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This paper was presented to the International
Project Management Association (IPMA),
in 2000 in London, UK, by authors Bob Youker and Ronald Ng, both retired from the
World Bank.
Published here February 2005.
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Robert (Bob) Youker, Retired World Bank, is an independent
trainer and consultant with more than 35 years experience in project management. At
the Bank, he developed and presented training courses for the managers of major projects
in many different countries. He is currently consulting with the Economic Development
Institute of the World Bank developing a CD ROM version of an instructor's resource
kit for project management training. E-mail: bobyouker@worldnet.att.net |
IntroductionThe World Bank and other financial institutions make thousands of loans every year
for many different types of projects in developing countries. All of these projects
should use project management techniques for effective and efficient implementation,
but many do not. Figure 1 is a list of common project management
problems found on international development projects.
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Lack of a shared perception and agreement on the objectives of a project by staff
and stakeholders
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Lack of commitment to the project by the team, management, and stakeholders
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Lack of detailed, realistic and current project plans (for the schedule, budget,
procurement, resources, and so forth)
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Lack of strong project leadership
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Unclear lines of authority and responsibility
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Lack of adequate resources (personnel, equipment and supplies)
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Organization not committed to, or structured for, project management
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Poor feedback and control processes so that problems can't be detected early
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Poor or no analysis of major risk factors
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Delays caused by bureaucratic administrative systems
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Delays in approvals
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Slow decisions in personnel administration
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Delays in procurement and import of goods
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Delays in release of funds (especially local funds)
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Delays in land acquisition
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Figure 1: Project Implementation Problems[1]One of the key problems is the failure to prepare and maintain detailed project
plans and schedules. This paper describes the components of a Project Management Information
System (PMIS) designed and implemented for a World Bank financed education project
in a small island based developing country. The system was based on the MS Access
Data Base software and was used for planning, control and reporting purposes.
1. From World
Bank Ex-post Evaluation Reports
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