Project Planning in Nepal

Project planning is concerned with the development of a project for investment. It consists of:

• Feasibility study to determine project implementability.
• Appraisal to evaluate project's ability to succeed, and
• Detailed engineering design and estimating to plan project implementation.

Most central level development projects in Nepal are planned by the donors. Most local level projects, however, are planned within the country by various agencies of the government or local authorities.

• National Planning Commission (NPC) is responsible for preparation of five year development plan. Projects are the primary means of translating development plans into action. NPC is responsible for identification, planning, monitoring and evaluation of development projects.
• Central level projects should have approval of NPC. Local level projects should have approval of the Secretary f the concerned Ministry within the policy guidelines of NPC. The project approval is based on the appraisal of the project proposal. A format has been prescribed for preparing project proposal. A process has also been prescribed for approval of the project.

Contents of Project Proposal
The project proposal should contain the following information:

1. Outline of the Project: Objectives, location, duration.
2. Total Investment of the Project: Development, construction, operation, others.
3. Sources of Funds: Government, donors-loan, grant.
4. Returns from the project:
• Contribution to production increase
• Growth in employment
• Internal rate of return
• Other Economic and social benefits
5. Economic Analysis of the Project:
• Cost/benefit ratio
• Cost effectiveness estimates
6. Project Implementation: Schedule and budget.
7. Implementation Requirements: In terms of -
• Human Resources
• Construction materials
8. Project Operations: After completion and handover of project:
• Management arrangements
• Expenditure estimates for 3 years
• Income estimates for 3 years
• Approval of the Project

Project Approval
The project approval process is based on:

1. Consideration of project's fit with national objectives and sectoral strategies. If it is not included in the periodic plan, NPC concurrence should be obtained.
2. Recommendation of department head about the reasonableness of project costs in terms of current prices and cost benefit analysis.
3. The concerned ministry should approve and implement the project keeping in view the concurrence of NPC.

•  If the project is not included in the periodic plan or if the financial outlay is going to increase, the concurrence of NPC and Finance Ministry is needed.
• If the opinions of NPC and Finance Ministry differ, the project should be forwarded for cabinet approval along with project operation plan.

Time Management Techniques

1. Clarity in Goal: For managing time, there should be clarity in goal. In this, all should understand what is expected from them.
2. Work Plan: There should be allocation work clearly to team members. Project activities should be defined and sequenced. Time duration for each activity should be estimated. A schedule should be developed and controlled for project activities.
3. Use Daily Planner: Preparation of to do list and regular update is necessary.
4. Daily Record: Maintenance of daily record like time log. Analyze it to prioritize work and to locate unproductive time. Find ways to improve next day's work.
5. Use Dead Time: Effectively use dead time wasted in waiting for appointments and meetings.
6. Avoid time stealers:
• Control telephone calls and casual visitors in the project.
• Avoid information overload by managing its flow.
• Avoid unnecessary meetings and agenda-less meeting.
•  Improve communication channels.
• Avoid decision delays and give clear instructions to subordinates.
• Manage conflicts effectively.
• Insist on well done and completely done jobs.
7. Use Time Saving Technology: Computers, Internet, fax, teleconferencing etc. save time. Information technology is a time saver. make use of them.
8. Organize Work Life: Project manager should organize his work life by:
• Learning to say no to jobs not liked.
• Keeping the work desk clutter-free.
• Knowledge of energy cycle and blocking times for creative work.
• Setting deadlines for activity completion.
• Focusing on one thing at a time.
• Practicing calculated neglect.
• Doing difficult tasks first.
• Learning to relax.
• Conducting meeting effectively.
• Managing risks effectively.
9. Delegate: After getting appropriate time, delegate it. Create project-wise awareness for effective time management.
10. Ask three questions for Time Management:
1. Do I have to do this work at all?
2. Can somebody else do this work better?
3. Are my priorities right.

Essential Factors for Time Management in Project

The time management in project is very essential. It is bounded with time, cost and quality. The successful attainment of project will depend on the successful completion of the project. The following factors are essential for time management in project.

1. Goal Clarity: The project objective and outcomes should be clearly defined.
• Project activities should be prioritized.
• Authority-responsibility relationships should be clearly defined. 
2. Time Management Awareness: Project manager and members of the project team should be aware about their
• Working style
• Work habits
• Personal traits
3. Knowledge of Time Stealers: Time stealers in project can be;
• Too many meetings and dead time in waiting.
• Too many interruptions while doing work.
• Uncontrolled telephone calls and visitors.
• Information overload and poor retrieval system.
• Poor  communication channels.
• Decision delays and unclear instructions.
• Incomplete or poorly done work.
• Failure to delegate.
• Inability to manage conflicts.
4. Procedures for Project Related Work: Time management requires laying down of procedures for:
• Evaluation of bids.
• Preparation of Work Breakdown Structures, sequencing of activities, development and control of project schedule, revision of project schedule.
• Estimation of time and resources for various activities.
• Measurement of project performance and reporting.
• Monitoring and follow-up, including auditing.

Time Management in Project

A project has a fixed completion date. But the project environment is uncertain. Many of the difficulties encountered in managing projects are caused by lack of effective time management. Time management is one of the keys of effective project implementation.

Time is one of the very scarce resource in project management. If the time is lost then it is lost forever. So, time management is very important for successful attainment of project's objectives. It helps to be done more works with less time.

The processes  of time management in project are:

1. Activity Definition: It identifies specific activities required to produce project outcomes. Work breakdown structure is a useful tool for defining project activities.
2. Activity Sequencing: It identifies interactivity dependencies. Project network diagram is a useful tool for sequencing of activities.
3. Activity Duration: It estimates the time needed to complete individual activities. Resource requirements are estimated for each activity.
4. Schedule Development: It creates project schedule. It determines start and finish data for all project activities. It is based on activity sequencing and time estimates of activities. It is a project time table.
5. Schedule Control: It is measuring, evaluating and correcting project's timely performance. It is managing schedule changes as and when they occur. Project progress reports are useful for schedule control.

Project Implementation

A project should be implemented effectively show as the achieve project objectives successfully. The allocation of project tasks to project team within the organization is involved in implementation. The main responsible person for implementation of project is project manager. He drives the project with many obstacles and conditions.

The steps for project implementation are:

1. Preparing for project implementation
2. Engaging and supervising consultants
3. Contracting for civil works
4. Procurement of goods, services, equipments
5. Supervision of equipment installation and civil works
6. Receiving project budget
7. Monitoring and control

1. Preparing for project implementation
The steps for implementation are
a) Establishing the project office: The project office is established at the project site. All physical and logistics facilities needed in an office are provided.
b) Acquisition of Human Resources: Project success depends on the competency and efficiency of the project team. Needed employees are acquired here.
c) Defining and assigning responsibilities: Every member of project team is provided with a job description specifying

• Duties and responsibilities
• Authority
• Accountability for results

d) Establishing a project information system: An information system is established to record all project activities. It serves as a database for tracking project information. It contains employee records. It should be computerized.

2. Engaging and supervising consultants
Projects generally use consultants for specialized activities, such as:

• Engineering design preparation and review
• Preparation and review of bidding document
• Evaluation of bids
• Supervision of civil construction works
• Other specialized activities etc

3. Contracting for civil works
Contractors play an important role in implementation. Projects involve a lot of contracting and subcontracting for civil construction works.

• Guidelines, procedures, financial rules and regulations are followed for contracting of civil works. Generally, selection of contractors is based on:
• Tender document
• Pre-qualification of contractors
• Notice for call of tender bids. A pre-bid meeting is held.
• Evaluation of tender bids and selection of contractor.
• Contract agreement with the selected contractor.
• If the project is donor refunded, the guidelines prescribed by the donors must be  followed for award of the contract.

4. Procurement of goods, services, equipments
Projects require procurement of goods, services and equipments. The financial rules and regulations and guidelines for procurement are followed. Minimum standard of workmanship specified for services are followed:

• Procurement can be through:
• direct purchase from the market
• quotation based, generally three quotations are required
• tender based which can be local, national or global
• Specifications should be complied for procurement purposes.

5. Supervision of equipment installation and civil works
The installation of machinery and equipment by the suppliers is properly supervised. Project consultants and technical personnel of the project generally carry out the job of supervision.

6. Receiving project budget
The financial resources for the project are acquired from the donor or customer. Arrangements are made with banks for overdraft in cases of emergencies.

7. Monitoring and control
The project performance is properly monitored and controlled during implementation. The project performance is measured, evaluated and corrected.

Monitoring involves project progress reporting. Projects require periodic reporting of progress for feedback. Monitoring provides information about:

• physical targets and achievements
• financial targets and achievements
• scheduling targets and achievements
• problems encountered in project implementation
• possible solutions for solving the problems

Daily and monthly status reporting is generally done. Project report are prepared in the prescribed format. They are delivered on time to the project participants and others. All activities during implementation are documented and reported.

Project costs should be effectively controlled. Standard costing and budgetary control tools are used for controlling  costs. Cost is an important constraint in the project. Cost escalations should be prevented. Material cost should be effectively controlled.

8. Controlling project changes
Environmental changes and technological uncertainties necessitate changes in project  design and time table. The implications of such changes on cost, time and quality are carefully studied. 

Project Planning, Organizing, Implementing

Project Planning

The project manager is responsible for preparation of detailed project plan. It involves:

• Definition of work requirements
• Scheduling of project
• Definition of resources needed
• Definition of quantity of work and specifications.

Project Organization Design

The project manager is responsible for designing the project structure by:

• Dividing project workload into tasks for job specialization.
• Grouping task and people into project divisions.
• Establishing authority-responsibility relationships for project personnel.
• Coordination mechanism for integration.
• Management of interfaces with the parent organization.

Project Implementation

The project manager is responsible for project implementation. The activities consist of:

• Awarding and managing contracts
• Appointing consultants
• Mobilization of resources
• Procurement of goods and services
• Solving problems as they arise
• Providing leadership
• Building a solid information network

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• Project Specification
• Components / Elements of Project Specification
• Project Management Model

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