CASE STUDY.1 – COMMUNITY PROJECT
In
the year 2013, the people from a small village in one of the provinces in Papua
New Guinea (PNG) decided to build a new double classroom for the village
community school. The small community school had a total of 184 students
attending classes from elementary grade one to grade three and primary school from
grade four to grade eight. The year 2013, was a special year for the small community
school when all its 24 grade eight students made it into grade nine in other
secondary schools within the province.
Given
the government announcement to introduce frees education in PNG starting 2014 the
village community through its School Board of Management decided to construct a
new double story classroom to cater for increase in new student intake for the
school year in 2014 and also for a computer laboratory and administration block
and also to replace the old bush material classroom currently being used by the
children of the village.
Additional information;
Please discuss during your tutorial class with your Tutor and provide your written answers to me electronically by email or comment on this blog site (Please add your name and ID number).
 |
| Picture 1: The Current Classroom |
One of the three classrooms that caters for three separate Grades. (Grade 4, Grade 5 and Grade 6) |
Funding
for the double classroom project was secured through the collection of student
project fees, Grants from the Local Level Government (LLG) through the District
Education Coordinator’s office (DEC). The project commenced in 2013 and by
February 2015 the project is yet to be completed.
 |
| Picture 2: The Project |
The incomplete double classroom project |
Additional information;
1) The
building plan for the new double classroom was designed by an architecture
employed by the Department of Works in the province, who also act as the
Project Manager. He is on full time employment and is also a member of the
School Board.
2) The
community has two qualified tradesmen carpenters who oversee and supervise the
construction of the classroom and they have received no wages since
construction work started in 2013. They have been promised by the project
manager that drawdown for payments are still being processed.
3) Besides
the two tradesmen, there are 10 to 15 men working on the project and these men
have not been paid any wages since construction work started. Reasons given were
that money is still being held up due to no acquittal made.
4) Instead
of buying timbers from a timber sawmill yard, the carpenters and their hired
labourers were advised to look for good quality timber in the forest where
access road is a miles away. This arrangement took almost six months to bring
the cut logs into the village.
5) After
many months of not getting paid, the hired labourers decided to stay away from
work.
 |
| Picture 3: Hired Workers |
Hired men of the village yet to receive any wages. |
 |
| Picture 4: Mothers giving a helping hand |
Mothers
helping their menfolk on the job mixing the cement for the new building.
|
EXERCISE
1. What
do you think is wrong with this particular project?
2. If
you were the Project contractors what would you do to make sure the project is
completed as per the project design and specification?
3. This
is a community project. If you were the sponsor of the project, what type of
project manager would you employ to manage this project?
4. If
you were the project sponsor, what corrective action would you take?
Please discuss during your tutorial class with your Tutor and provide your written answers to me electronically by email or comment on this blog site (Please add your name and ID number).
Hello, Mrs E. Kua,
ReplyDeleteThe SBA BBM (BM) HOD
UPNG
I would kindly like to ask if there is possibility that you could turn this lecture notes to pdf file and I may use them to do tutorials and study? Or is there any other way which I can use to download it via your blog?
Thank you for your understanding
God bless.
Good morning Willie.
DeleteThank you for your enquiry. If you go to the home page and you scroll down you will come across topics converted into PDF file. You can down load them. I will convert topics into PDF file as we progress with our lectures. Use the email message box and request so I can email you the tutorial you want.
Regards
Mrs Kua
Happy Easter to you Mrs Kua,
ReplyDeleteFollowing are my answers for the above case study.
1. The project manager has manipulated the system to suit his own interests. He can be called as double dipping on the people's money and resources meant for the community project. This can be seen as corruption and abuse of power and office by the person who we can say holds three positions;
Project Manager, also works for DOW and is a member of the school board.
2. If I was the the project contractor, I would make sure the project is on schedule. I would manage resources wisely and since it is a community project, priority will be given to the wages for the two capenters only while we could use the community as volunteers without paying them, thus, using the money to buy timbers in the local timber yard.
3. Since it is a community project, I would require a person outside of the school itself to managed the project. Such people as village chief/elder, a community leader or a respectable person in the community with a high status. Priority should be given to the community to manage the project as a whole.
4. If I was the project sponsor, I would make sure the project manager is held accountable for the delay of the project. I would then suspend him from the project and report him to relevant authorities and also recommend the school board to terminate his membership from the board. I would appoint a new project manager and carry out investigation into the use of the funds allocated for the project.
Otto Tean : jnrottotean@gmail.com 20071915
If such a community project is to be set up in your village, how will you deal with it? Think about the processes involved.
DeleteHi Mrs. Kua, below are my answers to Case Study 1 on Community Project.
ReplyDelete1. Some of the things that make this project wrong include:
· The project manager is not equipped with the necessary skills to manage the project
· There was no proper planning for the project by the project manager
· The Project Manager is double dipping because he is being currently employed as a public servant and at the same time he is on the school board and he is also the project manager of the schools project
· There was no proper recruitment process of people to work in this project
· The time frame given for the project was exceeded
· There were signs of misappropriation and mismanagement of funds and resources
2. If I was the Project Manager, I would do the following to ensure that the project is completed as per the project design and specification:
· Do proper recruitment from the community alongside two or more skilled tradesmen to work on the project through proper advertising and awareness
· Continuously visit the project site to see the progress of the project
· Ensure that there are resources available for the project through the funds given for the project.
· Make sure that wages are paid on time so that the workers can be motivated to work and complete the project on time.
3. If I was the sponsor of the project, I would employ a well-qualified and experienced person from the community who is able to analyse and organise people and has good condition and motivation skills. Most importantly, the project manager must have a good community standing and is respectable by the community.
4. Corrective actions that I would take as the project sponsor will be monitoring the progress of the project, analyse the school board and the very people that appointed the project manager. Then I will refer the respective people to the Provincial Education board to stand them down and investigate the matters. In addition I will notify the Department of Works and the Department of Personal Management to deal with the Project Manager and take him to court for breaching the Public Servants oat and for his other wrongdoings.
Grace Lohia - 20120339
ANSWERS TO CASE STUDY #1 COMMUNITY PROJECT
ReplyDeleteEXERCISE
1. What do you think is wrong with this particular project?
This particular project is a community based project but what is wrong with the project is the recruitment of the Project Manager. The project manager was not recruited and selected using the formal procedure of the HR. The other thing wrong with the Project Manager is the person also holds two positions, which he is an architecture employed by the works Department for full time and also a Board Member to the school. This seems that he is kind of manipulating the system which will then drive him to corruption and illegal doings for the benefit of his personal enrichment.
2. If you were the Project contractors what would you do to make sure the project is completed as per the project design and specification?
If I am the project contractors I would buy the timber from the saw mill yard to save time and hard work instead advising carpenters and labourers to looking for timbers in the bush. This is because the money for the project is available so I will do the budget and buy all the materials like timbers to complete the project on time.
3. This is a community project. If you were the sponsor of the project, what type of project manager would you employ to manage this project?
If I were the project sponsor I will select a project manager who has a good standing in the community because this is a community project. Also a person who has the leadership qualities and some fair knowledge on management.
4. If you were the project sponsor, what corrective action would you take?
I will simply remove the project manager and investigate him, if he had done some wrong doing and practice some unethical behaviors.
JASON PETER- 20121944