Risk Management Analysis
Every project comes with risks associated with the initiation, and the entire process in general until the completion of the project. Getting tap filters to the urban poor would face a myriad of challenges, from logical to legislative, and even the government. Some of the major and systematic challenges that face a project of this nature include getting the right permits and legal frameworks in good time ( Gido & Clements, 2014) . Projects like these often spark public interest and inspire neighborhoods and people to be grateful to their rescuers. While this is of no concern to well-wishers and donors, it is a powerful tool for politicians. This often leads to such projects being dragged along or interfered with by government entities and agencies so they can take credit and fuel their re-election. This causes a further domino effect to other risks, such as government red tape, where the entities deliberately frustrate the process until they are involved as stakeholders or even beneficiaries (Heagney, 2016). Getting permits in this scenario, therefore, becomes a nightmare and poses the risk of the entire project being stalled or abandoned altogether. There is also the risk of having higher fees set for the permits and the proceedings in the event of misunderstandings between the local government and the organization. This could cause serious budget issues, as the amounts may get higher than anticipated.
The first project-specific risk that would face the process would be the filters not benefiting the children, and even being used for commercial purposes. A majority of the children targeted live under their parents, or guardians, or some form of authority above them. These forms of authority might deny access to clean water, and use the new opportunity to benefit themselves in one way or another, leaving the children to suffer. This could go as far as selling the products, or the clean water that is generated by the devices. In order to mitigate and properly respond to these risks, proper processes should be considered over and above the expected project procedures. These include adjustments and minor tweaks in the budget to accommodate some inconveniences (Molak, 1996). The project stakeholders should also be willing and ready to incorporate some of the government officials into the project in order to allow the product to get to its intended beneficiary without much of a struggle. As for the assurance of correct and proper use of the products, measures like monitoring and restricting public use should be put in place. Ensuring that a majority of the members of the community have the device could also help avoid monopoly, and thereafter business with the products.
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Issue Management Analysis
Another important aspect of the project is issue management, which stipulates how arising issues are handled. Much like the risks, these are the predicted risks that actually happen during the process of the project planning and running despite the mitigation efforts earlier made ( Dutton & Ottensmeyer, 1987) . One of the issues that arose was the government red tape and some of the politicians who wanted a piece of the pie before it got to the people in the neighborhood. There was also a safety issue when some of the distributors went for product awareness campaigns and even installation. The major priority was the security, and some guards were employed to secure the merchandise, and the local authorities involved in the proceedings so they can always be on standby. This problem was identified by the distribution and marketing team and was handled promptly by the operations manager on the ground. The advice of the local law enforcement went a long way in guiding the remaining process on the places to avoid, and those that were safer.
As for the government red tape, an alliance was forged with the local government, and several courtesy calls were made to the relevant offices. This was to ensure that those in charge were on board, and no one felt left out, in case they were not considered in the original risk plan. This problem was identified by the operations manager, and the supervisor, who was approached by local politicians demanding a share of the project benefits. This was then solved by the overall manager back at the office by organizing friendly courtesy calls to the office, and minor public relations stunts for the public.
Communication Plan
There are several departments involved in the successful completion of a project, and this requires communication to keep the project engine running. From the analysts to the managers, sponsors, and donors, the owners of the project, the Information Technology (IT) team, the Marketing and PR team, and the operations managers and supervisors. The communication section of the project needs to be consistent and open for the entire team. It ranges from weekly check-ins, email reports, to major meetings after each milestone, and even daily emails ( Mochal & Mochal, 2011) . All these play different roles between different departments but are necessary to be formulated beforehand to ensure everyone stays on track and is updated.
The weekly check-ins mostly happened between the project manager, and the general managers back at the office. This was to keep track of all the progress and to provide any necessary updates required by the office. Some of the information shared in these check-ins included the timeline and the current budget progress. A report on the tasks completed and those that were still in progress, and any deliverables present, including those that required approval. There were also weekly email reports, and these were distributed between all departments from the project manager. These reports include the budget progress, the specific timelines set for the week, and the expectations for the current week. They also include deliverables, and information on edited, denied, or approved ones based on the response from the management. Any reviews made thus far would also be included in the emails so they can reach the departments involved. The milestone meetings were for the deliverables’ presentation and delivery between departments, and ultimately with the manager. These would have notices of the agenda, and attendants in advance coupled up with the deliverables to be presented. Questions, discussions, and the way forward would be discussed in the actual meeting after the presentation, and the minutes emailed after to all attendees, inclusive of all the deliverables approved, plus those in review. The daily emails would cover emergencies, assistance required, minor approvals required like licenses, and any questions and reviews on the deliverables.
References
Dutton, J. E., & Ottensmeyer, E. (1987). Strategic issue management systems: Forms, functions, and contexts. Academy of Management Review , 12 (2), 355-365.
Gido, J., & Clements, J. (2014). Successful project management . Cengage Learning.
Heagney, J. (2016). Fundamentals of project management . Amacom.
Mochal, T., & Mochal, J. (2011). Develop a Communication Plan for Complex Projects. In Lessons in Project Management (pp. 93-96). Apress, Berkeley, CA.
Molak, V. (Ed.). (1996). Fundamentals of risk analysis and risk management . CRC Press.
