Project Manage & Monitoring & Evaluation

Project Management and Monitoring and evaluation assignment

1. REGENESYS BUSINESS SCHOOL
COURSE TITLE: Senior Management Development Programme
MODULE TITLE: Advanced Public Project Management Sector
DUE DATE : 26 May 2024
LECTURER : Dr Stanford
Delegate Information
Student Name Student Number
Tholakele Shezi Reg1407019
Manelisi Nkubu Reg1407017
Shirwin
Kemoetie
Reg1407022

2. Contents
1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
2. SECTION ONE PROJECT MANAGEMENT ............................................................................................................................................................... 3
a) Planning and implementation ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
b) Risk Assessment and Mitigation measures .......................................................................................................................................................... 11
c) Stakeholder Analysis .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 12
3. SECTION TWO .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 14
a) Monitoring and Evaluation Framework .................................................................................................................................................................. 14
b) Importance of Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) ................................................................................................................................... 17
c) Data collection methods for monitoring and evaluation ................................................................................................................................... 19
4. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 20
5. REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 22

3. 1. Introduction
In today's dynamic and competitive business world, organizations increasingly rely on projects to drive strategic initiatives, innovate, and
provide value to stakeholders. On the other hand, successful project execution is frequently difficult, as a significant number of projects
fail to accomplish their objectives, go over budget, or deliver on time. This demonstrates how crucial it is to have efficient project
management to guarantee a project's success.

2. SECTION ONE PROJECT MANAGEMENT
a) Planning and implementation
The challenge for the RAF is to become financially sustainable and viable. The writer's experience reveals that the RAF frequently faces
liability for claims and associated costs that it could have successfully defended. This assignment will investigate the various factors that
led to the RAF's current financial situation, which is unsustainable. The team will propose a project and implementation plan to counter
the factors causing the RAF to be unsustainable. According to the 2020–2025 Strategic Plan of the RAF, its number one objective is to
become a transformed and sustainable organization. The same plan states that the biggest risk facing the RAF is financial sustainability.
Furthermore, the RAF's Vision Statement provides an equitable and sustainable compensation system for victims of motor vehicle
accidents. Furthermore, the RAF's mission statement is to provide appropriate benefits to all qualifying road users within South Africa's
borders, as well as support safe road use. Official or published documents repeatedly refer to the RAF as sustainable in a financial sense,
clearly identifying it as an urgent issue. Whittaker (2023) asserts that the RAF's allocation of funds will diminish if it pays out inflated
amounts to claimants, thereby depriving deserving claimants of payment. On the other hand, the high rate of motor vehicle accidents in
South Africa is a direct contributing factor to the high number of claims against the RAF, even though the RAF's mission is to promote the
safe use of roads. Similarly, this group has identified two challenges for the RAF that it wants to address, namely, the sustainability of the
RAF and the efficiency of the claims process.

4. Project Sponsor: MR. Manelisi
Project Manager: Mr Shirwin
Project Start Date: 27 May 2024
Project end date: 26 August 2024

1. Objectives
 To ensure that the RAF becomes equitable and sustainable.
 The project aims to improve the efficiency of the compensation process.

2. Scope
 Amendment of policies and procedures and development and implementation of a new IT system
 The project will focus on amending the policies and procedures for handling claims to ensure that claims are rejected or
objected to within the 60 days as per Section 24(5) of the RAF Act.
 This will include the compilation of new Standard Operating Procedures, training of employees, and a pilot testing/rollout phase.
 Development and implementation of an IT system that enables an audit trail of the claims on the system at each stage of the
Process.

3. Project deliverables
 Seamless claims processing in line with the RAF mandate

4. Stakeholders
 Claimants
 Lawyers

5.  Department of Transport
 RAF employees
 RAF Executives

5. Timeframes
 Project duration: 4 months.
 Month 1: Project kick-off, requirements gathering, policy review, policy development, policy approval, and system analysis. We
are reviewing the policies and procedures to manage the onboarding and registration of newly filed claims. These policies will be based
on current legislation, as the group does not have the authority to amend it. RAF It is evident that RAF employees lack a thorough
understanding of the RAF Act, as their failure to do so would have prevented them from successfully objecting to a significant number of
claims currently clogging the RAF processes according to Section 19 of the RAF Act, the RAF is not required to compensate any individual
who, according to subsection (e)(1), unreasonably refuses or fails to undergo any medical examinations at the Fund's request and costs;
who, according to subsection (e)(2), refuses or fails to provide the Fund with copies of all relevant medical reports; and who, according to
subsection (e)(3), refuses or fails to allow the Fund to inspect all records related to them that are in the possession of any hospital or their
medical practitioner. At this stage, we will initiate a process to identify the various systems currently in use, identify any gaps, and devise
mitigations to address these gaps.
 Month 2-3: Development and testing of the new claims processing system. Outcome number 2 of the RAF’s 2020-2025 strategic
plan is system modernization. The front end (Onboarding) will especially be tested to ensure that claims that do not comply, are rejected
from the onset, and are communicated with the claimants or their attorneys should they be represented as per Section 24 of the RAF Act.

 Month 3 - 4:
 Quality assurance at this stage the system is tested to ensure it meets the defined requirements.

6.  Staff training staff across all branches. All staff must be trained on the RAF Act again as well as the new policies and procedures
derived from it. Special attention must be given to Section 24 of the RAF Act especially the subsections referring to the correct completion
of the Statutory Medical Report (4)(a) to (d) and the grounds for objection contained therein.
 Data Migration of the data that is in the old system to ensure the integrity of the information on the old system is maintained and
no records are lost.
 Deployment and go live.
 Post-implementation support.












Gantt Chart

7. 6. Responsibilities

8.  Project Manager: Oversee the project to ensure that milestones are met. The project management study guide describes that the
project manager has certain knowledge and skills in project initiation (strategy, law, economics), project planning (information
communication technology, human resources, costing, budgeting, scheduling, quality management, risk management), project executing
(team management, procurement, resource management), project monitoring and control (earned value management, quality assurance)
and project closure (report writing).
 Legal Team: Ensure policy compliance with national laws and regulations. This has been touched on before as policies are derived
from laws and regulations. The legal team must ensure that policies are in line with the laws of this country including the Constitution, the
labour laws, and the RAF Act.
 ICT Department: Develop and implement the new Integrated Claims Management System. This system was already acquired,
and they are currently working on the interfacing and integration of it with other applications. This forms part of outcome number 2 of the
RAF’s 2020-2025 strategic plan is system modernization.
 Human Capital and Learning and Development Departments: Develop and conduct training programs for staff. As mentioned
earlier, capacitating the front part of the RAF (Onboarding) should be prioritized because it will rid the RAF of having to process invalid
claims thereby already reducing the RAF’s liability by a large percentage.

7. Deliverables:
 A new set of guidelines for processing newly lodged claims.
 A fully functional claims processing IT system that is efficient.
 A comprehensive report detailing the outcome of the pilot testing and next steps.

8. Budget
 Total estimated costs: R500,000,000.00.
 Policy development: R10,000,000.00.

9.  System acquisition and development: R450,000,000.00.
 Training: R20,000,000.00.
 Pilot Testing and Evaluation: R20,000,000.00.

The Citizen published an article (https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/courts/high-court-orders-raf-pay-costs-in-contempt-case/) on
15 April 2024 describing a financially stressed RAF with a backlog of 321,000 claims. Therefore, there is a clear need for a more efficient
system that will quickly reject or object to invalid claims, process valid claims timeously, and reduce legal costs by settling deserving
claims before court processes are instituted.

Whittaker (2023) speaks of an ever-increasing liability for the RAF which also points to the current operating model not being sustainable.

Equally, on 06 May 2024, the Sowetan reported that the RAF paid approximately R18bn to foreigners over the last five years
(https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/south-africa/2024-05-06-foreign-nationals-cashing-in-on-road-accident-fund/). A large portion of
that was paid for loss of income or loss of support. Most of these claims could have been rejected by the RAF but because we did not do
so within the prescribed 60-day period, the RAF by default accepted the claims as valid. The forensic investigation department has
identified fraud in large quantities of foreign claims, but this is reactive, and a more proactive means to reject these claims is needed.

Additionally, the RAF’s 2020-2025 strategic plan identifies the lack of an integrated claims processing system within its SWOT analysis
as a challenge. Therefore, our planned project speaks to the strategic plan.

Furthermore, the strategic plan speaks on reducing legal costs (under transformed and sustainable RAF). A more efficient claims
processing system will reduce the number of claims for which summons would be issued thereby reducing overall legal costs.

10. Lester (2014) submits that risks in projects cannot be ignored because each project is distinctive in that they often pioneer new
approaches. The author then explains further that a risk management plan is presented at the commencement of a project setting out the
requirements for risk assessment.

ISO 31000:2018 suggests that the longevity of any business relies on constant risk assessment to optimize performance and to plan for
the unexpected.

Allie (2015) agrees with them stating that projects are full of unexpected risks and that it is difficult to predict future occurrences, but that
lacking in one’s preparation will put you behind schedule. Allie (2015) then concurs with Lester (2014) by suggesting that at the start of
the project, there should already be an agreed plan on the way that risks will be identified and dealt with.

Lester (2014) describes risk assessment as a stage with two attributes namely, probability and impact. The probability of a risk becoming
a reality can be divided into low, medium, or high. There are a few risks mentioned in Lester (2014) that have bearing on the project
mentioned in Section 1 (a) above. They are as follows:
 Technical: The proposed integrated claims management system is a technology that is new to the RAF and the risk is that the
current ICT infrastructure might not be able to interface with it.
 Operational: New systems and processes will be introduced for which there will be training needs. Change is usually resisted
somewhat.
 Legal: Policies must be aligned with the laws of the country. There is a risk of misalignment. There is also the risk of attorneys still
relying on frivolous litigation to inflate their costs (income).
 Resources: The RAF is currently short-staffed and getting staff deployments/secondments for the project will affect the operations
that are already strained.
 Political: Each incoming CEO at the RAF comes with their mandate. Instead of building on the foundations of previous CEO’s,

11. each one of them takes a different direction.

b) Risk Assessment and Mitigation measures
 Technical: The in-house ICT staff must be part of the project from its inception to give guidance and input to ensure compatibility
and inform whether the project is realistic in the sense of technical support.
 Operational: Employees will be informed of the project, trained on the new systems, and informed of the completion of each
milestone.
 Legal: The legal department will be briefed on their role and a quality check will be done on policies before they are issued.
 Resources: The RAF will have to start recruiting aggressively. We have vacancies and there are many unemployed graduates.
It is a win-win situation.
 Political: The drive must be to finalise projects within the timeframes to ensure completion and becoming into operation before
there is a change in the guard.

Risk Mitigation Measure
Resistance to
change
Engage stakeholders early, provide clear communication, and offer training and support
(Kotter, 1996).
Insufficient Data for
Analysis
Collaborate with data management teams and ensure access to required data sources
(Bryson, 2018).
Implementation
Delays
Set realistic timelines, regularly monitor progress, and have contingency plans in place
(PMBOK, 2021).
Budget Overruns Regularly track expenses and maintain a contingency budget (Larson and Gray, 2021).

12. c) Stakeholder Analysis
ODI (2013) describes a stakeholder as someone who stands to lose or gain pending the outcome of a project and they are also called
interest groups who can have powerful bearing on the outcome of political processes.

Lester (2014) divided stakeholders into two groups namely direct and indirect stakeholders describing the direct stakeholders as clients’
members of the project team, technical service providers, consultants, etc. and the indirect stakeholders as managers not involved in the
project like HR.

In the case of our project, the direct stakeholders would be the technical staff involved in the project, the operational staff being trained
and the trainers from Learning and Development, the staff from legal working on the policies to guide the project, new staff (resources)
recruited for the project and the executives who greenlighted the project.
The indirect stakeholders will be all the RAF staff not working on the project.

Stakeholders can be placed into a grid for those with less or more interest and less or more influence. The grid is quite simple in identifying
the group you want to keep satisfied, those you engage and consult, those you monitor, and those you keep informed.

The Executives who greenlighted the project would be in the high-interest and high-influence group so we will want to keep them satisfied.
Technical staff involved in the project and the operational staff to be trained to work on the pilot project would be high interest and low
influence group so you would want to keep them involved.

The Senior Managers not directly involved in the project would be an example of high power and low interest in the project and we will
meet their needs.
Employees not involved in the project are seen as low interest and low influence so we will just monitor them.

13. Stakeholder Role Engagement Strategy
RAF Management Support and approval
of the project
Regular updates, detailed project reports, and meetings to align with project
goals (Freeman, 2010).
RAF Staff Implementation and
adherence to new
guidelines
Training sessions, feedback mechanisms, and continuous support
(Grimshaw, 2009).
Claimants Communication on
change in claim
processes
Clear, accessible communication materials and support channels
(Goodpaster,1991)
Legal Representatives Informed about new
guidelines and
processes
Briefings, legal updates, and collaborative meetings (Eden and
Arkermann,1998)
Government Agencies Ensure alignment with
broader policies
Compliance reports and regular consultations (Mintzberg,1994)
Public Awareness
campaigns
Public awareness campaigns and informational sessions (Kotler,2002).
Academic institutions
and Public Organizations
Partnerships Stay updated with emerging fraud trends and preventative strategies.

14. 3. SECTION TWO
a) Monitoring and Evaluation Framework
Goals and
Objectives
Indicators Data
Collection
Methods
Frequency Responsible
Party
Budget
(R)
Enhance the
efficiency and
effectiveness of
RAF

1. Reduce excessive
loss of income claims
for non-serious
injuries

Process Indicators
PI1: Number of RAF staff
trained on new guidelines
Training records,
attendance sheets
Monthly Training Coordinator R50,000
PI2: Number of claims
processed using the new
guidelines
Claims data
analysis
Monthly Data Analyst R40,000
Outcome Indicators
PI1: Number of RAF staff
trained on new guidelines

15. Outcome Indicators
OI1: Percentage reduction in
loss of income claims for non-
serious injuries
Claims data
analysis
Quarterly Data Analyst R30,000
OI2: Estimated annual savings
achieved from reduced claims
Financial
performance
reports
Quarterly Actuarial Financial
performance
reports
Impact Indicators
II1: Improved efficiency in RAF
operations
Time analysis for
claim processing
Quarterly Process Analyst R30,000
II2: Increased stakeholder
satisfaction
Surveys,
questionnaires
Quarterly Communication Surveys,
questionnaires
Save an estimated
R3 billion annually
in claims payments


Goals and
Objectives
Indicators Data Collection
Methods
Frequency Responsible
Party
Budget (R)
Data Collection Methods
Surveys and Questionnaires Feedback forms,
online surveys
Quarterly Communication
Specialist
R20,000
Interviews In-depth interviews Quarterly Communication
Specialist
R30,000

16. Data Analysis Claims data, financial
reports
Monthly Data Analyst R40,000
Observation Direct observation of
training and
Monthly Data Analyst R20,000
implementation
processes

Document Review Review of project
documentation
Monthly Project Manager R20,000
Reporting
Monthly Progress Reports Compilation and
summary of data
Monthly Project Manager R20,000
Quarterly Evaluation Reports Detailed analysis and
recommendations
Quarterly Project Manager R20,000
Final Project Report Comprehensive
project overview
End of Project Project Manager R20,000
Total Budget for M
and E Activities
R170,000

Communication Plan
 Audience:
 All stakeholders inclusive of RAF Management and the Board, Staff, Claimants, Legal representatives, Government departments
and Agencies, and the Public.

17.  Objectives:
 Keep stakeholders informed about project progress and changes.
 Gather feedback and address concerns promptly.
 Maintain transparency and trust throughout the project life cycle.

 Communication Channels:
 Project Website- regular updates, FAQs, and contact information.
 Email updates: Monthly newsletters and progress reports.
 Stakeholder meetings: Quarterly meetings to discuss project updates and address concerns.
 Social media: Platforms such as Twitter and LinkedIn for sharing project highlights and engaging with the public.
 Internal Communique: Regular updates distributed within the RAF departments.
 Surveys and Feedback questionnaires: Gather inputs from all stakeholders on project aspects and communication effectiveness.

 Responsible Official:
 Overall management of communication aspects.

b) Importance of Public Finance Management Act (PFMA)
The PFMA provides a framework for financial management in all government departments and entities, it ensures accountability,
transparency, and effective and efficient use of public funds (PMFA Act, No1 of 1999)
It mandates that projects shall adhere to strict financial controls and reporting standards, thereby reducing the risk of mismanagement
and enhancing public trust.

18. The importance of the PFMA in monitoring a project is:

 Promotes transparency and accountability in the management of public resources. By adhering to the PFMA's guidelines, project
managers are required to maintain accurate records, report on financial transactions, and submit regular financial statements.
This ensures that the project's financial activities are open to scrutiny, reducing the risk of fraud, corruption, and
mismanagement.

 Establishes financial controls and risk management practices to mitigate financial risks and ensure the proper use of public
funds. By following these guidelines, project managers can implement robust financial systems, monitor expenditures, and
manage risks effectively. This helps to ensure that the project remains within budget and on schedule, reducing the risk of
financial losses and project delays.

 To improve compliance and auditability the PFMA requires that all public projects comply with financial regulations and are
subject to regular audits. By adhering to the PFMA's guidelines, project managers can demonstrate compliance with financial
regulations and ensure that the project's financial records are auditable. This helps to build trust and confidence in the project,
ensuring that public funds are used appropriately and efficiently.

 Promotes value for money and efficiency in the use of public resources. By following the PFMA's guidelines, project managers
can ensure that the project is executed cost-effectively, reducing waste and maximizing the use of public funds. This helps to
ensure that the project delivers the best possible outcomes for the public, while also demonstrating responsible financial
management.
The Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) plays a critical role in monitoring a project by promoting transparency, accountability,
financial controls, risk management, compliance, auditability, value for money, and efficiency. By adhering to the PFMA's guidelines,

19. project managers can ensure that the project is executed efficiently, effectively, and in compliance with financial regulations. This helps
to build trust and confidence in the project, ensuring that public funds are used appropriately and efficiently to deliver the best possible
outcomes for the public.

c) Data collection methods for monitoring and evaluation
When monitoring and evaluating a project, it is essential to collect data systematically and meticulously. Below are some methods We
can use to collect the data required:

We need to define the data requirements for the project in question before collecting data, it is essential to define the data requirements.
This involves identifying the project's goals and objectives and the types of data needed to measure progress and success.

The most appropriate data collection methods to use for this project are:
 Surveys: This will be done to collect quantitative data on a large scale. We will prepare questions which will be done online by
user employees. The questions should give insight into employee attitudes, behaviours, and opinions about the current systems
and policies.
 Focus Groups: Focus groups can be used to collect qualitative data. This will be used to collect data on group dynamics, social
norms, and opinions.
 Document Analysis: This can be done by analysing current documents to collect historical and contextual data. These

20. documents will include policies, procedure manuals, reports, memos, emails, and other relevant written materials.
 Observation We will monitor the implementation process and training sessions directly This involves presenting the data
Document analysis can be used to collect data on policies, procedures, and practices.

4. CONCLUSION
Ultimately, proficient project management is crucial for attaining project triumph and providing value to stakeholders. During this
assignment, we have examined different facets of project management, such as project initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and
closing.
This task teaches us the importance of thorough project preparation. Establishing a well-defined project scope, setting clear objectives,
creating realistic schedules, and allocating resources are essential for laying the groundwork for project success. By dedicating time and
exerting effort during the planning phase, project managers can minimize risks, foresee obstacles, and create a clear plan for executing
the project.
Furthermore, effective communication and stakeholder engagement are critical components of project management. Establishing robust
connections with project stakeholders, upholding transparent channels of communication, and effectively managing stakeholder
expectations is crucial for ensuring congruence and backing throughout the project's duration.

Moreover, risk management is an essential component of project management. An effective approach to minimizing the negative
consequences of uncertainties and unexpected occurrences on project outcomes involves identifying potential risks, evaluating their
impact and likelihood, and formulating mitigation solutions.
Our investigation has shown that project management approaches and tools, such as Agile, Scrum, and Gantt charts, provide valuable
foundations and techniques for efficient and effective project management. Nevertheless, it is crucial to modify these approaches to
align with the distinct requirements and attributes of each project.

21. Finally, ongoing surveillance and assessment are crucial for evaluating advancement, detecting deviations from the strategy, and
promptly making any modifications. Project managers can ensure that projects remain on schedule and achieve the desired outcomes
by consistently evaluating performance based on predetermined indicators and objectives.

22. 5. REFERENCES
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23. • National Treasury. (2017). Public Finance Management Act. Pretoria: Government Printer.
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Institute.
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University Press Southern Africa.
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24. • PUBLIC FINANCE MANAGEMENT ACT (treasury.gov.za)