Analysis: The Success of International Development Projects, Trust and Communication: an African Perspective
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Analysis: The Success of International Development Projects, Trust and Communication: an African Perspective
- 2. The success of international development projects, trust and communication: an African perspective By Amadou Diallo and Denis Thuillier Presented by Katherine Michel, February 9, 2010
- 3. Purpose of the Paper 1) Explore the role of trust and communication between key stakeholders of international development projects funded by multi-lateral institutions in sub-Saharan Africa 2) Assess the impact the quality of trust and communication has on project outcome and compare to assertions made by authors
- 4. Methodology • The authors sent questionnaires to Project Coordinators of ID projects in Africa • They then analysed interpersonal relationship results among 4 key stakeholder roles: 1) Task Manager 2) National Supervisor 3) Project Coordinator 4) Project Team
- 5. Paper Focus: Stakeholder Hierarchy Host Country Government Multilateral Development and Beneficiaries (“real client”) Funding Agency Task-Manager: National Supervises Project Supervisor: Implementation and High ranking verifies Project Team civil servant follows agency rules Project Coordinator: Project Team manages Project Team Local Diallo and Thuiller, 2005, based on Youker, 2003
- 6. Results: #1 Critical Success Factor • Trust between the Task Manager at the Funding Agency and local Project Coordinator is the most important • To capitalize on this the authors recommend: • Donor agencies- regularly assess this relationship • Agencies should avoid breaking up “winning teams” by transferring the Project Coordinator to another region • E-communication cannot fully substitute for face-to- face meetings, so on-site visits by Task Manager should be encouraged (subsequently by supported by Fortune and White, 2006) Diallo and Thuiller, 2005
- 7. Critical Success Factor #2 • Surprisingly: a well-integrated team is secondary, but still plays a significant role in project outcome • Good team communication and cohesion “presume a climate of trust” • To capitalize on this, the authors recommend: • Organization of management and team-building seminars immediately after team formation (assertion also supported by Karlsen, Graee, Malsoud, 2008 and Khang and Diallo and Thuiller, 2005 Moe, 2008)
- 8. Secondary Critical Success Factor • The relationship between the local Project Coordinator and National Supervisor (Government) is less significant, however, it is most important regarding eventual project extension when the project is nearing an end Diallo and Thuiller, 2005
- 9. Summary: Relationship Importance Host Country Government Multilateral Development and Beneficiaries (“real client”) Agency National Task-Manager: Supervisor: Influences Management Decides Quality, Project whether to Success, and Project grant project Visibility extension #2 CSF Project Coordinator: Project Team manages Project Team Local Diallo and Thuiller, 2005
- 10. PMI Success Factors for ID projects • Conventional wisdom- competence most important factor for project success • Evidence- consultation is most important for ID project success • Participatory approach among stakeholders throughout all phases most effective Khang and Moe, 2008
- 11. Trust, Communication and “Goal Congruence” • Karlsen, Graee, and Malsoud, conducted a study of trust in a public sector project • Most interviewees indicated that “goal congruence” in which stakeholders, with different objectives discuss their common interests and align their goals, is a crucial factor in trust-building mechanisms Karlsen, Graee, and Malsoud, 2008
- 12. Other important factors that feed into trust building: Reliable behaviour Integrity Competence Reaching project milestones Commitment Sincerity Benevolence Karlsen, Graee, and Malsoud, 2008
- 13. Importance of trust and communication research 1. ID research in general is very rare 2. ID projects have a particularly complex web stakeholders (Youker, 1999) • The significance of “Soft” elements such as interpersonal relations between stakeholders is often overlooked • Trust among stakeholders = communication= cohesion= contributes to project success Diallo and Thuiller, 2005
- 14. Personal Significance • The knowledge I gained from this article builds on that of my last Tutorial article, “Analysis of Cost and Schedule Performance of International Development Projects,” by Kamrul Ahsana and Indra Gunawan, 2010
- 15. References • Ba Khang, D., and Lin Moe, T. 2008, “Success Criteria and Factors for International Development Projects: A Life-Cycle-Based Framework,” Project Management Journal, vol. 39, no. 1, pp 72-84 • Fortune, J., and White, D. 2006, “Framing of Project Critical Success factors by a System Model,” International Journal of Project Management, vol. 24, no. 1, pp 53-65 • Terje Karlsen, J., Graee, K., Jensvold, M. 2008, “Building Trust in Project-Stakeholder Relationships,” Baltic Journal of Management, vol 3, no. 1, pp 7-22 • Youker, R. 2003, “The Nature of International Development Projects,” Paper presented at PMI Conference, Baltimore • Youker, R. 1999, “Managing International Development Projects: Lessons Learned,” Project Management Journal, vol 30, no. 2, 6-7
Editor's Notes
- Good afternoonToday I’m going to be talking about a paper called “The success of international development projects, trust and communication: an African perspective by Amadou Diallo and Denis Thuillier
- The purpose of the paper is to explore the trust and communication between key stakeholders of international development projects funded by multi lateral institutions in sub-Saharan AfricaThrough their research, the authors assessed the impact the quality of trust and communication has on project outcome and compared to the assertions they believed before the research
- The authors used a database containing information about international development projects in Africa, and sent questionnaires to 600 Project Coordinators. 93 questionnaires were returned Responses covered 26 countries, most south of the Sahara They then analysed interpersonal relationship results among 4 key stakeholder roles: 1: Task Manager2: National Supervisor3: Project Coordinator4: Project Team
- Here is a diagram of the stakeholder focus of the authors: At a local level is the Project Coordinator (also known as Project Manager) who manages the Project Team (also known as the “national management unit) The Project Coordinator is responsible for day-to-day management including operations and leadership. The Project Coordinator reports to the National Supervisor within the host country Government. The National Supervisor is usually a high ranking civil servant such as a National Department Director or Minister Also within the host country are the “real clients” the beneficiaries of the project The Project Coordinator also works with a Task Manager who is located a the headquarters of the Multilateral Development Agency funding the project. The Task Manager supervises project implementation, and verifies the Project Team is strictly following agency guidelines Not listed (because they were not part of the study scope) are Firms (ieengineers, subcontractors, consultants)
- The authors found some surprising resultsThe relationship among team members is not the #1 success factor. The 1 Critical Success Factor is that the relationship between the Task Manager at the Multilateral Funding Agency and the local Project Coordinator is the most important relationship to project success. The relationship alone contributes more to management quality, project success and project visibility and profile than team dynamics do. To capitalize on this the authors recommend: 1: That the Multilateral Funding Agencies regularly assess the Project Coordinator- Task Manager relationship2: That Multilateral Funding Agencies in the instance of a winning Project Coordinator- Task Manager team, avoid transferring the Project Coordinator to another region, which commonly does occur3: That because electronic communication cannot fully substitute for face-to-face meetings, on-site visits by the Task Manager to the Project Coordinator and Team should be encouraged This was subsequently supported by Fortune and White, who carried out a study in which they compared a successful public sector project to a failed one. One characteristic of the failed project was a lack of formal meetings and face-to-face communication among stakeholders.
- Team dynamics are the 2nd most important critical success factor, and do play a significant role in project outcome. For a team to be communicative and well-integrated “presumes a climate of trust” because this cannot occur without trust among members established at once, or over time. According to the authors some efforts to create project success are misdirected. According to the authors, many Multilateral Funding Agencies hold “launching seminars” to promote a new project to stakeholders. The trust and cohesion needed among the project team to be successful goes largely forgotten. For this reason, the authors recommend that as soon as the project team has been arranged, management and team building seminars should be organized, to be held within the first few months of the project to create a good working climate in which the project runs smoothly and conflicts are at a minimum. This idea was also supported by subsequent research by Karlsen, Graee, and Malsoud and Khang and Moe in 2008.
- The relationship between the local Project Coordinator and National Supervisor in the Government is much less significant. However, trust between them does still hold some importance, particularly in that the National Supervisor decides whether to grant a project extension when the project is nearing an end.
- Here is a summary of the relationship importance: The most important Critical Success Factor identified as part of the scope of this study is the relationship between the Task Manager at the Multilateral Development Funding Agency and the local Project Coordinator. The 2nd most important CSF identified is the relationship between the local Project Coordinator and Project Team The secondary Critical Success Factor identified is the relationship between the local Project Coordinator and National Supervisor (Government) who decides whether to grant a project extension.
- Khang and Moe evaluated the validity of a conceptual model outlining the lifecycle phases for International Development projects, including success criteria and factors to prioritize the attention and scarce resources of key stakeholders and the project management team. As part of this evaluation, the authors collected data through a field survey of internal and external stakeholders of International Development projects in Southeast Asian countries, the results of which they believe to be applicable to International Development projects everywhere. Although convention is that competence is most important to project success, the results show that for ID projects, effective consultation is most important to project success. A participatory approach should be adopted in which external communication results in stakeholder collaboration regarding design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation.
- Karlsen, Graee, and Malsoud conducted a study of trust in a public sector projectMost interviewees cross-referenced trust, communication and “goal congruence” Goal congruence is a crucial factor in trust-building mechanisms. Although they may have different objectives, stakeholders discuss their common interests, and align their goals so they have “goal congruence” This also helps to create a willingness to take risks among stakeholders
- Other important factors that feed into trust building: Reliable behaviourIntegrityCompetenceReaching project milestonesCommitmentSincerityBenevolence
- The research carried out by the authors is invaluable because empiricalresearch dedicated to International Development Project Management is very rare. The subject of stakeholder trust and communication and project outcome is particularly important for International Development projects because ID projects have a particularly complex web of stakeholders. Although the importance of “soft elements” such as interpersonal relationship between stakeholders is often overlooked, these same “soft elements” contribute greatly to project outcome. A recurring theme among the authors’ research is that trust among stakeholders increases communication, which creates cohesion, and that greatly increases the odds that a project will be efficient and successful. However, the authors at the time of writing the article could find 1: Very little research about the link between success factors and success criteria for ID projects2: No research about ID project teams and interpersonal relationships between primary stakeholders 3: For PM research in general- the subject of trust is a recent focus 4: A thorough list of the interpersonal skills leading to project success has been lacking
- On a personal level: The knowledge I gained from this article builds on that of my last Tutorial article: “Analysis of Cost and Schedule Performance of International Development Projects” by Kamrul Ahsana and Indra Gunawan, 2010Both paper contribute to my hope for an eventual career working in International Development