). To support and protect the welfare of these children and their families, a lot of money is needed. The funds can be attained through fundraising activities aimed at securing the future of the children. .3.0 Project Management A project is a group of actions made to offer a distinctive service, result or product. A project is usually temporary because it includes a defined starting and ending. Rolstadas (2008) asserts that a project consists of a number of activities and for every activity, there must be accountability. The implementation of project activities calls for resources which may be in the form of equipment, materials and personnel. More so, there may be limitations linked to the implementation of the project such as cost and time limits. These activities and limitations call for efficient project management. Project management, on the other hand, refers to knowledge, techniques and skills application to implement projects efficiently and effectively. Project management involves planning, systematizing, securing and controlling assets to ensure successful completion of laid down project objectives and goals. Management is a crucial function in a project since it smoothes the progress of a project’s objectives and goals. According to Bradford (2014), selection of a project manager is critical to the failure or success of an initiative. This is because the project manager is responsible for managing daily operations of the project and the project team. Identification of success of a given project focuses on the efficient utilisation of resources aimed at attaining project objectives through a combination of techniques, functions, contacts and disciplines with respect to the approved budgets and plans. Project management guarantees effective utilization of resources through application, of good planning, scheduling, estimating, evaluation, material control and cost engineering Establishing project control programs helps in controlling and managing conflicts that arises from choices, constraints, restrained resources, personalities, contracts, turf battles and regulations. There are two schools of project management where one centres on techniques and efforts of planning and control and the other school focuses on project organisation and human relations. Both the schools of project management are necessary and essential in the management of projects. Effective project management ensures that the project plans, decisions and work efforts are aligned with, and directed towards attainment of the project goals. The application of concept of SMART objectives is essential in preparing the objectives of the project. Project objectives must hold specific instead of broad statements of what need to be accomplished (Richman 2011). All the project stakeholders must hold akin understanding of the objectives. As regard, measurable objectives, project objectives require to be measured to understand when they have been achieved. The measurements can be numerical and binary in nature and can be linked to time values, volume or monetary value (Richman 2011). 3.1 Project Management Processes According to Burford (2012), project managers shoulder the roles of optimizing and orchestrating the utilization of financial and human resources, work environment and systems in projects. Projects fail when project managers centre on one area and ignore the other. Project also fails if managers do not follow correct project management processes. Effective project management calls for project managers to follow a blueprint that entails a well-detailed project management plan, tools and techniques, project organization, performance evaluation, control and measurement. Given that human resources forms a critical function of project management, project managers holds the aptitude to organise, inspire, lead and harness collective and personal skills and knowledge of the human resources (Pinheiro 20l0), Project management procedures falls under five processes, which include initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing (See Figure 1). Figure 1: Project Management Outline Source: Pinheiro, A.B. (20l0, p.3). 3.1.1 Project Initiation Our initiative entailed making food items that would be taken for a cost. The amount to be realised from the project would to be used to help vulnerable youths and children. According to Lee (2010), the initiation process entails authorising the project. During this process, the team determined the scope and the temperament of the project. This process calls for careful analysis of the project requirements and the environment under which the project had to run. The initiation stage includes a careful analysis of the project needs in measurable goals, assessment of the current operations of the charity organisation, financial assessment of the benefits and costs involved in the project. The initiation phase also entailed an analysis of the stakeholders in the project and project charter that included tasks, costs, schedules and deliverables. During the initiation process, the team established the scope, range and purpose of the fundraising event. This entailed selecting venues and dates where we settled on the school as the project venue. Our decision to conduct the project at the school was influenced by the fact that we targeted students, teachers, school staff and friends. Given that the team involved seven people, the project objectives had to be agreeable. Reasonable consensus amid team members was paramount where all the key stakeholders had an agreement or buy-in with the stated objectives. The project objectives had to be realistic in the sense that they included a rational foundation and a reasonable prospect for success. Being realistic implies that the objectives of the project should not aim for unreasonable work effort and unpractical time constraints that cannot be accomplished with the desired project. Our project objectives reflected time-based conditions in which were to be completed or otherwise attained. The main objective of our project was to raise a maximum amount of money through upholding quality. We aimed at raising over 400 pounds within three days. The secondary objectives of our project included to establish skills like communication, marketing, presentation and communication besides competing with other teams and promoting the image of Barnardo’s charity. Our project objectives were succinct and precise. According to Hill (2009), it is good to have fewer objectives than more objectives. Three to five objectives for a project are manageable and they are easily aligned and utilised to guide all the subsequent project management activities besides project planning. In this regard, having viable project objectives is crucial to the overall success of the project. Following the establishment of our project objectives, we developed the project scope statement. The project scope statement provided a description of the temperament and extent of the work effort that needed to be performed to attain the objectives of the project. Our scope statement entailed making food items that aimed at raising money to help the most vulnerable youths and children in need, enhance their lives, and promote teamwork among learners through provision of quality cuisines. We focused on making Biriyani (Chicken) and Noodles. The project targeted students at the main campus, teachers, school staff and friends. The target customers were required to enjoy our food items for a cost directed at helping the vulnerable children and youths. 3.1.2 Project Planning Planning process entails refining and defining the objectives of the process and selecting the best of the alternative courses of action to achieve the project’s objectives. The main aim of planning is to establish cost, resources and time sufficiently in order to estimate the needed work. Project planning also helps in promoting productive risk management during the execution of the project. Failure to plan a project effectively lowers the chances of the project to attain its objectives. Our project-planning phase involved several activities that included development of the scope statement, selection of the planning team, identification of deliverables, and the breakdown of activities needed to complete the project deliverables. Planning also involved an estimation of the needed resources such as chicken, eggs and vegetables, estimating the cost and time for activities, development of budget, risk planning and obtaining approval to start the work. We needed approval from the school and Barnardo’s charity. The planning process also involved communication planning, identification of responsibilities and roles and determination of what to buy for the project (See Figure 2). Our project team membership included seven people where every team member had an important role to play. The roles and responsibilities include the team coordinator, implementer, plant, resource investigator, shaper, completer and team worker. The team coordinator organised all the project activities and team members while the implementer was tasked with the making the food items we needed for the project. The team plant helped in identification of risks while the resources investigator explored the needs of our target consumers, cost of items and presentation of resources. The team shaper was involved in preparing the student event pack and changing strategies when require while the completer prepared the foods in the required time. The team worker generated ideas and actively participated in the project. Figure 2: Project Planning Process Source: Allen, McLees, Richardson & Waterford (2015, p.4) Project planning entails the utilization of schedules to plan and report project progress (Pinheiro, 20l0). The determining factors of project success lies on the effort, skills and care applied in the first phase of a project. The rising dynamics and complexities of fundraising activities trigger massive managerial challenges for guiding; coordinating and controlling project teamwork management. A critical path method manages a project efficiently. While considering a project as series of activities that helps with execution and scheduling, it is necessary to put the activities in order, to attain positive results. Our project activities involved the use of time, labour and money resources. After construction of project network, the project team outlined the project schedule. The major approaches to project scheduling in our project included Critical Path Analysis method. The critical path model acted as a foundation for schedule preparation and resource planning. This model helped in monitoring the attainment of the project goals as well as identification of areas that needed remedial activities needed to ensure the success of the project. The critical path analysis triggered the development and testing of the project plan. CPA facilitated identification of tasks, which needed to be finished on time to ensure timely project completion. It also helped the team to identify which activities needed to be delayed for areas that needed reallocation of resources. Through the CPA we identified the minimum time required to finish a project. Scheduling project processes through critical path method is crucial because projects get completed on time and profitably. While project schedule functions as a baseline for measuring project progress, it is hard to utilise it to initiate suitable corrective activities for recovering overruns and delays. Critical path method has a crucial role in assessment of the last as-built schedule to identify the role of different parties to any delay experienced in the course of the project. It is in the planning phase that we put attractive marketing strategies to entice customers into buying our food products. We used internet marketing, social media platforms, leaflets and posters to create awareness of our product to the target customers. We set a three-day program to create publicity of our project and reach all the students besides bringing variations in food. Poor planning, failure to employ critical path analysis method and lack of updated project plans affect the performance and results of a project. In this regard, effective planning and scheduling of our project facilitated the success of our project. 3.1.3 Project Execution In this stage, the project team develops the physical project deliverables, which in our case included the Noodles and Biriyani, and present them to the target customers. This stage is the longest phase in the life cycle of a project and takes most resources, time and energy. For easier control and monitoring of the project during this phase, we would have needed to implement an array of management procedures. These processes would have helped in the management of cost, time, risks, quality and issues as well as management of procurement, communications and customer acceptance (See Appendix 1). The third phase would involve appropriate allocation of roles and resources, coordination besides management of material resources and human resources. Key to our project would have been time management and quality management. Our product entailed making food products that needed to consumed the same day, precisely during lunch hour. We would have used timesheets to control the amount of time we would need to develop the project deliverables. The team members would have entered expenses and time against the project and submit the entries for billing, approval and reporting. As regard quality management, we planned to focus more on customer satisfaction and ensure that adequate training is put in place before the execution of the project. The team members would have been trained on how to make delicious food products and using the acceptable level of food items and appropriate ingredients. We would have needed to ensure that we had the right equipments for the project and document every process taken. We planned to use continuous improvement that would have ensured that our project is improved to attain the acceptable level of quality. At the project execution stage, we planned to identify, assess and respond to risk factors in the course of the project. For team members with skin issues we needed to ensure that we have enough equipment such as tongs and cutleries to handle food instead of using hands. We also planned to check our gas appliances to ensure that everything was in order to avoid fatal injuries during the project. Team members would have needed to familiarise themselves with the electrical appliances to prevent emergencies linked to the use of electrical power. We planned to train team members on how to clean, assemble and operate the machineries used in the project. We would have identified any probable problems in a timely manner and take corrective actions. We would have needed to measure and observe the performance of the project on regular basis to determine inconsistencies with the project plan. The team members would have also needed to ensure regular reporting of progress, risks and issues to ensure that the anticipated results would be valid and attainable. 3.1.4 Project Monitoring and Controlling Project monitoring and control ensures that the project objectives are attained. This would have been attained through measuring and monitoring progress regularly to determine variances from plan to ensure corrective actions. The project coordinator would have needed to monitor and control the project to ensure attainment of the project goals. 3.1.5 Project closure Project closure entails formalising project acceptance and ending it. Although many projects do not have an apparent end-point, ours would have had a closing point because it would have culminated with the sale of the prepared food products to our target customers. We would have archived the project files and recorded the lessons learnt. This would have been followed by project evaluation where the project coordinator would review the project and document bad and good points to ensure successes and avoid failure in the future projects.. The evaluator systematically would have considered all the elements of failure and success in the project to understand their future planning. The evaluation processes entails confirming the real value of a given project (Castro-Lacouture & Gonzalez-Joaqui, 2009). Our project team would have conducted a decisive assessment of factual results or achievement of the project with reference to the set objectives, resources and strategy commitments and underlying assumptions. The coordinator would have evaluated the validity and relevance of project design and objectives, adequacy and efficiency of the project progress and project effectiveness. 4.0 Conclusion and Recommendations A project is much easier to manage well in theory than in practice. Managing projects is intricate with the diversity of organisational elements or group elements that must be put into consideration together with the diverse mix of people who make up project teams. The secret to successful project management entails finding and keeping competent project managers. Project managers must be capable and confident individuals with the potential to dedicate themselves to delivering a quality product. We selected a competent project coordinator who understood when and how to share responsibility with the project team members. The project leader knew the appropriate tools to utilise in the planning and control of the project. To ensure good project performance, the project team worked collaboratively; and both physical and human resources managed effectively. The project coordinator should ensure that all the project processes were followed strictly. Existing risks, constraints and assumptions must be effectively analyzed for completeness and upgraded as required. To promote fundraising projects for charity organisations for students, a clear communication strategy must be implemented. The school could promote fundraising events through verbal and written communication. The written communication should include posters, leaflets and banners. The information transmitted through these mediums should identify the background of the project, the overall objectives of the project, communications objectives, target audience, key messages, budget, risk and issues, and timeline and implementation of the project. Powerful communication would help in the creating awareness of the project. The message should be targeted, consistent and clear. 5.0 References List Allen, M, McLees, J, Richardson, C & Waterford, D 2015, ‘ Project planning and best practices’, Journal of IT and Economic Development, vol.6, no, 1, pp.1-15. Barnardo’s 2015. Barnardo’s. Retrieved from https://www.barnardos.org.uk/ Bradford, M 2014, Modern ERP: Select, Implement, and Use Today's Advanced Business Systems, UK.Lulu.Com. Burford, L 2012, Project Management for Flat Organizations: Cost Effective Steps to Achieving Successful Results, USA, Ross Publishing. Castro-Lacouture, D., & Gonzalez-Joaqui 2009, ‘Construction project scheduling with time, cost, and material restrictions using fuzzy mathematical models and critical path method’, Journal of Construction & management, 135(10), 1096-1104. Cavusgil, S, Rammal, H & Freeman, S 2011, International business, Australia, Pearson Higher Education. Hill, G 2009, The complete project management methodology and toolkit, UK, CRC Press. Lee, W 2004, Pmp project management: A graphical study guide, USA, Trafford Publishing. Pinheiro, A.B 20l0, ‘How do managers control technology-intensive work?’, Journal of Technology Management & Innovation, 5(2), 1-12. Richman, L 2011, Successful project management, Third Edition, UK, AMACOM Div American Mgnt Assn. Rolstadas, A 2008, Applied project management, UK, Tapir Academic Press. Appendices Appendix 1: Project Execution Read More