The potential role of project management in Category B municipalities

by Abrahamse, Daniell Robert.

Title of treatise : The potential role of Project Management in Category B Municipalities Name of author : Daniëll Robert Abrahamse Name of study leader : Mr. Gert Basson Institution : Department of Construction Economics Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology University of Pretoria Date : November 2002 The South African Government’s Demarcation process has ensured that the entire Country now have “City to City” municipal areas. This process has been put in place to ensure that basic services can now be provided to all the people of the Country. With the demarcation process the South African Government also introduced Integrated Development Planning (IDP). The IDP is a process through which municipalities prepare a strategic development plan, for a five-year period. The IDP is a product of the Integrated Development Planning process and a principle strategic planning instrument, which guides and describes all planning, budgeting, management and decision making in a municipality. According to the Municipal Systems Act 1998 (Act No. 117 of 1998), every new council that comes into office after the Local Government elections has to prepare its own IDP, which will guide them for the five years that they are in office. The IDP is therefore linked to the term of office of Municipal Councillors. This process is aimed to provide basic services to the community, by means of making the community part of the entire process. iii The research focuses on the following i.e. to determine the need for Project Management when implementing projects as reflected in the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and to determine how Project Management can be applied in community participation for development projects in Category B Municipalities. The following is discussed and forms part of the corpus of the research: • • • • • • • The Integrated Development Plan and its benefits in terms of service delivery to the community. The important role Project Management plays in terms of projects as reflected in the Integrated Development Plan. The Project Manager must be on board during all the phases of the project life cycle, to ensure that the projects are implemented according to the following constraints: - - On time; - Within budget; - Utilising limited resources; - And achieving the desired deliverables. The Project Manager must have leadership qualities to be successful in a municipal environment. That the Project Manager must be appointed on a performance contract to save guard the interest of the community and the municipality. The inclusion of the community must always be a motivational force behind development, and therefore one of the most important role-players during the project management process. That Project Management plays a vital role in service delivery and community participation, especially when implementing the Integrated Development Plan. iv