projectS
A
t the recent International Not-for-profit Convention
and Exhibition (INCE) held in November 2008,
Inzpire
distributed 250 surveys, seeking to collect
information from Not-for-profit organisations in
relation to their practices when managing projects. Inzpire is a
company specialising in working with organisations to improve
their project management processes and as such, we are concerned
about the lack of data available on the extent to which not-for-
profit organisations in Australia undertake projects and the benefits
they derive from investing in them. In addition, we wanted to
understand the pressures that managing projects can place on
organisations and whether the value in completing projects is
sufficient to enable the organisation to further its core outcomes.
It appears from the literature available and from direct feedback
from within the sector, that project management learning and
wisdom is not generally shared amongst not-for-profit organisations
and particularly not at the industry level. Many other industries
such as construction, engineering and information technology are
highly experienced at developing a shared level of understanding of
what works when it comes to managing projects. Consequently the
processes and practices of these organisations are finely tuned to
ultimately benefit the customer, with the understanding that failures
as well as successes, lead to a better approach and improved results
in project management.
The information below is a snapshot of some of the survey results
which are being compiled into a White Paper for distribution to
interested parties early this year. What it tells us is that the extent to
which not-for-profit organisations are engaged with projects and are
consequently struggling with issues typical of project management,
is significant, with the impact of these struggles most likely under-
estimated by the sector as a whole.
the extent of project Management in
organisations
250 delegates received the survey with thirty-five delegates (14%)
returning their surveys. Of the 35 surveys returned, 34% were
completed by the Chief Executive Officer of the organisation,
20% by an employee, 17% by a Manager, 14% by a Project
Manager, 6% by a Board member and the
remaining 9% by other positions
within the organisation. As most
of these individuals were also
involved in the project themselves
in some way, the survey results
demonstrate a high level of
relevant and authentic data.
Organisations were asked
to identify the number of
projects they completed
on average each year.
The results show that most organisations take on quite a number of
projects, frequently on top of their normal workload (see below).
For example, 37% of respondents completed between 1 and 5
projects per year and 31% completed between 6 and 10 projects per
year. However a significant number of organisations are involved
in much higher numbers of projects:
}
8.5% of organisations completed between 11 and 20 projects
per year
}
6% completed between 21 and 30 projects per year
}
8.5% completed between 31 and 50 projects per year
}
6% completed between 50 and 100 projects per year and
}
3% of organisations completed over 100 projects per year.
Not surprising but still of concern, was the finding that 80% of
respondents indicated that their employees undertook project work
as part of, or in addition to, their normal workload. Only 9% of
organisations specifically employed people just to work on their
projects, with another 9% indicating that sometimes they did both.
2% did not respond to the question. Whilst the finding may not
come as a surprise to those who work in the Not-for-profit sector,
it does indicate that the pressures on staff in relation to the lack
of time they have to complete their projects is quite real and as
stated by many, can reduce the end quality of the project. A heavy
workload on staff can also result in some of the other problems
noted by respondents
Continued on
page 16
1
ProJeCt wisDom
In the not-For-proFIt seCtor
CapturIng