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Rural Entrepreneurship Leveraging Advanced training for Young farmers
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Project Management Objectives and Goals
 At the end of this module you will be able to: · identify appropriate agribusiness for formulation;
· design feasible and viable projects/business;
· propose innovative projects in agricolture filed;
· schedule project activities, (sequentially), for effective implementation;
· use project resources effectively and efficiently.
Seeking a definition of PM
Project management is the application of processes, methods, skills, knowledge and experience to achieve specific project objectives according to the project acceptance criteria within agreed parameters. Project management has final deliverables that are constrained to a finite timescale and budget. A key factor that distinguishes project management from just “management” is that it has this final deliverable and a finite timespan, unlike management which is an ongoing process. Source: Association for Project Management; APM Body of Knowledge, 7th edition What is a project?
• A project is temporary; in that it has a defined beginning and end in time, and therefore defined scope and resources.
• And a project is unique; in that it is not a routine operation, but a specific set of operations designed to accomplish a singular goal.
Source: Project Management Institute Defining elements of PM
Intertwined variables: a change in one variable will inevitably affect the others
• Time (start, sequence of activities, end)
• Results (quality and quantity)
• Resources (human, material, financial, time…)
• Management approach
• Team
• Stakeholders
PM as an approach
• Why should we bother with Project Management in general?
• Why is it relevant in Agriculture?
• Caution! Project Management is not an exact science
Some advantages of PM as an approach (1)
• Clear definition of responsibilities
• Better use of resources
• Improved communication
• Achievement of foreseen objectives
• Improvement of internal processes
Some advantages of PM as an approach (2) • PM is a methodology and a “menthality” to introduce discipline in the management of complex and interrelated activities
• PM provides a logical framework to work better and implement activities in an ever-changing environment
The Project Manager
The definition “project manager” is often not associated with any official title within an organisation. Regardless of internal definitions and/or official titles, the project manager is that person responsible for the implementation – and completion! – of the project. An important note is that “responsibility” requires also “authority”: one important feature of a Project Manager refers to Leadership and the ability of managing the project team.
The Project Manager…by role The project manager is the person responsible for achieving the stated objectives and is the one ultimately responsible for the overall monitoring of project activities. A crucial element for the project manager is to define clearly what are the expected results and overall objective of the project, which allows to pinpoint the so called “project requirements”. The project manager is the person responsible to ensuring that activities are carried out and results achieved within the constraints – or borders – of the project management triangle (resources, time, results). The PM lifecycle
 1.START
• Identify of a specific need or opportunity
• Develop a project as the answer to need or opportunity
• Define overall objective
• Identify needed resources (by type)
• Organise work
• Draft the Statement Of Work + establish consensus
2. PLANNING
• Plan in detail
• Identify all the needed resources (quantification)
• Define operational requirements
• Forecast realistically all costs, timing, sequencing, quality and quantity, etc
• Anticipate possible risks
3. EXECUTING
• Update planning
• Mobilise and manage resources
• Launch the project
• Respond promptly to operational aspects of implementation
4. CONTROLLING
• Access of users to project results
• Manage changes
• (Re-plan: second round of planning if needed)
• Anticipate, identify and resolve conflict resolution / risk management
• Guarantee constant operational control
5. CLOSING
• Close the project
• Transfer resources to other activities/projects
• Carry out the final evaluation
• Extrapolate “lessons learned”
PM For Farmers Agriculture and PM
Agriculture plays a vital role in economic growth of the country, one of the evergreen field. To sustain the agricultural growth and to save the life of farmers in post-Covid era, it is critical to have a well-equipped project management and skilled project managers. Key questions
Before start with a new project it is important to clarify the context of the project by answering the following type of questions (Problem analysis): • How can agricultural production be improved?
• How can farm incomes be stabilised?
• How can added value be generated?
• Who are the major stakeholders and beneficiaries?
• Who will benefit from the project and who will loose out?
Project Manager in Agriculture
Today for agriculture field project managers need more attention, depth skill of tracking, innovation as well as integrity. We know that agriculture and food are the world’s most important industries. End customers /clients always seeking safety and quality of the products that also in every stages of developments. A project manager can assist for this with farmers and local village bodies. PM for Farmers
Agricultural business need to put in place a system for effective planning and implementation. For the achievement of poverty reduction strategies, all new projects for agricultural and rural development require identification and planning skills. These projects require the requisite skills for effective implementation to ensure project sustainability. Step for Project Management for farmers:
· prepare a feasibility study;
· identify appropriate agribusiness for formulation;
· design feasible and viable projects/business;
· schedule project activities, (sequentially), for effective implementation;
· use project resources effectively and efficiently; and
· write appropriate business plan reports;
· write a Sustainability monitoring and evaluation plan.
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Keywords
Project lifecycle, good practices for risk management, Monitoring and Quality Assurance, Impact evaluation
Objectives/goalsAfter reading this Module you will learn about:
• project management definition;
• the project and its elements;
• the benefits of project management for agriculture;
The main objective of this course is to increase and enhance learners’ understanding of the concepts and techniques employed in modern planning and implementation of agricultural businesses. At the end of the course, participants should be able to: • identify appropriate agribusiness for formulation; • design feasible and viable projects/business; • propose innovative projects in agriculture field; • schedule project activities, (sequentially), for effective implementation; • use project resources effectively and efficiently.
- Association for Project Management; APM Body of Knowledge, 7th edition
- Project management Institute, https://www.pmi.org/
- Julia Martins, What are the benefits of project management?, https://asana.com/it/resources/benefits-project-management
- Effective project management arrangements for agricultural projects,
- Smith Peter, Agricultural Project Management Monitoring and Control of Implementation, 1984
- P Anandajayasekeram CJ Van Rooyen F Liebenberg, Agricultural project planning and Analysis: A sourcebook, University of Ghent, 2004
- Agricultural Projects: Analysis, Types and Aspects | Agri-Business
