A CERDS Consult Inc partnership with bulk business development service (BDS) providers in East Africa is a key component of our Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs) projects management. Through these partnerships, over 5,000 SMEs have received business plan advisory and/or mentoring services to increase their capacity to implement enhanced gender equitable and environmentally sustainable growth plans. Ultimately, BDS provider support has inherently improved the profitability and competitiveness of participating SMEs.

To strengthen gender equitable business practices of SMEs, CERDS Consult Inc engages with SMEs, using the Gender Equality Mainstreaming (GEM) Framework as an approach to improve SMEs gender equality mainstreaming in their own business policies and practices, and in
particular, regarding the services they offer to clients. Through applying the GEM Framework with SMEs, we also hope to create a roadmap or model which other BDS providers may choose to adopt in the future.

Objective of GEM Framework Application

CERDS Consult Inc aims to build upon recent advancements in gender equality by strengthening gender integration in SMEs’ business practices and performance. Acknowledging that some SMEs already promotes inclusion of women in its workforce, leadership and organizational
policies, the primary objective is to assess and upgrade how gender equality is mainstreamed in SMEs client strategy and services. By participating in this process, SMEs can expect to boost gender integration in client services, as well as boost business performance indicators, such as number of new clients, client retention and gross services revenue.

Why Focus on Gender Equity?

• Women are key drivers of economic growth, engaging in business as consumers,
  employees, leaders, suppliers and community stakeholders. Yet, women are
  frequently overlooked and underrepresented in the private sector globally.
• Improving gender equity and empowering women in business has been proven to
  yield financial benefits including increased sales, expanded markets, improved
  recruitment and retention, among others (Deloitte, 2017).
• Approach in line with priorities of the sub Saharan governments, which recognize
  the key role of gender equity in advancing economic development.
• If women participated in the economy at the same level as men, $28 trillion could be added
  to annual global GDP by 2025 (McKinsey, 2015).
• Although equality of both genders is paramount, the framework emphasizes the
  empowerment of women, since in most countries, it is women that are at a disadvantage in
  the market relative to men (WEF, 2017). In response, aspects of the framework are
  designed to identify and overcome barriers specifically experienced by women.

What is the GEM Framework?

• Practical toolkit to assess and upgrade company business practices and policies to
  promote gender equity, business growth and impact
• Aligned with the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investment
  standard
  GEM Framework Process
  The GEM Framework is an approach for assessing gender equality, and identifying, implementing and measuring gender equality mainstreaming strategies within companies. The GEM Framework is applied through the following six steps.

Examples of how GEM might apply in SMEs Projects

• More in-depth gender equity assessments conducted of LFs pre-award which result
  in participatory development of gendered business strategies to be implemented by
  the LF over the life of the grant
•  Identify opportunities to improve LF implementation of target initiative activities to
  improve inclusion of women stakeholders (e.g. suppliers, employees, customers,
  etc.)
•  Support BDS/TA providers to mainstream gender equity in client services

What Are Project Health Checks?
CERDS Consult Inc critically understands that health check is a reflective learning exercise, a snapshot of the status of a project or programme in order to identify what is going well and what areas need improvement. Project managers, sponsors and the project team are often so involved
in the day-to-day activities that they can fail to recognize the true status of a project. The checks purpose is to gain independent assessment of how well the project or programme is performing in accordance with its objectives and how well it adheres to organizational processes or
standards.

Why Use Health Checks?

CERDS Consult Inc past research and assessments show that it is well known that in most business arenas, the cost of correcting an issue is many times the cost of preventing it. Looming problems can go undetected or be ignored because the project team has faith that if they just
follow the plan the benefits will materialize. At an enterprise level, conducting checks on a sample of projects enables common issues and non-compliance to be captured and resolved in a cost-effective way and applied to future projects.

 Who Should Conduct Project Health Checks?

 CERDS Consult Inc recommends that checks should be best undertaken by independent assessors – free from internal politics – who can provide a balanced view. Recommendations of independent assessors are more likely to be accepted and acted upon. The last thing you want to
do in a health check is to wander in and just start poking around in a random fashion. A good assessor will use a structure such as the PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) and will take the organization’s unique nature into account and its project management and delivery
methodologies.

 When Should You Do Health Checks?

CERDS Consult Inc proposes two ways you can approach project health checks:

• Perform when the project is in trouble to identify what needs to be fixed.
•  As part of the planned project review process to identify problems before they occur.Proactive checks ensure the project begins and runs as efficiently as possible, but a reactive check can set an over-budget or late project back on track.
  Both have their place, depending on the size of the organization and project complexity.

Project Health Checks: What Are the Warning Signs?

CERDS Consult Inc has identified the following five broad categories of warning signs that are pretty common for organizations that successfully use health checks to identify problems:
1. Project Control
This is about the expected costs to be incurred next month or next year, the project's 'burn rate'.
From this you can estimate what the costs will be and make resourcing decisions to shape the
future and mitigate loss or increase ROI.
2. Compliance
Compliance is about adopting a consistent approach to practicing project management across an
organization. It’s about making sure organizational methodologies are adopted to embody best
practice, improve effectiveness and streamline communication.
3. Validating the Business Case
Projects are done for many reasons, including increasing customer satisfaction, enhancing
efficiencies or developing a new product. The check scrutinizes objectives throughout the project
life cycle ensuring that the project still has a focus on the big picture.
4. Risk and Issue Review
It’s not uncommon for managers to perform the ‘obligatory’ risk management and leave the plan
on the shelf until the project is complete. The check examines the risk management plan,
identifies top ten risks and whether they have been appropriately addressed and if not, issues
recommendations for action.
5. The “Human” Factor
Project management is a team sport. Accordingly, the project manager needs to be concerned
about relationships among the various project stakeholders, which can either enhance or threaten
success. Relationships need constant nurturing. Project health checks look at team functioning,
sponsor commitment, client satisfaction and any other human factors that could adversely impact
the project.

Using Warning Signs to Rescue a Troubled Project

Once executives and managers have identified what signs of trouble to look for, the next step is
to conduct the check and to start turning the project around. The areas of concern below are grouped into logical areas of investigation and action. The health check includes assessment of:

• Scope: initial definition, variation, adjustment of the plan.
•  Cost: tracking processes, reconciliation, projections and variations.
•  Time: schedule suitability, currency, reflection of scope, use of milestones, tracking,action plans.
•  Quality: existence of quality plan, quality review actions, testing, resourcing.
• Resources: sufficiency, appropriateness, time allocation, co-operation, team management, efficiency, team morale.
• Communication: existence of communications plan, stakeholder identification and engagement, issues arising, expectation management and monitoring.
•  Procurement: use of external resources, contract negotiation and management.
•  Risks: existence of risk plan, stakeholder involvement, mitigation strategy effectiveness, review process, issues log, resolution, escalation processes.
•  Contingency Planning: existence of contingency plan, contingency testing, robustness of contingencies.
•  Benefits: review of projected benefits, changes in relevance, measurement of benefits, delivery ownership.
• Business Process: impact on business processes, implementation, planning and testing. 
• Training: existence of training plan, time to produce materials, trainer availability, staff availability, pilot and review.
•  Implementation: existence of implementation plans, launch support, authorization, delivery criteria, testing.
• Governance: existence of management review checkpoints, meeting standards, progress through ‘gates’, tools, skills and process adequacy, compliance monitoring, company methodology.
•  Roles and Responsibilities: definition, accuracy, team support, executive support, responsibilities not covered in definition.
•  Documentation: availability, organization, easy location, version control, construction, meeting agendas and minutes, signatures, glossary, decision register.
• Requirements: documentation, tracking of changes, documentation of changes and approval.

CERDS Consult Inc recommends that by taking the time to have the project independently ‘health checked’ organizations can not only avoid any potential risk, but can also confirm that their project managers are on top of all the key elements ensuring the projects’ success.

CERDS Consult Inc has assessed and conformed that projects fail when quality, scope, budget, or schedule does not meet expectations. Often this occurs because effective project management disciplines are not executed, or no project methodology exists. Critical to an effective “rescue” is the quick identification of the project’s current shortcomings. If quick identification of the problem(s) can be identified and an action plan defined and implemented, the project can get back on track to meet its overall objectives.

CERDS Consult Inc Project Rescue service offering provides senior level project managers skilled at “rescuing” projects that are failing or are on a path for failure. The service is offered on two levels:

• CERDS Consult Inc project manager stays with the project through implementation and closure.
• CERDS Consult Inc project manager successfully gets the project back on track and conducts a knowledge transfer with the incoming project manager.
• CERDS Consult Inc Project Rescue service offering provides leadership with a proven framework to identify, define and implement a plan to bring your project back on track.

The following components reflect our approach to resolve projects in need:

• Assessment of project scope, schedule, support, risks, and issues
• Assessment of project resources, processes, and tools
• Development of action plans and mitigation strategies to better utilize people, processes,and tools
•  Implementation of action plans through leadership and oversight
• Assessment of existing project methodology for effectiveness and presentation of recommendations to address any process gaps
• Assist in lessons-learned activities

CERDS Consult Inc perceives Project Management Systems requiring three core enablers:

• Organizational Support
• Methods or Tools
• People
  These enablers can be sub divided into major ‘components’, such as:
• Planning
•  Organizing and staffing
• Integration
•  Project prioritization
• Capacity planning
  These major ‘components’ can be divided again into specific behaviors or activity such as:

•  Defining the WBS
• Assessing risk
• Resource plans
• Creating the WBS

CERDS Consult Inc works with organizations to ‘map out’ their existing project management practices against a baseline, identify and prioritise opportunities, develop action plans and execute development. The development activity can be carried out by CERDS Consult Inc
consultants, or by the organization itself with, or without, GBMC consultants coaching the organizations’ people. CERDS Consult Inc can ‘draw’ on its vast library of documentation and procedures to quickly adapt them to a clients’ environment.

CERDS Consult Inc has worked with a number of organizations to define governance, develop, and implement their project management systems and methodologies. For example, CERDS Consult Inc was tasked by JICA KENYA to harmonize SMEs documented project management
methodologies from across various sectors different entities. The result was a reduction in project management procedures by 75%.

CERDS Consult Inc guarantees that you can increase the chances that you will complete your project successfully by carrying out an extensive planning process prior to launch. The project launch checklist is a key element of this process. It allows you to verify that all essential
elements of your project plan are in place and you can start work with confidence that your project launch will go smoothly.

What Are Your Objectives?

CERDS Consult Inc asserts that successful projects are completed on time, within budget, and they deliver the functionality users require. A project launch checklist includes a verification that the time, budget and functionality targets are clear and are understood by all team members. When you call your team together for a project launch review, the checklist allows you to identify questions team members may have about the project objectives and address doubts that the targets are achievable. If team members have widespread misgivings regarding a particular aspect of the project, you have to monitor progress in that area closely and assign additional resources if necessary.

Do You Have The Resources Needed?

CERDS Consult Inc team advices that your project launch checklist has to include verifications that you have included sufficient resources for each critical aspect of the project in your project planning. Questioning team members to check that they can carry out the work in the specified
time and within the available budget lets you verify that the overall plan for the project is realistic. A team meeting to go through the checklist can also verify that the project organization chart is accurate and effective, the work breakdown has identified all required tasks, each task
has a team member who is responsible for it and the project documentation is complete and clear.

Are Qualified People In The Right Positions?

CERDS Consult Inc observes that each project has areas that absolutely have to work for the overall project to be successful. This part of your project checklist identifies critical project tasks and makes sure the team members in charge of them are qualified to complete the work. The
assignment of employees to specific parts of a project often depends on many factors, including availability, work history and experience. Performing a check before project launch to ensure that key project positions are in qualified hands allows you to ensure that critical project tasks will be carried out competently and lets you re-assign employees in case there are doubts.

How Do You Know When You Are Finished?
CERDS Consult Inc research findings show that you can only meet targets for costs and schedule if you have a clear definition of what makes up a finished project. For example, some projects are considered complete when they start producing revenue. Others are handed over to the users
after completion of a test phase. Your checklist has to include criteria for project completion so you know when you can declare that you have met a scheduled completion date and can stop collecting costs for your budget. Clear criteria for project completion are a prerequisite for
successful projects, and your checklist has to make sure they are included in your project plan.

How to develop a PMO strategic plan
CERDS Consult Inc cautions businesses that developing a PMO strategic plan that ensures high alignment with business objectives is no light task. Here are the key steps to effectively launching your project management office’s strategic plan. In CERDS Consult Inc view point, Strategic-level (PMOs), also known as enterprise project management offices, are essential in developing, maintaining and communicating effective
project, program and portfolio practices. Having a solid company-wide strategic plan provides the blueprint that all PMO initiatives should align with and be measured against. Unfortunately, only 41 percent of strategic PMOs have a high level of alignment with their organization's
strategy. Given the likelihood of project failure, organizations are under increasing pressure to develop a PMO strategic plan.

CERDS Consult Inc further notes that if a PMO or EPMO does not have a strategic plan that aligns with overall operational goals, then projects are at risk of wasting resources and time, and are unlikely to produce deliverables. It is vital that organizations fist identify long-term operational goals, establish a PMO, and then develop a PMO strategic plan that aligns with company-wide objectives.

CERDS Consult Inc has developed nine steps to help your company establish an effective PMO strategic plan that utilizes talent, technology and resources to synchronize activities with business goals to improve overall performance.

Step 1: Establish a clear understanding of the company’s vision and mission

Without a clear understanding of the company’s vision, mission and goals, it is virtually impossible to establish a successful PMO plan. To get a complete picture of the company’soverall strategic vision and mission, PMO leaders must be directly involved in executive planning sessions at a strategic level. This is the only way a PMO can truly be effective in its approach and endeavors.

Step 2: Establish and prioritize PMO goals

PMO leaders and the executive team must work together to identify companywide objectives and determine the role of the PMO in meeting them. All goals should be directly linked with higher-level company initiatives, rather than focusing on department-level projects. Identification of goals and the prioritization of each resulting project should be a coordinated effort between executives and the PMO leadership team.

Step 3: Assess PMO resources and capabilities

To develop an effective strategic plan, all available resources, including internal and outsourced talent, must be assessed. PMO leaders should examine the PMO’s capabilities and technologies, and determine any areas of weakness or areas where the PMO may be operating in a position of strength. By doing so, PMO leaders can advocate for the right type and amount of resources to properly and sufficiently support the goals of the company without the risk of gaps that can impact the PMO’s ability to deliver results. This step is important in securing full buy-in from
the leadership team. Without the full backing of the executive team, or the necessary people, processes, and technology in place, the PMO simply cannot effectively execute any strategic plan.

Step 4: Document the PMO’s plan for meeting goals and reducing risks

Once full buy-in and support for the PMO is received from the executive team, PMO leaders can start formalizing a strategic plan. The plan should include the organization’s vision, mission and goals; the role of the PMO and how it intends to execute projects in a way that accomplishes company goals; the available resources and how they will be utilized; strategies for dealing with factors that may impact outcomes; and how the PMO will measure success.

Step 5: Monitor and measure performance

Establishing relevant PMO performance indicators to measure success is vital in determining whether the PMO has been strategically effective. These indicators help identify where the PMO may be deficient and where corrections or assistance may be necessary. It can isolate issues that may exist in various areas — such as human resources, processes, budgets, quality control, how  technology is being leveraged and so on. In addition to identifying where gaps exist, performance indicators can help the PMO identify organizational impacts and adjust the strategic
plan. Without the means to monitor and measure performance, the PMO has no way to identifywhether it is on track and no way to catch red flags early enough to avoid bigger problems later.

Step 6: Recommend changes and improvements

It is not enough to identify performance shortfalls. A strategic plan can only be successful if PMO leaders recognize, recommend and implement improvements to increase the chances of meeting the objectives. All recommendations should be vetted with the executive team to ensure
all considerations have been factored in. Final approval should also be received from executives, as changes to the strategic plan will impact the company as a whole.

Step 7: Implement approved changes

It goes without saying that not all recommended changes or improvements will be approved by company leaders. It may make sense to implement some changes immediately while others are more appropriate to implement further down the road. It’s important to prioritize and ensure the correct time to implement such changes before executing them.

Step 8: Assess changes as needed

As with any other plan, the PMO strategic plan should be reassessed as company-wide goals, hierarchy, resources, policy, or other changes occur that might impact on the success or failure of the PMO. Many other factors can also play into this, such as regulatory hurdles, changes in key
personnel, cultural shifts, and a host of other things. This is where change management specialists should be consulted to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

Step 9: Develop and maintain a culture of excellence and accountability

Every member of the PMO plays a vital role in maintaining a high standard of excellence. This happens through accountability whereby each member understands and recognizes the significance of their work in contributing to or detracting from overall team performance.
CERDS Consult Inc inherently advices that using this step-by-step guide to develop a PMO strategic plan can help ensure your PMO is more effective and better prepared to achieve company-wide goals.

CERDS Consult Inc has noted with appreciation over the past decade, in many investment projects taking shape in Africa, PMOs are increasingly being entrusted with more strategic responsibilities. Organizations continue to be challenged with the consistent application of defined project management processes, resource planning, forecasting, and other business demands. A well-managed Project Management Office (PMO) can address these challenges in order to ensure successful project delivery. We work with clients when they need to deploy a new PMO, operate a PMO, or optimize and enhance an existing PMO to meet a set of evolving challenges, functions, and services.

Deploying a New PMO

The first step CERDS Consult Inc takes in deploying a PMO is to assess the current environment and develop a deployment roadmap incorporating your organization’s culture and operating practices. We will work with you to identify, prioritize, and establish a set of fundamental PMO functions and services. Deployment includes establishing governance standards, developing the PMO Charter and communications plan, identifying resource needs and performance measures, incorporating the right amount of repeatable delivery processes to fit your culture, and improving the competencies of your staff through training and mentoring. Emphasis is on the PMO providing an organizational entity focused on improving the management of your portfolio.

Operating a PMO

CERDS Consult Inc strongly advices that if project management is not a core competency, consider outsourcing the PMO. CERDS Consult Inc works in partnership with you to understand your goals and establish a structure that will achieve them. We will evaluate what you currently
have in place and will subsidize as required. Or, if preferred, can utilize our customizable toolkit of proven techniques and methodologies. Constant communication, incorporating organizational change management, is crucial to the success and is a core tenet of our PMO operating model. Performance measures are collectively established upfront with you, and progress toward established goals is continually evaluated via quality and performance reviews.

Enhancing an Existing PMO

PMOs are consistently being challenged to provide additional value to their organizations. To meet business demands, projects must be completed faster and cheaper. The business wants more transparency and they look to the PMO to optimize project resources. We can help your
organization rise to the challenge. To take your PMO to the next level, CERDS Consult Inc will first review and evaluate your existing PMO structure, and provide recommendations targeted to enhance it. We will develop a transformational roadmap, identifying areas of opportunity, and will collaboratively with you create an implementation plan for deployment. Common areas of focus for this type of transformation may include enhanced visibility, level of PM competency evaluation, portfolio resource optimization, demand management of both project and operations work, and facilitating organizational change. PMOs offering this level of service govern with a senior management focus on strategic issues and facilitate change across the organization.