The problem with project management in development organizations is that all too often it is seen as an afterthought, something that is not really needed. Sometimes is also perceived as "project control" or an administrative function that tracks budget expenditures and schedule dates based on best guesses.

 

Development organizations are hurried to get funds and sign contracts and leap into implementation without adequate planning. With this approach, project management can only provide little or no value and resorts only to a reactive mode. With the lack of planning, all projects will tend to exceed the approved schedule and budget parameters and begin to run into problems. To be effective, an organization needs to invest in project management at the very beginning of the project life cycle. It is a lower cost effort to spend time upfront to develop the project plans, which is better than spending a lot of time and effort doing rework during implementation.

 

In today's highly complex world, project management is becoming one of the most valued skills in development and humanitarian assistance organizations. In order to make a significant impact, it is essential that development organizations are capable of not only delivering their projects on time and within budget but are capable to address the demands of the many stakeholders that will be affected by the project and are able to manage the challenges and constraints imposed by an ever-increasing difficult working environment.

 

To achieve impact in their interventions, development organizations need to rely more and more on the expertise of skilled project managers who not only need to be competent in the relevant technical areas but have advanced managerial skills to plan, organize, direct and control a project successfully.

 

The future of many development organizations depends on their ability to employ the potential of modern project management methods to face new challenges, to help reduce risks and increase the chances of success. These organizations need to invest in the education of their project managers, develop basic managerial competencies to use new tools and apply the best practices of a modern project management methodology.

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