Introduction
Inensus is a mini-grid consultancy firm that focuses on empowering the rural dwellers in impoverished countries of East and West Africa. The company has selected two countries, Tanzania and Senegal, with the aim of providing rural electrification as enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goal 7. The aim of this consultancy is to ensure that the selected regions will have access to clean and affordable energy by 2030. The idea of this firm is noble, as it will help people in this region have access to electricity for the first time in their history. However, the ability to achieve success would depend on the leadership style of this organisation, the ability to understand the local population, implementation strategiesand other relevant factors. Mayer (2018) explains that when undertaking any project in a new environment, various factors have to be considered to ensure that the desired success is realised. In this project, the focus is to provide an implementation plan that would ensure that Inensus implements this project successfully.
Mechanisms for Delivering Strategy in the Context of Inensus
Providing electricity in remote parts of Africa can be challenging, as Barnes (2017) observes. The poor road network structure, communication breakdown and the difficulty of finding skilled local workers are some of the fundamental challenges that a firm would have to face. Inensusshould understand that Tanzania and Senegal have some of the worst infrastructures that may hinder the implementation of the project. As such, the management should have mechanisms that would enable it deliver on its promise. Using specific strategic tools of project management would be important in the implementation process. One such tool is the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), shown in figure 1 below.
As shown in the figure above, this tool requires the project manager to break down the entire project into specific deliverables. For instance, the team will have to identify specific tasks such as conducting and environmental impact assessment (EIA), informing the local community about the plan to supply them with electricity, identifying families that will benefit from the project, installing solar panels and the system into the selected homes (Zwikael&Smyrk 2019). Each deliverable should have a specific period within which it has to be completed, individuals who will be involved in the implementation process, costs that will be incurred and potential challenges that the team may face. This tool makes it easy to determine where to start.
A Gantt chart is another important tool that the team should consider using to ensure that there is a careful plan of the activities that should be done. When developing the chart, Pantouvakis and Bouranta(2017) believe that time is often allocated to each of the deliverables based on their complexity. Once the deliverables are defined in clear terms, using the WBS above, this tool will be utilized to set activities in motion. As shown in figure 2 below, the chart identifies the date when a given activity should start, the period it should take and the date upon which it should be completed. In this project, Inensus will have to finish one task before proceeding to the next. It will have to get the EIA approval from the relevant authorities in Tanzania and Senegal before it can start its operations. As shown in the figure below, this chart explains the relationship between the deliverables. The team will understand that the completion of one task would mark the beginning of another task. It makes it possible for the team to have an idea about when the given project would be completed.
How the These Tools Provide Inensus with a Sustainable Competitive Advantage
These tools will provide Inensus with a sustainable competitive advantage if they are used effectively. Baycan(2016) explains that work breakdown structure makes it possible to identify resources that would be needed in the implementation process. The project management team can then find ways of making these resources available before project initiation process. It avoids cases of delays caused by late delivery of resources needed at different stages of implementation (Dawson &Andriopoulos 2014). The WBS helps in identifying individuals who will be needed at different stages of the project and skills they should possess. Inensus will require local EIA officers to conduct environmental impact assessment on the project and deliver their report to the relevant authorities in the two countries. Engineers and electricians will be needed when installing the solar panels and in the wiring process. Having a clear knowledge of workers needed at these stages makes it easy to plan the activities.
These tools also help in identifying and eliminating risks that may affect the delivery of the project within the right time. WBS makes it possible to determine of the required experts can be found locally (Kerzner 2017). The firm can arrange in time to have experts from other parts of the world come to Tanzania and Senegal if it is established that the expertise needed is lacking. Such preparations eliminate the risk of the project stalling. The Gantt chart identifies the reasonable time within which a task in the project should be completed. In case it is established that an individual project is taking longer than expected, it would be a warning that the project may be delayed. The project management team can come up with measures that can help address such challenges.
The Role of Project Leadership and Project Governance in Facilitating Success
Project leadership plays a critical role in the success of any given project. Gardner (2018) explains that the ability of project team members to achieve the set vision depends on the kind of leadership they have. A leader must embrace effective principles of managing people to ensure that they can perform optimally. One of the most relevant concepts of management is the transformational leadership theory. This theory holds that a good leader should inspire change by identifying the current capacities of the workers and the organisation and then providing a vision on how improvements can be made. In this project, the leadership of Inensusshould understand the capacity of individuals who will be taking part in the implementation of various activities. They should be guided when necessary to ensure that they can perform optimally. The following project governance roles should be observed.
Defining the Vision and Mission of the Project
The employees hired in Tanzania and Senegal may not have a clear vision of what Inensus seeks to achieve. It is the responsibility of the top leadership to explain the vision to them, the mission of this firm within that duration and the role of every team member in the project. Bleistein(2017) argues that when defining a vision to employees, it is necessary to use persuasive methods to ensure that they own it. They need to understand the benefit of this solar project to the local community and to them as the individuals who will be involved in undertaking various activities. It would be necessary for the management to engage the local leadership in these communities to make their work legitimate. Such leaders would enhance acceptability of the project among the targeted group. Inensus can only provide the local community with sustainable electric power if they get the approval of the local government and acceptance from the local community. The management should demonstrate it understands the need for program and portfolio management through resource allocation as discussed in the section below.
Providing Resources Needed
The leadership of this project has an important role of providing resources needed in the implementation of the project. From the initial stage of getting EIA approval, this firm will need to recruit and pay the officers who will collect and analyse data within the communities targeted. The engineers and the technicians will have to be paid. The firm will need to purchase the solar panels, inverters, wet cells, cables, sockets and any other materials that will be needed to facilitate the implementation of the project. Knowledge is another resource that is expected from the leaders. Other than explaining the vision and mission of the project, it will also be necessary to educate these employees on how to maintain the mini-grid. They have to be ready to take over the responsibility of maintaining the system once it is completed.
Motivating Project Team Members
Motivating the project team members is one of the crucial responsibilities of project leadership. Brears(2017) explains that one of the best ways of motivating employees is meeting their most pressing needs. Tanzania and Senegal are underdeveloped nations where people struggle to meet their economic needs. Good remuneration would be one of the best ways of motivating the team members involved in implementing various activities. When they are paid well, these employees would be willing to spend more time at work. Constant encouragement is also important, especially when they are faced with numerous challenges at various stages of the implementation.
Providing Guidance if it is Necessary
The leadership of Inensuswill be expected to provide guidance to the locals when necessary. The concept of mini-grid is relatively new in these underdeveloped countries (Conforto&Amaral 2016). It is common to find cases where some of the engineers do not understand its relevance and how it works. As such, the management of this consultancy firm should be ready to offer guidance to the locals. Other than the initial educative seminars, the managers should ensure that they are constantly present in the field to guide the officers. Such close monitoring would enable the team to identify mistakes at the earliest stage possible and find ways of solving them. Holloway (2014) argues that if the management takes its role seriously, it enhances the ability of the project to be a success.
Ways of Evaluating the Project
The management unit should come up with effective ways of evaluating the project activities to determine if the intended goals are on course. One of the best ways of conducting the evaluation, according to Hughes (2016), is through monitoring the progress and success of each deliverable. The method would require the management to assess each deliverable. The assessment will focus on determining if the specified resources have been used in the project and whether the tasks were completed in time. The stage-by-stage assessment means that the management can identify shortcomings and define solutions at that early stage of development. Vinyard(2019) warns that if there are consistent delays and an increase in the cost of completing each deliverable, then the management should realise that the project might take longer and be costlier than expected.
Return on investment (ROI) is a popular way of appraising a project upon its completion. It focuses on how long it takes a firm to recover the resources invested in a given project. However, this model works when the project is undertaken by a for-profit organisation (Kloppenborg 2015). Inensus’ project in Tanzania and Senegal is not focused on generating profits. However, the tool can still be used to assess the overall success of the project upon its completion. The evaluation will focus on the value that it has for the locals. Factors such as reduced cost of lighting for the benefiting families, improved education for the learners who will have long hours of study and improved business among the local community are some of the expected benefits (Pugh 2016). The evaluation will look at the overall impact that the project has had on the beneficiaries in the two countries. The firm should also use SWOT analysis to conduct internal analysis. Table 1 below summarises strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that this firm should be ready to face in the new market.
Table 1: SWOT Analysis.
The Role of a Project Management Office (PMO)
According to Huemann(2016), the primary role of a project management office is to define standards in project management. It seeks to ensure that activities are undertaken consistently and in a standardised manner. PMO is specifically important when undertaking a project that involves repeating several similar tasks. For instance, Inensus will have to conduct repeated tasks of wiring and installing the necessary electrical fittings in the selected homes. It would ensure that such activities are standardised.
Effectiveness of the PMO and How it Deliver Business Benefits
PMO is very effective when it is applied in its totality and with individuals who understand and appreciate its relevance in project management. First, it can help in bridging the knowledge gaps in terms of the skills of the workers. Once a standard has been set, individual team members would be expected to follow it in their respective workplaces. Doing something in the same way repeatedly makes it easy for workers to learn what they do not know. The more they work on specific activities, the more they get to learn (Kotter 2014). It means that after a given period, some of the experts would not have to work closely alongside the local electricians.
Once it is determined that they have the knowledge of how to fix the system, the number of experts brought in from other countries can be reduced. A few remaining experts will only focus on monitoring activities of the local workers. The initiative will lower the overall cost of operation for the firm (Bhattacharya 2017). Standardisation, as emphasised by PMO, also creates a platform where it can be easy to detect problems in the system. Given that the design is the same, experts can easily rectify major defects in the system in case it is detected.
Strategic Tool to Enhance Success of the Projects
Inensus should be keen on embracing strategic tools that would enable it succeed when implementing this project in Tanzania and Senegal. The director of this company can consider using various strategies. However, the most appropriate strategy that it should consider is strategic partnerships with some of the local business entities. Although the programme is meant to benefit the locals and it is not profit-oriented, the director of this company should not ignore business benefits that can accrue if it embraces specific strategies. In this context, the focus will be for Inensus to find local firms operating in the energy industry. Instead of hiring its own employees, taking them through intensive training, before engaging them in various activities as identified in the WBS, the consultant can consider outsourcing some of the activities.
It may identify reputable companies in Tanzania and Senegal, or their neighbouring countries, which have the capacity to implement the project. The director can then reach an agreement with their directors on the terms of operation and the cost. In this context, Inensus will only need to retain a few experts who will be responsible for the initial training seminars to ensure that the workers understand the vision and mission that should be realised in the project (Courpasson&Vallas 2016). These experts can also be retained to help in the overall supervision of the project. This strategy is specifically beneficial because the local firm understands the terrain of the areas and can easily overcome infrastructural challenges than foreigners would. Inensus will not have to worry about additional compensation for the employees upon completion of the project when their contacts have to be terminated.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Success of every project depends on its leadership and the governance strategies that it embraces. Inensus has a plan of providing solar-hybrid mini-grids in rural parts of Tanzania and Senegal. The initiative was developed out of the desire to ensure that the region realises the energy goals enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Implementing this project has numerous challenges. The infrastructure in these countries is underdeveloped and the director of Inensusis not assured that there will be skilled local workers. The management should embrace specific project management policies that would enhance success of the project. It will be necessary to use tools such as Gantt chart and work breakdown structure to identify various deliverables that have to be completed and the time within which each task should be complete. The project management team will need to understand the local forces that may affect the success of the project and come up with ways of addressing them. The director of Inensus should consider embracing the following recommendations:
- The consultant should consider contracting local firms to engage in the actual implementation of the project;
- The director should engage the local community through its leadership to ensure that they understand the relevance of the project.
- The implementation of the project should involve the use of various tools such as WBS and Gantt chart.
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