The budgetary process for both capital and recurrent expenditures is comprehensive and the final cost baseline must be closely followed to the letter during execution. Any changes to the budget should go through the change management process for it to take effect. Proper internal control mechanisms to detect fraud and deviation from the budget should be firmly put in place as is the norm with properly managed programmes and projects.
Monitoring and control
The importance of monitoring and control, which is an important process in project management, cannot be over-emphasised. Lots of public and private sector projects and programmes are not well-monitored and controlled thereby leading to poor quality jobs, major reworks and in some cases project abandonment. A lot can be learned from this concept by businesses and government because it reduces waste and projects are completed on schedule and within budget. If there is need to make changes to an on-going programme or project, it is quickly resolved through the change management process which is inherent in the project management process.
Workplace cooperation, capability and staffing
There is always gridlock in government departments and businesses brought about by sectional and personal interests as well as deliberate vacillation and boardroom disagreements. Much more will be saved if government agencies, departments and businesses are able to achieve some sort of synergy by working together, a hallmark of project management, and by so doing employees would be happier and more productive.
Regrettably, promotions and hiring decisions are too often based on ancient guidelines such as the federal character principle, which makes sure that seniority and where you come from takes precedence over capability. As a result, mediocrity takes over, is celebrated and, consequently, mistakes are made. Duration on a particular job does not determine knowledge, ability, and most importantly, does not determine initiative.
The well-known bureaucratic process, also known as “red tape”, in the Nigerian public sector is world class. It is really difficult to get fired from a government or unionised job. The process that managers have to go through in order to dismiss an employee is astonishing. This predictably makes people complacent and in some cases, less motivated. If the government could adopt performance-based staff assessment and payment systems as is done in project management, government employees would be more productive.
Procurement management
Procurement is a formal procedure used to obtain goods and services. As a norm in project management all purchases of goods and services must be in writing and in form of contract. Private businesses have a little bit more leeway than government departments, in terms of rules and regulation, when it comes to procurement. They don’t have to go through circles and layers of personnel to get purchase requisitions approved. Yet private businesses could do with a lot of improvement. Managing procurements requires a bit of legal knowledge, especially with regard to contracts and negotiations.
Procurement management in project management is very thorough and not cumbersome like what obtains with government contracts and some businesses. Have you ever wondered why government purchases and contracts are very laborious with lots of twists and turns? Or when the contracts are awarded, quality is never the watchword? Corners are being cut everywhere. If government agencies were more empowered, creative and with options, and schooled in the art and science of procurement, a lot of government waste and red tape could be eliminated.
Better condition of service and incentives
Public servants and a host of private sector employees are very poorly paid and incentivised. Apart from being overstaffed, productivity is almost zero. They are not happy or excited with what they do or asked to do and show no enthusiasm for their jobs. They have been disheartened over the years with downsizings and furloughs, very few promotions and the fact the public tends to have a poor and negative image of them. Human resources best practices as espoused by project human resources management need to be used by government agencies and a lot of businesses to create an environment for people to enjoy their jobs more. Some of these project management best practices should be implemented by managers. Unfortunately, the average Nigerian government department and businesses are usually very reactive and slow to change.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that our attitude as Nigerians to the management of funds, people and resources leaves much to be desired. This has resulted in widespread poverty and general underdevelopment in virtually all zones of the country and sectors of the economy. Sound leadership, good governance, accountability and transparency which have been lacking in all fronts need to be the guiding policies of the decision makers. All of these are the good characteristics and virtues of programme and project management which, if adhered to, will go a long way in addressing the rot in the system. Our orientation and how we approach issues of governance and management need to change. We just cannot continue to do things the same way we have been doing it for years and expect a different result. That is surely the beginning of insanity. Let us pray.
Ayodele Akingbade
