Project Managers Without Borders

Lessons learned and project closure reports are important organizational process assets that a project manager may find missing upon starting work with a new non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-profit organization (NPO). This historical information is useful for many activities such as on-boarding new members, explaining the mission of the organization to the community, or developing project charters. The final project report becomes an important advocacy tool and gives ideas for articles or stories to attract wider attention or to spread news about a particular situation. Additionally, performance information from previous projects can help make the best use of limited resources and funding.

Three ways to bring value to the NGO through project closure:

#1 Engage stakeholders to determine project or phase closure guidelines or requirements. An organization can guide its actions throughout the project by knowing what the expectations are for documenting project successes and failures from the beginning, when to gather lessons learned, and how to archive the project information for future use. These activities can be incorporated into the NGO’s monitoring & evaluation program. It may also open lines of communication to other stakeholders, including in the community the NGO operates, as input on reporting requirements are gathered. Work with the NGO, members of the community, and other stakeholders to determine their reporting needs. Then, suggest templates that may work well for their purposes.

#2 Encourage documentation of project failures. Failure happens. That is the opening line on the Admitting Failure website. Formally closing an aborted or cancelled project is needed to continue critical thinking in the field where the organization works and to help other organizations succeed in those areas. At Admitting Failure, organizations share information as a way to bring “new levels of transparency, collaboration, and innovation across the for-purpose sector.” Project closure reports can provide NGOs with the project history that they can summarize and share on the website. The reports can also provide a foundation for developing a “Failure Report.” A how-to guide developed by Engineers Without Borders Canada can be found on Fail Forward’s website.

#3 Promote dissemination of project success. Formally establishing a project’s closure helps the NGO redirect resources to the next project or project phase and guides communication to internal stakeholders, external funding bodies, and community members. Published peer-reviewed literature by non-profit and NGOs is not common (Allen, 2016). This is a gap in dissemination of information about potentially innovative interventions as evidence-based practices are often formed by peer-reviewed published literature and not unpublished studies, or grey literature. Even if an organization does not develop a scholarly article, the information can be used to inform future decisions on projects. Working with an NGO on its reporting needs is a great opportunity to exercise creative skills and to think beyond a standard report. It’s important to “consider the audience” and communicate the project findings in ways that best suit the stakeholders. You may not consider filming a video on the latest software development project, but this could be the perfect medium to supplement the closure report!

In closing...

A project closure or evaluation report supports the organization in formally documenting the end of the project. It can be used to promote awareness, develop project strategy, and disseminate knowledge in the field of work. Use your project management skills to help an NGO complete a project life cycle and to get a good start in its knowledge management practice

References

Allen, L. (2016). Why Is There No Funding For Non-Communicable Diseases? Journal of Global Health Perspectives. Retrieved from http://jglobalhealth.org/article/why-is-there-no-funding-for-non-communicable-diseases/.

Admitting Failure. www.admittingfailure.org. Accessed December 24, 2016.

Fail Forward. www.failforward.org. Accessed December 24, 2016.

Better Evaluation. www.betterevaluation.org. Accessed December 28, 2016.

Romiya Barry is a clinical research professional using the project management framework to improve patient care and community health.  She is recognized by the Association of Clinical Research Professionals and PharmaTimes Inc. for her leadership in clinical project management. Romiya is on the Board of Directors for Health Horizons International, a healthcare NGO serving communities in the Dominican Republic. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Follow @romiyagbarry! 

Project management is a unique profession that requires skills needed everywhere. Any time strategic initiatives are being implemented, anywhere there is a disaster or humanitarian relief effort, whenever there is innovation being brought to fruition, it’s through projects.

We focus much of our time on our careers, the jobs we are paid to do, and we improve our craft to increase our impact and reap the rewards. Some of those rewards are recognition, respect, greater responsibility, opportunity, and the satisfaction of a job well done. Our employers, clients, colleagues, management and teams benefit from the change that we manage. But what about those in the world who need change the most? 

The world is teeming with communities in need, people who could benefit tremendously from our project management skills and experience. Many humanitarian organizations have domain knowledge and passion for these communities, but are lacking basic project management skills and knowledge. By introducing or improving project management for these organizations, we can make their work for humanity more efficient and effective, thereby increasing the positive impact they have.

Let’s share what we know with those who need it most.

Whether that means facilitating meetings for an engineering nonprofit/NGO, coordinating the schedule for a medical mission, organizing a cub scout camping trip, or clarifying the scope of a humanitarian documentary film, our skills can support meaningful change.

You may even find that your employer will donate funds, software, or services to the humanitarian organization you volunteer for, increasing the potential impact of that organization even more. 

After your involvement, those benefiting, either directly or indirectly, are likely to understand and value project management more, and may even value it so much that they attribute their success to it.  

If you share your project management experience and skills with those who need it most, you will likely find it to be one of the most rewarding endeavors in your career, and life.

Interested to learn more about how you can use your project management skills for a better world? Keep an eye out for updates to this blog, connect with an organization that matches professional skills with need (e.g. Social Venture Partners, PMWB, Catchafire, etc) and search for NGOs and other organizations that are aligned with your interests. Then, enjoy the satisfaction of applying your project management skills to support communities in need. 

Project Managers Without Borders (PMWB) is happy to sponsor this new blog to provide project management content and tools for humanitarian organizations. PMWB  is a non-profit organization that engages the global project management community through collaborative and sustainable projects that make a positive difference in the world.