Scheduling and risk Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA) Iceland United Nations University Fisheries Training Programme (UNU-FTP) Iceland Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DFAR) Sri Lanka Project Cycle Management A short training course in project cycle management for subdivisions of MFAR in Sri Lanka MFAR, ICEIDA and UNU-FTP

Content Activity scheduling Resource scheduling Risk and risk management matrix

Learning objectives After this lecture participants will be able to prepare schedules and a risk management matrix based on the logframe matrix

Activity scheduling After the logframe matrix has been formulated and reviewed there are still number of questions that must be answered, such as: –Who is going to be responsible for specific activities? –Who is going to undertake the activities? –How long time will specific activities take, when will they start and when should they be finished? –What kind of expertise is needed, if any? –How much will it cost? –Who is going to pay if funding comes from more than one partner?

Activity scheduling There are several ways to schedule activities, allocate budget and monitor performance This lecture follows the guidelines of the European Commission on project cycle management

Activity schedule An activity schedule is a format for analyzing and graphically presenting project activities It helps identifying: –Their logical sequence –Expected duration –Any dependencies that exist between activities –A basis for allocating management responsibilities

With the activity schedule prepared, further specification of resources and scheduling can be undertaken Both activity and resource schedules have to be drafted during the feasibility study Without this information, feasibility of the project cannot be adequately assessed, particularly in terms of cost-benefit analysis Activity schedule

Activity schedule should be clearly linked to the delivery of project results: –As specified in the logframe –As specified in the resource schedule –As specified in the budget Activity schedule

Logframe Scheduling Indicative activity schedule Detailed activity schedule Resource schedule

Indicative activity schedule Is prepared during the formulating stage Is prepared in the form of a Gantt chart The format is adapted to fit the expected duration of a project and to the level of details that is useful and practical to provide It shows the preliminary estimates that will subsequently be revised during implementation in the light of actual implementation performance

An example of an indicative activity schedule Indicative activity schedule

Detailed activity schedule The main activities identified through the logframe analysis are a summary of what the project must do in order to deliver project results Therefore they can be used as the basis for preparation of the activity schedule which helps specify the likely phasing and duration of key activities

A checklist for preparing an activity schedule 1. List main activities from logframe 3.Clarify sequence & dependencies 4. Estimate Start-up, duration & completion of activities 5. Summarize scheduling of main activities 2. Brake down main activities into manageable tasks 6. Define milestones 7. Define expertise required 8. Allocate tasks among team

Shows the breakdown of the required project resources/means linked to activities and results, and scheduled over time The resource schedule provides the basis on which budget and cash flow requirements can be established Resource schedule

An example of a resource schedule

Risk Risk is the probability that an event or action may adversely affect the achievement of project objectives or activities Risks are composed of factors internal and external to the project, although focus is generally given to those factors outside project management’s direct control

Risk management The achievement of project objectives is always subject to risk It is therefore important to monitor this “external” environment to identify whether or not the assumptions that have already been made are likely to hold true –What new risks may be emerging? –What actions need to be taken to manage or mitigate these risks where possible?

Risk management matrix

References European Commission (2004). Project Cycle Management Guidelines. Downloaded 1 st March from: ual_2004_en.pdf