keylinks survey report project-implementation

8/22/2019 Keylinks Survey Report Project-implementation

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KEYLINKS Data Analyses Work Group 2: Project implementation

1

KEYLINKS RESEARCH

- ONLINE SURVEY DATA ANALYSIS -

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION PHASE

Involved Partners: Siauliai University (Q 1-4)

MERIG (Q 5-8)

ECQ (Q 9-11)

Date: 2009-03-11

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This document contains views of the author and the Commision cannotbe held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.


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Content

Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 3

Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................. 4

1. Differences between the view of PM & PCM ................................................................................. 5

2. Gap between training offered and required ...................................................................................... 9Project management and coordination ............................................................................................. 9

Financial management ................................................................................................................... 11

Monitoring and evaluation ............................................................................................................. 12

Project completion and reporting ................................................................................................... 14

General tasks and responsibilities related to successful project implementation. ......................... 15

Conclusions regarding training offered and requested .................................................................. 17

3. Influence of project management experience ................................................................................ 23

The most important tasks for inexperienced, experienced and expert project managers

and why? ........................................................................................................................................ 23

The Most Important and/or Difficult tasks for Inexperienced, Experienced and Expert

Project Managersand Why? ....................................................................................................... 27The most important and difficult tasks for all project managers related to their experience ......... 31

4. Influence of training in project management ................................................................................. 32

5. Influence of the scope of projects ............................................................................................... 39

Final Task-Ranking ........................................................................................................................ 45

6. Type of training required in the project implementation phase ..................................................... 46

Project management and coordination ........................................................................................... 46

Financial Management ................................................................................................................... 50

Monitoring and evaluation of the project implementation process................................................ 54

Project completion and reporting ................................................................................................... 58

General tasks and responsibilities related to successful project completion ................................. 61

7. Competencies program managers (PCMs) consider important for project managers ................... 66

8. Results of Brainstorming ............................................................................................................... 67


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3

Introduction

Approximately 250 project managers (PMs), 45 programme managers and administrators (PCMs) and 60

representatives of educational institutions (EDUs) from different EU countries and beyond participated in the

KEYLINKS survey. In this survey the project managers and programme managers were asked in particular

to rank the project managers various tasks during the different phases of a project according to their

importance (only PMs) and difficulty (PMs and PCMs). Representatives of educational institutions were

asked to provide information if subjects related to these tasks were part of their training programs.

To analyse the results the consortium created two groups, both groups answering the following eleven

questions in their reports. (Work group one dealt with the project preparation phase while the second group

worked on answers related to the implementation phase.):

1. Differences between the viewpoint of project managers (PMs) and program managers (PCMs).

2. List of most difficult tasks.

3. Gap between training offered and required.

4. The most difficult tasks for inexperienced, experienced and expert project managers andwhy?

5. The most important tasks for inexperienced, experienced and expert project managers and

why?

6. The most important and/or difficult tasks for inexperienced, experienced and expert project

managersand why?

7. The most important and/or difficult tasks for trained and untrained project managersand why?

8. The most important and/or difficult tasks for national and transnational project managers.

9. What type of training is of interest to or sought after by project managers?

10.What competencies are considered by PCMs as important for themselves?11.Differences between the answers of different categories of institutions?

The area under discussion for this report is the IMPLEMENTATION phase (Work Group 2).

These analyses are based on the data in the final Excel tables and on the answers to the open questions.

In total 242 questionnaires were filled in by project managers. 73 participants registered but did not fill

in any question related to the implementation phase. Therefore the analyses are based on the results of

169 valid questionnaires.

Although program managers (PCMs) completed 44 questionnaires, 14 participants did not fill in anyquestion related to the implementation phase. Therefore the analyses are based on 30 valid

questionnaires.

The analyses of answers given by the representatives of educational institutions are based on 58

completed questionnaires.

In the section about the project implementation phase 35 tasks have been rated according to how the

respondent gauges the importance and difficulty of the task for project management. The scale used was

1 to 4 (1not important / easy to 4very important / difficult).

The section of the questionnaire for project implementation was organised into five subsections each

followed by an open question. (Project management and coordination, Financial management,

Monitoring and evaluation, Project completion and reporting and General tasks and responsibilitiesfor successful implementation).


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4

Executive Summary

Chapter 1, Differences between the views of PMs & PCMs, the gap between training offered and required,

refers to the first question. Both groups, project managers and programme managers, ranked tasks according

to their difficulty. Project managers were asked to provide information if they thought a certain task was

difficult ( rank the task according to your perception of its level of difficulty) whereas programme

managers were asked to provide information about what they thought is difficult for project managers

(Please rank each task according to your observation of its level of difficulty for the managers.). Chapter 1

outlines the differences in the two groups answers to these closed questions. When drawing up a list of the

12 most difficult tasks for both groups, PMs as well as PCMs were relatively consistent in that they both

mentioned the same eight tasks. Here we observe that programme managers (PCMs) tended to rate tasks to

do with day-to-day project management as more difficult while project managers (PMs) rated tasks related

to the management of people (communication, human resources in the project etc.) as more difficult for

them.

In chapter 2, the gap between training offered and required, the answers of all three groups were considered

in order to answer the third question. The goal was to find out which proje ct managers tasks are the subjectof training courses offered by educational institutions and if this is consistent with what is seen as important

and/or difficult by the project managers (PMs) and programme managers (PCMs). Essentially project

managers ask for more specific training in the area of soft skills like communication, partnership

management and also for specific training in terms of financial rules and management, reporting etc. related

to projects funded from European sources.

Chapter 3, the influence of project management experience, addresses questions 4, 5 and 6. All deal with the

influence of project managers experience on their rating of the importance and difficulty of tasks. To

conclude we organized all the results into a list of the most important and difficult tasks, relating to the

second question. The analyses show no clear relation between experience and how the importance or

difficulty of tasks is rated. Project managers, regardless of their experience, see tasks related to reporting andfinancial management as most important and tasks related to communication and management of people as

most difficult. But in the ranking of the top 12 difficult and important tasks we find tasks related to different

areas like communication, management, reporting, finances etc.

In chapter 4, the influence of training in project management, which refers to question 7 and chapter 5, the

influence of the scope of projects which refers to question 8, the results are similar. Here too we find no

obvious influence on the way project managers rank tasks regardless of whether they received project

management training or not.

Chapter 6, type of training required according to project implementation phase, also provides an analysis of

the answers given to the open questions in the questionnaire. It contributes to questions 9, 10 and 11 by

revealing the answers given to the open questions according to project phase (Project management andcoordination, Financial management, Monitoring and evaluation, Project completion and reporting

and General tasks and responsibilities for successful implementation), organisational background of the

participant etc.

In chapter 7, Competencies program managers (PCMs) consider as important for project managers, the open

answers of program managers are shown.

Chapter 8 presents in brief the results of a brainstorming session with approx. 40 project managers at the

KEYLINKS conference in Rovaniemi/FI, which are similar to the research results.


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1. Differences between the view of PM & PCM

According to PCMs, the most difficult activity (Diagram No.1) for PMs in the project management and

coordination (M1=2,72) is making sure activities are carried out in accordance with administrative and

financial regulations. However, the PMs answers showed that the most difficult (M=2,54) task is to overseetasks and ensure they are carried out and that deadlines are kept in accordance with the project proposal.

Diagram No. 1

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND COORDINATION. COMPARISON

OF LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY.

2,11

2,41

2,54

2,43

2,20

2,28

2,35

2,18

2,23

1,56

2,61

2,64

2,72

2,16

2,12

2,36

2,00

2,04

1,00 2,00 3,00

Close contracts with the funding authority

Manage the project consortium by facilitating

communication and motivation

Oversee tasks and assure they are fulfilled and that

deadlines are kept in accordance with the project

Make sure activities are carried out in accordance

with the administrative and financial regulations

Carry out project amendments (contract

amendments) whenever necessary

Communicate with the target group/s (i.e. end

users, other beneficiaries and/or stakeholders)

Foster sustainable long term co-operation with

consortium members

Be available and well prepared for monitoringvisits held by the funding authority

Compile project outputs and outcomes according

to the project proposal

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

PM PCM

The analysis showed that both groups of managers found the most difficult activity (Diagram No.2) in the

financial management stage was making sure the financial rules are clear for all consortium members.

1Average indicator of difficulties


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Diagram No. 2

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT. COMPARISON OF LEVEL OF

DIFFICULTY.

1,72

1,97

2,37

2,29

2,52

1,48

1,39

2,14

1,96

2,21

1,00 2,00 3,00

Transfer payments to partners according to

the partner contracts

Ask funding authorities for clarification if

specific questions related to the financial

Adjust project budget if necessary, for the

implementation of the proposal project

Carry out financial monitoring during the

project implementation

Make sure the financial rules are clear for all

consortium members

49

50

51

52

48

PM PCM

The average indicator of difficulties in project monitoring and evaluation of the project implementation

process (Diagram No. 3) was distributed equally among the respondents of both manager groups: the most

difficult task being monitoring set qualitative and quantitative project indicators.

Diagram No. 3

MONITORING AND EVALUATION. COMPARISON OF LEVEL OF

DIFFICULTY

2,13

2,48

2,34

2,30

2,31

2,22

2,24

2,15

2,46

1,92

2,08

2,29

1,88

2,20

1,00 2,00 3,00

Monitor the project results compilation

Monitor set qualitative and quantitative

project indicators

Collect and process feedback from project

team and beneficiaries

Analyse the information collected andpropose changes if needed

Monitor financial issues: check if spending by

consortium members is in accordance with

Organise external project evaluation (for

example monitoring by external sub-

Perform internal project evaluation

54

55

56

57

58

59

53

PM PCM


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The completion of project results and preparation of project reports presented quite difficult activities for

PMs (M=2,48). PCMs, however, identified that the most difficult task for PMs is reacting to additional

claims by the funding authority and sending necessary clarifications.

Diagram No. 4

COMPLETION AND REPORTING. COMPARISON OF LEVEL OF

DIFFICULTY

2,44

2,48

2,23

2,20

1,84

1,92

1,68

1,93

1,00 2,00 3,00

Complete project results

Prepare project reports (technical and financial)

Submit reports in due t ime to the funding autho rity

React to additional claims by the funding autho rity and

send necessary clarifications

60

61

62

63

PM PCM

The most difficult tasks and responsibilities essential to the successful completion of a project PMs stressed

as clear delegation of tasks and responsibilities by taking into account the teams competence (Diagram No.

5).PCMs found that PMs experience difficulties in setting upsound human resource management practices

for consortium management and managing of transnational partner networks and provision of a proper

working structure for the project. Both groups of managers agree that inspiring the multicultural project

team and encouraging ownership of the projectis not an easy task either.

Diagram No. 5

GENERAL TASKS. COMPARISON OF LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY

2,36

2,67

2,21

2,52

2,71

2,54

2,36

2,08

2,57

2,50

2,20

2,46

2,46

2,46

2,44

2,48

2,22

1,72

2,42

2,08

1,00 2,00 3,00

Have a clear picture of projects objectives, desired

results, and outcomes and deliver it to the consortium

Inspire the multicultural project team and encourage

the ownership of the project

Give the framework for reporting and communication

practises

Manage transnational partner networks and provide

proper working structure for the project consortium

Empower the team, clearly delegate tasks and

responsibilities by taking into account the team

Set up sound human resource management practises

for consortium management

Introduce and use different working methods and tools

in project implementation

Disseminate information about the project and the

results as a good practice example

Observe situation changes and modify the project

implementation in order to guarantee projects desired

Know the financial obligations and assure that the

whole project consortium understands

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

PM PCM


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With reference to the research results, the average level of difficulty among PCM and PM respondents was

distributed in the following way (diagram No. 6): the most difficult tasks for PMs were identified as

empowering the team by clear delegation of tasks and responsibilities, inspiration of the multicultural project

team and encouraging ownership of the project. PMs mentioned that observing situation changes and

modifying project implementation in order to guarantee a projects desired deliverables is a difficult task as

well. According to PCMs the most difficult tasks for PMs are: managing the project consortium by

facilitating communication and motivation, overseeing tasks and ensuring they are fulfilled and thatdeadlines are kept in accordance with the project proposal, making sure activities are carried out in

accordance with the administrative and financial regulations. There are some tasks that were identified by

PMs as most difficult but not mentioned by PCMs and vice versa.

Diagram No. 6

THE MOST DIFFICULT TASKS FO R PM COMPARING WITH PCM

2,71

2,67

2,57

2,54

2,54

2,52

2,48

2,43

2,52

2,5

2,48

2,44

2,44

2,46

2,42

2,64

2,48

2,46

2,46

2,72

2,61

2,46

2,36

2,29

2 2,1 2,2 2,3 2,4 2,5 2,6 2,7 2,8 2,9 3

Empower the team, clearly delegate t asks and respons ibilities by taking into

account t he team members strengths and s kills

Inspire the multicultural project t eam and encourage the ownership of the

project

Observe situation changes and modify the p roject implementation in order to

guarantee projects desired deliverables

Oversee tasks and assure they are fulfilled and that deadlines are kept in

accordance with the project proposal

Set up sound human resource management p ractises for consort ium

management

Manage transnational partner networks and provide proper working structure

for the project consortium

Monitor set qualitative and quantitative project indicators

Make sure activities are carried out in accordance with the administrat ive and

financial regulations

Make sure the financial rules are clear for all consortium members

Know t he financial obligations and assure that t he whole project consortium

understands

Prepare p roject reports (technical and financial)


Manage the p roject consortium by facilitating communication and mot ivation

Give the framework for reporting and communication practises

Foster sustainable long term co-operation with consortium members

Monitor financial issues: check if sp ending by consortium members is in


68

65

72

41

69

67

55

42

48

73

61

60

40

66

4

5

58

PM PCM

PM Q No. PCM Q No.

2,71 68. 2,72 42.

2,67 65. 2,64 41.

2,57 72. 2,61 40.

2,54 41. 2,48 69.2,54 69. 2,46 55.

2,52 48. 2,46 65.

2,52 67. 2,46 66.

2,5 73. 2,46 67.

2,48 55. 2,44 68.

2,48 61. 2,42 72.

2,44 60. 2,36 45.2,43 42. 2,29 58.


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2. Gap between training offered and required

The content analysis method was used when seeking to identify the gap between courses offered by EDUs

and training required by PMs and PCMs. The research data, representing the comments of all respondents

groups, was categorized according to 5 research instrument implementation phases:

1. Project management and coordination2. Financial management

3. Monitoring and evaluation of the project implementation process

4. Project completion and reporting

5. General tasks and responsibilities related to successful project accomplishment

The respondents answers were grouped according to similar content and the categories were named.

Project management and coordination

Important for the phase ofProject management and coordinationare the following: closing contracts withthe funding authority, managing the project consortium by facilitating communication and motivation,

overseeing tasks and ensuring they are fulfilled and that deadlines are kept in accordance with the project

proposal, making sure activities are carried out in accordance with the administrative and financial

regulations, carrying out project amendments (contract amendments) whenever necessary, communicating

with the target group/s (i.e. end users, other beneficiaries and/or stakeholders), fostering sustainable long-

term co-operation with consortium members, being available and well-prepared for monitoring visits held by

the funding authority, compiling project outputs and outcomes according to the project proposal.

Appl. No. 1: Categories of the course offered by EDUs at the project management and coordination phase.

The research results showed that these skills are trained by EDUs in several types of courses (Appl. No.1):

project management (R.c.2project management, coordination of project, PCM, PM-tools, etc.), financial

management (R.c.procurement, project financial management, etc.), international projectmanagement

(R.c. the specifics of international project management, international project management, etc.), EU project

management (R.c. EU project management, successful EU applications, etc.), human resource

management (R.c. role of advisors and consulters, motivation, human resource management in

international context, etc.),project monitoring (R.c. on-going evaluation & reflection, developing and

implementing a monitoring system, report writing, etc.), project planning (R.c. project planning, project

planning and development of practical skills, etc.),development of practical and specific skills (R.c. MS-

project, project planning and development of practical skills, participatory methods, etc.).

2R.c.respondents comments

Proejct

management

andcoordination

(EDU)

Project

management

Financial

management

International

project

management

Human

resource

management

EU project

management

Project

monitoring

Development

of practicaland specific

skills

Project

planning


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Similar categories were identified analyzing PMs and PCMs answers, i.e. project management (PMs,

PCMs), project monitoring (PMs), financial management (PCMs) and project planning (PMs). However, a

gap was recognized between courses offered by EDUs and courses required by PMs and PCMs in this phase.

Appl. No. 2: Categories of courses required by PMs at the project management and coordination phase.

PMs would like to have some courses on (Appl. No. 2): communication skills development (R.c.

communicating with target groups, training on facilitating motivation and communication, communication

skills (speaking, writing, persuading), interpersonal and communication skills, training on long-distance

communication, moderating groups, etc.); partnership management (R.c. working in partnerships, training

in EU standards/procedures for local partners, management of time constraints and problems with partners

respecting deadlines, ensuring motivation and participation of partners throughout the projects

progression so as to guarantee timely and high quality outcomes, etc.). The category development of

practical/ specific skills was identified in both (EDUs and PMs) answers; nevertheless the content differed.

PMs need to develop teamwork and coordination skills, to know more about marketing and dissemination

techniques, some legal knowledge, etc. They also pointed out methods that might be used in training, i.e.

preparing a case study, action learning, practical exercises and case studies to discuss, training with

practical tasks, etc. Finally, PM respondents emphasized that training should be organized with donor

institutions as well.

Appl. No. 3: Categories of courses useful for PMs at the project management and coordination phase

according to PCMs answers.

PCMs suggest that it would be useful for PMs to have some courses on (Appl. No. 3): document

management (R.c. record keeping, work with documents, preparation of review of activities realized, etc. ),

time management,leadership training, and international partnership management.

Some PM and PCM respondents indicated that PMs need no trainingin this phase.

Projectmanagement

and

coordination

(PM)

Project

management

Project

monitoring

Project

planning

Partnership

management

Communicati

on skills

development

No training

needed

Development

of practicaland specific

skills

Project

management

andcoordination

(PCM answers)

Project

management

Financial

management

Document

management

Leadership

training

Time

management

No training

needed

International

partnership

management


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F inancial management

Forfi nancial managementit is important to make sure financial rules are clear for all consortium members,

to transfer payments to partners according to the partner contracts, to ask funding authorities for clarification

if specific questions related to the financial management arise, to adjust the project budget if necessary, to

project activities for the implementation of the proposal, to initiate and execute a project amendment if

necessary, and to carry out financial monitoring during project implementation.

Appl. No. 4: Categories of courses offered by EDUs at the financial management phase.

During analysis similar categories were identified in all three groups: general project financial

management and project management. EDUs also offer courses on (Appl. No. 4): international project

management (R.c. the specifics of international project management, etc.), EU project management (R.c.

successful EU applications, management of EU funded projects, etc.), project planning, project

monitoring and development of practical/ specific skills (R.c. information technology of project

management, project planning and development of practical skills,etc.).

Appl. No. 5: Categories of courses required by PMs at the financial management phase.

On the other hand, courses required or otherwise by PMs (App. No. 5.), i.e. specific / case project financial

management (R.c. specific training on financial monitoring could be helpful, knowing local accountancy

and project accountancy is important, training in specific financial rules and guidelines, etc.) , financial

monitoring (R.c. how to ensure that money is spent as stated and convince partners to also follow rules,

monitoring tools, etc.), cooperation with donor institutions on financial issues (R.c. adjusting the budget:

easy when the donor agree to make this kind of adjustment, training with funding authorities, etc.) PMs

suggested training methods, i.e.simulations, social network, case studies, practical training with a simulatedreal case, workshops & online community, etc.

Financialmanagement

(EDU)

General

Projectfinancial

management

Project

management

International

projectmanagement

Project

planning

EU project

management

Development

of practical/specific skills

Project

monitoring

Financial

management (PM)

General Project

financialmanagement

Project

management

Specific / case

project financialmanagement

Cooperation with

donor institutionson financial issues

Financial

monitoring

Development of

practical/ specificskills


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Appl. No. 6: Categories of courses helpful to PMs in the financial management phase according to PCMs

According to PCMs PMs should have some training in (Appl. No. 6): document management (R.c.

preparation of reports, adjustment of formal rules and criteria - limits and opportunities, etc.), cooperation

with donor institutions (R.c.participation in preliminary meetings organized by donoretc.)

Some PM and PCM respondents indicated that PMs need no trainingin this phase.

Monitoring and evaluation

The following tasks and abilities are important to the Monitoring and evaluationstage: performing internal

project evaluation, monitoring compilation of project results, monitoring set qualitative and quantitative

project indicators, collecting and processing feedback from project team and beneficiaries, analysing

information collected and proposing changes if needed, monitoring financial issues and organising external

project evaluation.

Appl. No. 7. The categories of courses offered by EDUs in the financial management phase.

Categories identified in all three groups: project monitoring, project evaluation. EDUs and PMs also

mentioned similar tasks as those in the project management category.

However there was some variation in the answers of EDUs, PMs and PCMs. Beside the categories

commonly mentioned EDUs also offer courses (App. No. 7) in: international project management, EU

project management (R.c. successful EU applications, management of EU funded projects, etc.), human

resource management (R.c.,feedback, negotiations and confrontation), development of practical/ specific

skills (R.c. PCM LFA training, project planning and development of practical skills, etc.). The analysis

showed that EDUs offer general courses on project monitoring and evaluation (R.c. Monitoring &

Evaluation, Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation, Monitoring and Evaluation of Development

Interventions, Developing Terms of Reference for external evaluation and/or monitoring, Learning from

Monitoring and Evaluations, etc.) as well as specific (R.c. Existing project monitoring tools, Monitoringvisits, Project evaluation (internal, external, Role of the evaluator, etc.)

Project managementand coordination

(PCM answers)

General Projectfinancial

management

Cooperation with

donor institutions

Document

managementNo training neededProject management

Monitoring

and evaluation

(EDU)

Project

monitoring

and evaluation

Project

monitoring

Project

evaluation

EU project

management

Project

management

Development

of practical/

specific skills

International

project

management

Human

resource

management


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Appl. No. 8. The categories of courses in Monitoring and evaluation phase required by PMs.

PMs in contrast to EDUs would be interested in types of courses such as knowledge management (R.c.

training in European Quality plan Existing tools, Info sources or directories to find external quality experts,

etc.), risk management, time management, and the development of communicational skills (R.c. cross-

cultural communication, etc.). The category Development of practical / specific skills was also identified in

the analysis of the PMs answers, emphasizing, however, the need for different practical skills, i.e. how to

best present proposals for changes, how to develop efficient people skills and active listening skills & having

clear and transparent information. (Appl. No. 8) PMs suggested training methods, i.e. collaborative e-

learning, carrying out case studies, having the opportunity during training of using examples of successful

case monitoring, training in new and innovative monitoring and evaluation methods. Some PM respondents

indicated that they need no trainingin this stage.

App. No. 9: Categories of courses useful to PMs in the Monitoring and evaluation phase according to PCMs

Besides common categories (project monitoring and evaluation), PCMs mentioned that PMs need some

courses that develop skills in research and interpretation of research results and critical and analytical

thinking. (Appl. No. 9)

Monitoring

andevaluation

(PM)

Project

monitoring

Project

evaluation

Project

management

Risk

management

Knowledge

management

Development

of practical/

specific skills

Time

management

Communi-

cation

development

No training

needed

Project monitoring and evaluation

(PCM answers)

Project monitoring Project evaluation Development of practical/ specific

skills


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Project completion and reporting

Important to the phase ofProject completion and r eportingis the following: completion of project results,

preparation of project reports (technical and financial), submission of reports in due time to the funding

authority, and reaction to additional claims by the funding authority and sending of necessary clarifications.

Appl. No. 10. Categories of courses offered by EDU in the Project completion and reportingphase.

The results of the research showed, that these skills are taught by EDUs in several types of courses (Appl.

No.10): project reporting (R.c. Compiling the Final Reports, Report Writing, etc.), project management,

EU project management (R.c. EU Project Management, Successful EU Applications, etc.), international

project management, and project evaluation. EDU also offer more restricted courses such as Technical

issues, ECHO guidelines, Project planning and development of practical skills.

Appl. No. 11. Categories of courses required by PMs in Project completion and reportingphase.

PMs also mentioned (Appl. No. 11) that they need courses in project reporting (R.c. Report writing and

communication skills, etc.). However they requested courses which are not offered by EDUs, i.e . time

management (R.c. reporting deadlines control, time management, preparing and supervising team in

sharing responsibilities, etc.), communication with donor institutions (R.c. training in how to react to

additional claims by the funding authority, training in how to interpret comments and remarks from the

commission, etc.)partnership management (R.c. managing partner consortium tasks and responsibilities,

etc.). The specific need of PMs in the completion and reporting stage was identified as: training in audit and

control issues, hints on preparing project reports (this probably has to be program specific) and financial

reporting.

Projectcompletion and

reporting (EDU)

Project reporting Project

management

EU project

management

Project

evaluation

Internationalproject

management

Development of

specific skills

Projectcompletion

and reporting

(PM)

Project

reporting

Specific

projectreporting

courses

Time

management

Partnership

management

Communicati

on with donor

institutions

No training

needed

Project

planning


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Appl. No. 12. Categories of courses helpful for PMs in Project completion and reportingphase according to

PCMs

There were only a few similarities between the PMs and PCMs answers. PCMs comments have nothing in

common with courses suggested by EDUs. They believe that PMs should have training (App. No. 12) in:

research methodology, report/document management (R.c. how to substitute hard copies of archives with

electronic versions and how to organize electronic archives, report writing, etc .) and time management.

Some PCM respondents indicated that PMs need no trainingin this stage.

General tasks and responsibil i ties related to successful project implementation.

Important to the phase ofGeneral tasks and responsibilities related to successful project implementation

is: having a clear picture of the projects objectives, desired results and outcomes, and delivering it to the

consortium, inspiring the multicultural project team and encouraging ownership of the project, giving the

framework for reporting and communication practices, managing transnational partner networks and

providing a proper working structure for the project consortium, empowering the team, clearly delegating

tasks and responsibilities by taking into account the team members strengths and skills, setting up sound

human resource management practices for consortium management, introducing and using different workingmethods and tools in project implementation, propagating information about the project and its results as an

example of sound practice, observing situational changes and modifying project implementation in order to

guarantee the projects desired deliverables, being informed about financial obligations and ensuring that the

whole project consortium understands.

Appl. No. 13. Categories of training courses offered by EDUs in general tasks and responsibilities.

The results of research showed that these skills are taught by EDUs in several types of courses (Appl.No.13): partnership management (R.c. international partner networks, defining action plans in a

consortium, building alliances, etc.), communication skills (R.c. intercultural communication,

Project completion and

reporting (PCM answers)

Research methodology Report/document

management

Time management No training needed

General

tasks and

responsibilities(EDU)

Partnership

manage-

ment

Communic

ation skills

Human

resourcemanage-

ment

Project

manage-

ment

EU project

manage-

ment

Manage-

ment oforganiza-

tion policy

Project

evaluation

Inter-

nationalproject

manage-

ment

Develop-

ment ofspecific

skills

Team

manage-

ment


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16

communication skills and practices, etc.), human resource management (R.c. human resource

management, team building, etc.), EU project management (R.c.EU project management, successful EU

applications, etc.), team management, project management,management of organization policy (R.c.

the nature of organizations, advocacy and policy influencing organizational development, etc.),

international project management, project evaluation (R.c. project planning, project planning and

development of practical skills, etc.), development of specific skills (R.c. E-collaboration tools, project

planning and development of practical skills, etc.).

An analysis of PMs and PCMs answers revealed similar categories, i.e. human resource management

(EDUs, PMs), communication skills (EDUs, PMs, PCMs), team management (PCMs, PMs), project

management (EDUs, PMs, PCMs), and partnership management (EDUs, PMs).

Appl. No. 14. Categories of training courses required by PMs in general tasks and responsibilities.

PMs would like to have some courses on (Appl. No. 14): leadership training, financial management, and

project results dissemination.

PMs also indicated methods which might be used in training, i.e. seminar or module type training withpractical tasks, introducing methods in self-oriented bodies, preparing case studies and examples, list of

tools available, software, practical case studies to discuss, etc.

Appl. No. 15. Categories of courses useful for PMs in project management and coordination phase according

to PCMs

The only specific courses that PCMs consider potentially useful for PMs are (Appl. No. 15) project

planning matrix and record/ documents management.

General tasksand

responsibilities

(PM)

Humanresource

management

Communicatio

n skills

Team

management

Partnership

management

Project

management

Financial

management

Leadership

training

Project results

dissemination

General tasks andresponsibilities

(PCM answers)

Record/Document

management

Communication

trainingProject management Project planning

matrixTeam management


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17

Conclusions regarding train ing off ered and requested

The following table, showing the training categories of the courses generally offered by EDUs and required

by PMs reveals that the gap between what is offered and required is not substantial.

The main categories EDUs point out are:project management, financial management, international projects

management, EU project management, human resource management, project monitoring, project planning,

development of practical/ specific skills, general financial management, project monitoring & evaluation,

project evaluation, project reporting, partnership management. In almost all cases PMs and PCMs identified

the necessity for training already offered by EDUs.

Nevertheless, in the main PMs would like a course or training in: communication skills development, donor

training, specific / case project financial management, financial monitoring, cooperation with donor

institution on financial issues, knowledge management, risk management, time management, specific project

reporting courses, communication with donor institutions, team management, leadership training, project

results dissemination.

Unlike the other two groups, PCMs do not think that training PMs is needed at all with the exception of

record/ documents managementcourses, which they believe to be necessary for PMs.

An interesting and useful part of the research was the PMs hints on how training in competence could be

given or courses organized. The main methods mentioned were: case studies, simulations, practical training,

experiential learning, etc.

Training categories table of courses offered by EDUs and required by PMs and PCMs

Categories EDU PM PCM

PROJECT

MANAGEMENT

Project management (11) Project management course (3) Project management (3)

Coordination of a project (alltopics)

Project management tools How to distinguish betweenformal requirements andevolving needs for thechanging environment

PM-tools Project management Output management

Project Cycle Management(4)

Training of project management They need to know therules of the game, and be

willing to study them

Managers' Questions How to manage and coordinate projects Project management skills

Change Management inorganizations

General Management

PCM (3)

Project implementation

Implementation training

Closing contracts

General project management tools

Training in how to carry out activities in

accordance with administrative and financial

regulations

Monitoring and management training as well asmethodical training

Training in exchange of effective working methodsand tools for the Management of European fundedprojects.

Project management training

FINANCIAL

MANAGEMENT

Procurement Project management - technical and financial Financial management

Project Financial

management

Auditing and finance

INTERNAT-

IONAL

PROJECTS

MANAGEMENT

The specifics of international

project management (2)

International ProjectManagement (5)

EU PROJECT

MANAGEMENT

EU Project Management (5)

Management of EU fundedprojects (3)

Successful EU Applications(5)


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18

HUMAN

RESOURCE

MANAGEMENT

Human Resourcemanagement (2)

HR management

Human Resources

Management in anInternational Context

HR and personnel, multi-cultural, negotiation and

conflict resolution skills, communications, resultsanalysis

Role of Advisers andConsultants

Training in setting up sound human resourcesmanagement practices

Motivation Leading teams, conflict management

Organizational Development Common sense and basic general management andHR management skills training

Feedback, Negotiation and

confrontation

Training in personnel management and staff

appraisal also useful, as is additional language &cross-cultural training for both expat and local staff

to work together more effectively.

Human ResourcesManagement and

Development

Intercultural training in human resources leadershiptraining

Team building

Integrated project

Assignment

Negotiation

PROJECT

MONITORING

On-going Evaluation &

Reflection

Existing project monitoring tools All types of training related

to monitoring andevaluation - especially froma scientific perspective ofthese subjects

Develop and Implement amonitoring system

Project monitoring package Project monitoring

Social and economic

evaluation of projects

Monitoring for project managers

Monitoring and Reporting Monitoring visits

Develop Monitoring System Training in monitoring system development andimplementation

Monitoring of the project M&E

Report Writing M & E skills

Giving and Accepting

Feedback

Monitoring

Project Monitoring Monitoring training

Develop Indicators at alllevels of intervention

Monitoring tools

M&E training for all involved partners

Training in the set-up and implementation ofinternal monitoring and qualitative and quantitative

indicators

Some training in selection of indicators andmonitoring / benchmarking techniques will beuseful.

Monitoring processes implementation

Training in how to monitor qualitative and

quantitative project indicators

PROJECTPLANNING

Project planning (2) Setting realistic goals about outputs and outcomesProject planningand

development of practicalskills (2)

The art of planning

DEVELOPMENT

OF PRACTICAL/

SPECIFIC

SKILLS

MS-Project Some legal knowledge is necessary Experience with research

and interpretation of itsresults

Project planning anddevelopment of practical

skills (5)

Team working and coordination Critical and analyticalthinking

Information technologies ofproject management

Marketing and dissemination techniques

PCM LFA training E- learning

Knowledge Management Audit trail

E-collaboration tools Having adequate emotional intelligence and asystemic view

Technical Issues Training in how to best present proposals forchanges


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19

ECHO guidelines Having efficient people skills and active listeningskills & Having clear and transparent informationParticipatory Methods

GENERAL

FINANCIAL

MANAGEMENT

Financial Management fornon-financial managers

Budget training (European regulations) Management of finances

Financial Management and

Administration (all topics)

Financial resource management Project financial

management

Public Finance Management Financial issues Budgeting, accounting

Procurement processes Basic Financial Management training Finance managementFinancial Management ofEU-Projects: all tasks above

General financial management training inaccordance to EU funding would be highly useful.

Preparation of reports

Project Financialmanagement

Financial management of projects andadministrative rules foreseen by the authorities

Adjustment of formal rulesand criteria - limits andopportunitiesProject's financial management trainings

Good training in European financial planning andmonitoring

Training in Financial Management Tools

More training in financial management, monitoring

and surveying.

General training in budget management and

specific training in accordance with the rules ofindividual programmes / hints on how to clarify

complicated financial rules for partnersFinancial planning scenario

Training on financial management

Project financial management

Financial project management of course,budgeting, presentation of financial info and

projections

Project Financial management training

Training in budget preparation

Training for interpretation of the official

administrative and financial rules of EU-Projectswith practical examples.

Training which facilitates the budget adjustment

process.

Cost accounting, analytic accounting

PROJECT

MONITORING

& EVALUATION

Monitoring & Evaluation

Monitoring and Evaluation

Participatory Monitoring and

Evaluation

Monitoring and Evaluation

of Development

Interventions

Develop Terms of Reference

for external evaluation

and/or monitoring

Learning from Monitoringand Evaluation

PROJECT

EVALUATION

Evaluation -Methodology Project evaluation Evaluation: tasks,techniques and purpose

Project evaluation (internal,

external)

Evaluation and in particular the set up of relevantand reliable indicators

Evaluation skills

Role of the evaluator M & E skills

Project Evaluation and

Mainstreaming (2)

M&E training for all involved partners

Evaluation (o) project

management

Importance and difference of external and internal

evaluation and its purpose.

Training regarding evaluation methods, setting up

qualitative indicators


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20

Training in different types of quant. and qual.project evaluation / training in budget management(see above); criteria on how to choose an evaluatorand hints on how to find one that is good (similar to

choosing good partners)

Project evaluation

Project evaluation course

PROJECT

REPORTING

Project reporting Each foundation could organize seminars about

project reportingCompiling the Final Reports Project reporting

Report Writing Report writing and communication skills

Some training in report writing is useful for more

technically minded team leaders for whom thewriting of such does not come easily.

Report writing

Reporting skills

PARTNERSHIP

MANAGEMENT

International partner

networks

Working in partnerships North-South/Provision oftraining on EU standards/procedures etc to localpartners

Facilitation of partnership

meetings

Management of time constraints and problems ofpartners with respecting deadlines

Managing International

Partnership

Workshops & online community

Defining an action plan in a

consortium

Ensuring motivation and participation of partnersthroughout the projects progress in order to

guarantee well-timed and quality results

Building Alliances Consortium management: Not so easy to adapt,

depending on the partners (and the donorslimitations).

Managing partner consortium tasks and

responsibilities

COMMUNICATI

ON SKILLS

DEVELOPMENT

Intercultural Communication

(2)

To communicate with target groups Communication

Communication skills and

practices

Training on facilitating motivation andcommunication

Negotiation

Communication skills (speaking, writing,persuading)

Personal management

Good communication

Good interpersonal and communication skills

Training on long-distance communication

Communication, moderating groups

Communication training

Cross-cultural communication (in order tocommunicate to beneficiaries the necessity for

providing input)

Communication

Public Relations Training

Meeting management

Training on communications, visibility, PR is

useful to disseminate results.Intercultural learning

MANAGEMENT

OF

ORGANIZATIO

N POLICY

The tone of organizations

Advocacy and Policy

Influencing

Organizational Development

Management Change in

Organizations

DONOR

TRAINING

Training with funding authorities to experiencetheir ideas and strategies

Donor liaison training

SPECIFIC /

CASE PROJECT

FINANCIALMANAGEMENT

Where are the info sources for minor details (such

as the eligibility of taxi fees in a specific case...)

Specific training on financial monitoring could behelpful


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21

The importance of knowing local accountancy andproject accountancy. Each foundation couldorganize accountancy seminars with regard to theirspecific requests.

Training in specific financial rules and guidelines

Specialized training - experiential

How to officially adjust a project budget would beof use for my institution

FINANCIAL

MONITORING

How to ensure that money is spent as stated andconvince partners to follow rules also (esp. when

"refusing" to read financial terms on their own).

Training in all aspects of financial and budgetarymanagement is important. Without sound cash

flow, timely payments by EU to the contractors etc,

projects can easily fail. The team leaders andconsortium leaders need to monitor expenditure onan on-going basis and ensure that admin staff is

fully acquainted with Excel for example.

Monitoring tools

Expert workshop on the results of budget controls

COOPERATION

WITH DONORINSTITUTION

ON FINANCIAL

ISSUES

To adjust the budget: easy when the donor agree to

make this kind of adjustment. So... depending onthe donor.

Training with funding authorities

KNOWLEDGE

MANAGEMENT

Info sources or directories to find external quality

experts

Understanding the use of indicators as a tool tomeasure process and impact

Training in European Quality plan Existing tools

RISK

MANAGEMENT

Risk management

TIME

MANAGEMENT

Time management to do every task correctly Time management

Audit and control issues

Having enough time, having forms on time

Reporting deadlines controlTime management, preparing and supervising team

to share responsibilities

SPECIFIC

PROJECT

REPORTING

COURSES

Hints on preparing project reports (this probablyhas to be programme specific)

Financial reporting

COMMUNICATI

ON WITH

DONOR

INSTITUTIONS

Training in how to react to additional claims by thefunding authority

Participation in kick offmeeting organized by donor

Training about how to interpret comments andremarks from the commission

TEAM

MANAGEMENT

Team work coordination, team building Team building

Delegation Management oftransnational teams

Team leadingLEADERSHIP

TRAINING

Leadership training Leadership training

PROJECT resultsDISSEMINATION

Project visibility activities and informationdissemination practices

RECORD/

DOCUMENTS

MANAGEMENT

Record keeping

Work with documents

Preparation of reports

Adjustment of formal rules

and criteria - limits andopportunities

How to read changes in

rules and procedures

Preparation of "evidence"

of activities realizedINTERNAT-

IONAL

PARTNERSHIP

Management oftransnational group


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22

MANAGEMENT

RESEARCHMETHODOLOGY

Research, interpretation of

its results

PROJECT

PLANNING

MATRIX

Logical frame set-up

Modification of logicalframe

EDUs PMs PCMs

METHODS OF

TRAINING

Seminar or module type of training with practical tasks Experiencesharing

seminarsPreparing case studies

Case studies based on own experiences

Seminars - action learning

Practical exercises and case studies to discuss

Simulations

Social network

Carrying out case studies

Practical training with simulated real case

Practical exercises and case studies to discuss

Workshops & online community

Seminars

Training in new and innovative ways of monitoring and evaluationPractical training!

Examples of successful monitoring cases

Collaborative e-learning

Participatory workshops

Practical exercises and showing case studies

Practical application


Practical training!

Training must be holistic

Seminars - experiential

Scientific training in the respective field, monitoring, specialized workshops andcourses

Practical exercises and showing case studies

Introduce methods in self-oriented bodies

Prepare case studies and examples

List of tools available, software, practical case studies to discuss

Training in existing tools and good practice of remote working (work platform,chats, etc)


Practical training!

Good practice of what has already been done.


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3. Influence of project management experience

Participants were asked to provide information about how many years experience they had working in

funded projects and to select one of the categories: less then 5 years, 5-10 years and more then 10

years.

This chapter presents the results relative to question 5 and 6 and the issue of the influence of experience.Total valid questionnaires: 169

Less experienced project managers (less then 5 years): 74 (44%)

Medium-experienced project managers (5-10 years): 52 (31%)

Very experienced project managers (more then 10 years): 43 (25%)

The most important tasks for inexperienced, experienced and expert project

managersand why?

The basic question here is if the years of working experience in project management have an influence onwhich tasks project managers see as important and not so important in their work.

The hypothesis is that there is no significant difference between the ratings of the least and most experienced

project managers because the importance of a task is related to the type and complexity of a project, but not

to the experience of a person.

The following tables present the top third in the importance rating of tasks for the two extremes: less

experienced and expert project managers, and for all three groups: less experienced, medium -

experienced and expert project managers using only time spent in project management as the yardstick

for experience. In an in-depth analysis the time dimension could also be connected to other factors such as

number of project managed (not in the data file but in the questionnaire), complexity of projects, size in

terms of budget and partners etc.

The most important tasks for less experienced project managers

Project Managers with less than 5 years experience: MOST important tasks during project IMPLEMENTATION

(1 means that this task is not important, 4 means that it is very important)

3,55

3,58

3,58

3,59

3,60

3,61

3,65

3,71

3,73

3,74

3,75

3,78

1,00 2,00 3,00 4,00

Communicate with the target group/s (i.e. end users, other beneficiaries and/or

stakeholders)

Close contracts with the funding authority

React to additional claims by the funding authority and send necessary clarifications

Make sure activities are carried out in accordance with the administrative and financial

regulations

Know the financial obligations and assure that the whole project consortium

understands

Carry out financial monitoring during the project implementation


Oversee tasks and assure they are fulfilled and that deadlines are kept in accordance

with the project proposal

Have a clear picture of projects objectives, desired results, and outcomes and deliver it

to the consortium


Submit reports in due time to the funding authority



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The most important tasks for very experienced project managers

Project Managers with more then 10 years experience: MOST important tasks during project IMPLEMENTATION

(1 means that this task is not important, 4 means that it is very important)

3,42

3,48

3,49

3,52

3,55

3,57

3,60

3,64

3,65

3,67

3,69

3,69

1,00 2,00 3,00 4,00

Manage the project consortium by facilitating communication and motivation

React to additional claims by the funding authority and send necessary clarifications


regulations


Oversee tasks and assure they are fulfilled and that deadlines are kept in accordance



Know the financial obligations and assure that the whole project consortium

understands

Monitor financial issues: check if spending by consortium members is in accordance


Have a c lear picture of projects objectives, desired results, and outcomes and deliver it

to the consortium




The tables show that in the 12 highest-ranking tasks for the implementation phase of a project, both groups

ranked the same ten tasks in the top 12.

The tables also show that the average values for the twelve highest-ranking tasks are similar for less

experienced and very expert project managers.

Ranking range for less experienced PMs: 3,55 to 3,78

For expert project managers: 3,42 to 3,69


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The 12 highest-ranking tasks for all project managers

The following table shows the 12 highest-ranking tasks according to the average total of the ranking and also

the average totals for the respective tasks from the three experience groups.

Most important tasks for project managers

3,54

3,59

3,61

3,58

3,47

3,71

3,60

3,73

3,75

3,65

3,74

3,78

3,69

3,60

3,62

3,70

3,67

3,65

3,75

3,73

3,80

3,81

3,78

3,82

3,40

3,49

3,52

3,48

3,64

3,55

3,60

3,65

3,57

3,69

3,69

3,67

3,55

3,56

3,58

3,59

3,60

3,64

3,65

3,70

3,71

3,72

3,74

3,76

2,00 3,00 4,00

Transfer payments to partners according to the partner contracts

Make sure activities are carried out in accordance with the

administrative and financial regulations


React to addi tional claims by the funding authority and send necessary

clarifications

Monitor financial issues: check if spending by consortium members is in


Oversee tasks and assure they are fulfilled and that deadlines are kept in


Know the financial obligations and assure that the whole project

consortium understands

Have a clear picture of projects objectives, desired results, and

outcomes and deliver it to the consortium





49

42

52

63

58

41

73

64

62

48

61

60

exp 10y sum

In general we see a relatively uniform ranking with no extremes which supports the hypothesis that theimportance of tasks is not perceived significantly differently by any project managers regardless of how

much experience they have.

Taking into consideration all 35 tasks that were included under the heading of project implementation we can

see that most tasks score between 3important and 4very important. The lowest average value was 2,71,

the highest value 3,82. This underlines that the list of tasks used in the questionnaire was set up according to

their importance for EU project managers.

Tasks from all sections of the survey (Project management and coordination, Financial management,

Monitoring and evaluation, Project completion and reporting and General tasks and responsibilities for

successful implementation) have been ranked among the most important though it must be said that the

task which is top of the list is not really a task. To have completed the result at the end is more or less

the goal of each project


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26

If we also include tasks in the list which are in the TOP 12 in one or more of the individual group-rankings

but which are excluded from the total TOP ranking because of lower values for other groups then we come to

the following list of most important tasks:

Task Q

Nr.

Category

1. Complete project results 60 Completion &

reporting

2. Prepare project reports (technical and financial) 61 Completion &

reporting

3. Make sure the financial rules are clear for all consortium members 48 Financial

4. Submit reports in due time to the funding authority 62 Completion &

reporting

5. Have a clear picture of projects objectives, desired results, and outcomes

and deliver it to the consortium

64 Overall / internal

communication

6. Know the financial obligations and assure that the whole project


73 Financial

7. Oversee tasks and ensure they are fulfilled and that deadlines are kept in


41 Overall

8. Monitor financial issues: check if spending by consortium members is in


58 Financial

(monitoring)

9. React to additional claims by the funding authority and send necessary

clarifications

63 Completion &

reporting

10.Carry out financial monitoring during the project implementation 52 Financial

11.Make sure activities are carried out in accordance with the administrativeand financial regulations

42 Progress &financial

12.Transfer payments to partners according to the partner contracts 49 Financial

13.Compile project outputs and outcomes according to the project proposal 47 Reporting

14.Close contracts with the funding authority 39 Overall

15.Manage the project consortium by facilitating communication and

motivation

40 Communication

and management

of people

16.Communicate with the target group/s (i.e. end users, other beneficiariesand/or stakeholders)

44 Externalcommunication

In general we see that tasks related to completion of the project, and to reporting and financial issues are seen

as highly important.

Tasks related to communication (especially to external communication) and also quality management do not

rank so highly in the priority list but they have been ranked as important with values around 3 and over 3.

One obvious explanation for the high importance of tasks related to financial and progress reporting is the

nature of public funded projects: In order to receive (all) contractually agreed funds it is essential to

properly report to the authorities. So, logically, project managers see it as important, irrespective of how

many years experience they have in EU project management.


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The Most Important and/or Difficult tasks for Inexperienced, Experienced

and Expert Project Managers and Why?

Having addressed in the previous chapter the topic of importance, in this chapter our premise is the rating of

tasks according to difficulty but bearing in mind how respondents rated a tasks importance.

The hypothesis is that in general experienced project managers see tasks as less difficult then inexperienced

ones. It is important to work out which tasks are perceived as most difficult and most important as this couldbe an indication of the direction in which training programmes should turn their focus.

Again our starting point is tables presenting the top third in the difficulty ranking of tasks for the two

extremes, less experienced and expert project managers and for all three groups less experienced,

medium-experienced and expert project managers. The second bar in the chart indicates the importance

ranking for the respective task.

Even though the same scale was used the level of difficulty was ranked approximately 1 degree lower than

importance. One reason is that the extreme value very difficult was used relatively seldom in comparison

to the extreme value very important (very difficult 664 times; very important 3467 times).

The most difficult tasks for less experienced project managers (sorted by difficulty)

Project Managers with less then 5 years experience: Difficulty and Importance of Tasks (difficult tasks)(1 means that this t asks is not important / difficult; 4 means that this task is very important / very difficult)

3,78

3,36

3,65

3,59

3,47

3,38

3,60

3,37

3,00

3,74

3,52

3,44

2,49

2,50

2,51

2,53

2,54

2,56

2,58

2,61

2,63

2,64

2,68

2,74

1,00 2,00 3,00 4,00



Make sure the financial rules are c lear for all consortium members


regulations

Collect and process feedback from project team and beneficiaries

Observe situation changes and modify the project implementation in order to guarantee

projects desired deliverables

Know the financial obligations and assure that t he whole project consortium

understands

Manage transnational partner networks and provide proper working structure for the

project consortium

Set up sound human resource management practises for consortium management


Empower the team, clearly delegate tasks and responsibilities by taking into account

the team members strengths and skills

Inspire the multicultural project team and encourage the ownership of the project

60

55

4

8

42

56

72

73

67

69

61

68

65

Important Difficult

The most difficult tasks for project managers with less experience are related to communication and

management of people. Under the TOP 6 tasks mentioned four tasks address these topics. We also find

tasks related to quality management and evaluation in the TOP 12. In the importance ratings these tasks

received average values but we must take into consideration that importance ratings did not greatly vary ingeneral.

Tasks related to communication and management of people:


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Inspire the multicultural project team and encourage ownership of the project

Empower the team, clearly delegate tasks and responsibilities by taking into account the team

members strengths and skills


Manage transnational partner networks and provide a proper working structure for the project

consortium

The most difficult tasks for very experienced project managers (sorted by difficulty)

Project Managers with over 10 years experience: Difficulty and Importance of Tasks (most difficult tasks)(1 means that this t asks is not important / difficult; 4 means that this task is very important / very difficult)

2,90

3,65

3,69

3,19

2,79

3,69

3,49

3,23

3,67

3,55

3,23

3,31

2,34

2,34

2,36

2,40

2,40

2,48

2,49

2,51

2,51

2,65

2,66

2,66

1,00 2,00 3,00 4,00


Have a c lear picture of projects objectives, desired results , and outcomes and deliver it

to the consortium



Foster sustainable long term co-operation with consortium members

Make sure the financial rules are c lear for all consortium members


regulations

Observe situation changes and modify the project implementation in order to guarantee

projects desired deliverables


Oversee tasks and assure they are fulfilled and that deadlines are kept in accordancewith the project proposal

Inspire the multicultural project team and encourage the ownership of the project

Empower the team, clearly delegate tasks and responsibilities by taking into account

the team members strengths and skills

69

64

61

5

5

45

48

42

72

60

41

65

68

Important Difficult

Here too we see tasks related to communication and management of people at the top of the list, which

indicates that these issues are seen as difficult for all project managers regardless of their experience.Empower the team, clearly delegate tasks and responsibilities by taking into account team members

strengths and skills

Inspire the multicultural project team and encourage ownership of the project


In general the values are lower for experienced project managers, which suggests that this group finds the

tasks less difficult than less experienced managers. This would support the hypothesis outlined above, that

difficulty decreases with more experience. However, the difference in the values is rather small so we can

keep this slight tendency in mind but cannot prove our hypothesis conclusively.

The only statement (task) rated significantly higher by experienced project managers than by less

experienced ones is Overseeing tasks and ensuring they are fulfilled and that deadlines are kept in


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accordance with the project proposal (Q41). All other tasks ratings from less experienced project managers

are higher or roughly equal.

The following table shows the 12 TOP most difficult tasks for all project managers (average total of all three

groups) and the ranking of respective statements by the individual groups. In general the ranking is as unified

as for the importance of tasks. The lowest value of all 35 tasks is 1,63, the highest value 2,79 [diff. 1,16] (for

the importance 2,71 and 3,83 [diff. 1,12] as mentioned above).

The most difficult tasks for all project managers (sorted by av. total)

Difficulty of tasks for project managers with different experiencies(sorted by av. Sum; 1 means that this tasks is not difficult; 4 means that this task is very difficult)

2,53

2,49

2,64

2,50

2,58

2,61

2,63

2,51

2,46

2,56

2,74

2,68

2,25

2,31

2,35

2,52

2,54

2,58

2,58

2,58

2,56

2,62

2,60

2,79

2,49

2,51

2,36

2,40

2,31

2,29

2,34

2,48

2,65

2,51

2,66

2,66

2,42

2,44

2,45

2,47

2,48

2,49

2,51

2,52

2,56

2,56

2,66

2,71

2,00 3,00

Make sure activities are carried out in accordance with the



Prepare project reports (technical and f inancial)


Know the financial obligations and assure that the whole

project consortium understands

Manage transnational partner networks and provide proper

working structure for the project consortium

Set up sound human resource management practises for

consortium management

Make sure the f inancial rules are clear for all consortium

members

Oversee tasks and assure they are fulfilled and that

deadlines are kept in accordance with the project proposal

Observe situation changes and modify the project

implementation in order to guarantee projects desired

deliverables

Inspire the multicultural project team and encourage the

ownership of the project

Empower the team, clearly delegate tasks and

responsibilities by taking into account the team members

strengths and skills

42

60

61

55

73

67

69

48

41

72

65

68

exp 10y sum

Experience 10y 2,24

Average 2,32

The table shows the tendency we mentioned that more experienced

project managers rate tasks as less difficult than inexperienced

ones. The medium-experienced give all 35 tasks an exactly

average rating.


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30

Subsequently we again compiled a list of the most difficult tasks for all three groups based on the average

rating of all project managers but also including those tasks that had been mentioned in the TOP 12 ranking

of individual groups. Because of the more inconsistent ratings of the three experience groups the list

contains more tasks beside the TOP 12. All additionally ranked statements are in the TOP 20 of the 35 rated

tasks. (The seven tasks included in addition are at places 13-19 in a different order.)

Task Q Nr. Category

1. Empower the team, clearly delegate tasks and responsibilities by

taking into account the team members strengths and skills

68 Communication and

management of people

2. Inspire the multicultural project team and encourage the

ownership of the project



3. Observe situation changes and modify the project implementation

in order to guarantee projects desired deliverables

72 Monitoring, QM

4. Oversee tasks and assure they are fulfilled and that deadlines are

kept in accordance with the project proposal

41 Overall

5. Make sure the financial rules are clear for all consortium members 48 Financial

6. Set up sound human resource management practises for

consortium management



7. Manage transnational partner networks and provide proper

working structure for the project consortium



8. Know the financial obligations and assure that the whole project


73 Financial

9. Monitor set qualitative and quantitative project indicators 55 Monitoring, evaluation

10.Prepare project reports (technical and financial) 61 Completion & reporting

11.Complete project results 60 Completion & reporting

12.Make sure activities are carried out in accordance with the


42 Progress & financial

13. (Manage the project consortium by facilitating communication

and motivation)[ranked 13 by all three groups]



14.Foster sustainable long term co-operation with consortium

members



15.Adjust project budget if necessary, for the implementation of the

proposal project activities. Initiate and execute a project

amendment if necessary

51 Financial

16.Collect and process feedback from project team and beneficiaries 56 Monitoring, evaluation

17.Have a clear picture of projects objectives, desired results, and

outcomes and deliver it to the consortium

64 Overall / internal

communication

18. Introduce and use different working methods and tools in project

implementation

70 Overall

19.Monitor financial issues: check if spending by consortium

members is in accordance with the project proposal

58 Financial (monitoring)


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The most important and diff icult tasks for al l project managers related to their

experience

In the two previous chapters two lists have been presented:

1. A list of the 16 most important tasks of all project managers including at least the TOP 12 important

tasks of each of the three experience groups

2. A list of the top 19 tasks ranked most difficult by all project managers including at

keylinks survey report project-implementation

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