Exploring the project management monitoring and control process in the ‘Working for Water Programme’

Abstract

Project management is widely used by the South African government for service delivery projects. The initiation of many projects has led to the development of government programmes. These programmes are implemented through these projects, using a variety of management methodologies. The methodology is often aligned to the department's objectives, which feed into the overall objectives of the government. Project management is known to have five different phases, namely initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control, and closure. The monitoring-and-control phase focuses on keeping the project on track and controlling for all the deviations that may arise during the execution phase. The monitoring-and-control phase ensures adherence to the project plan, and progress is monitored to ensure that project is completed on time and according to the plan, to deliver good quality within the set budget. This study focused on project monitoring and control -- the fourth phase in the project management life cycle -- in the public sector. Problems arise when insufficient attention given to a phase of the project life cycle. In particular, the monitoring-and-control phase is often overlooked by programme managers. This then cascades to lower management levels, resulting in project failure, irregular expenditure, and poor service delivery, as these programmes are aimed at the provision of basic services. In project management, every phase is important and needs to be given much attention, due to the complementary nature of the phases in the project life cycle. The failure of many government projects emanates from a lack of monitoring and control, and project management professionals do not use lessons learned from the previous project to improve their project-management performance in subsequent projects. The management of projects in the public sector does not follow the methodologies used in the business environment, and there is a need to determine critical success criteria. The primary objective of this study was to explore and address gaps in the monitoring-and-control process and related practices of the current project management contract model used in the Working for Water (WfW) programme of the Department of Environmental Affairs. The study followed an exploratory case study design with a qualitative research approach, where data were collected from both primary and secondary sources. The population comprised project management personnel in the WfW programme from Gauteng, North West, Free State, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo provinces. Primary data were collected using a questionnaire in place of face-to-face interviews, due to the COVID-19 regulations and the wide geographical dispersion of the participants. The questionnaires were emailed to purposively selected participants, of whom 20 voluntary participated. Participants had answered the questions in narrative form on the questionnaire. Data collection ceased when data saturation had been reached, and no further participants were sought. The narratives were analysed using the Atlas.ti software package. Secondary data were gathered from organisational documents and analysed by comparing the WfW monitoring-and-control process with that of the Project Management Institute's Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK). The aim was to identify gaps in the WfW monitoring-and-control process. The research findings were also triangulated with extant literature, to answer the research questions. The study found that there are gaps in the current WfW project monitoring and control processes. The findings revealed a limited understanding of project monitoring and control, based on the views of the participants. The importance of monitoring and control in the programme was also highlighted, and that it should be the driving factor to ensure that the objectives of the WfW programme are achieved. Managerial implications are indicated to inform decision-making in changing the current model and establishing a standardised approach to the execution of project management in all provinces where WfW projects are implemented. These changes should be informed by thorough stakeholder engagement processes and research to ensure the proper execution of WfW projects. Furthermore, the importance of having project management personnel with relevant qualifications is indicated, to ensure that the programme managers employ suitable professionals to ensure successful project implementation.

In conclusion, recommendations are made to management to improve the WfW programme, together with an outline of the limitations to the study and avenues for further research.