Lessons learned managing nigerian projects

10 LESSONS LEARNED
MANAGING NIGERIAN
PROJECTS
Facilitated by Ojiugo Ajunwa MBA,PMP
Ritetrac Consulting Nigeria Ltd.
www.ritetracconsult.com.ng

Objectives of this webinar
Having managed a lot of major Projects in the course of my 15 years
career in Project Management.
I thought it wise to share my practical knowledge and experiences with
others especially for people coming into the Project Management
Career/Foreign PMs that may need to understand “Nigerian Project” etc.
Agenda:
1. Introductions /Objectives/Background/Welcome
2. What is a Project and what is an Operation?
3. Building a Project Management Career in Nigeria
4. 10 Lessons Learned managing Nigerian Projects
5. Questions/Answers/Comments
Ritetrac Consulting Nigeria
Limited::..www.ritetracconsult.com.ng::..2016
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Introductions
• My name is Ojiugo Ajunwa MBA,PMP
• I am a wife and mother of 2 lovely kids!
• Am a Project Management Consultant/Trainer for the past 15
years+. My roles has been in Training, Information Technology
Software Implementation , Digital Marketing and Event
Management.
• Am a co-author “A Day in the life of a Project Manager” alongside
other 50+ Project Managers across the world. This is available on
AMAZON
• At Ritetrac Consulting we help organizations deliver their Projects
using Project Management best practices.
3

Background
• I was introduced to professional Project Management by my Boss and I
have pursued the career path passionately.
• I have worked in the Project Management/Information Technology
Industry for a span of 15 years that cuts across Banking Sector, Pension
Administration Sector, Financial Sector, Event Management Sector,
Educational Services etc
• Most of these Projects are mainly funded by the Federal Government of
Nigeria
• Some of my projects have cut across diverse ethnic, culture and
religious backgrounds some even have been with teams outside the
shores of Nigeria –India, South Africa etc.
• During the course of these Projects there were positive lessons learned
and also negative lessons learned.
• In this webinar, am throwing more light on both {+ve} and {–ve} areas
to encourage Project Managers to put in their best efforts in their
Project delivery especially in Nigeria. We can do it!
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Contd.
• I am a co-founder Ritetrac Consulting Nigeria Ltd.,Find us Online and
engage with us here
• Website: www.ritetracconsult.com.ng
• Blogger: http://ritetracpm.blogspot.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ritetrac
• Twitter: @ritetracconsult
• Instagram: ‘ritetracconsulting’
• Linked: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ritetrac-consulting-nigeria-limited
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Welcome, let’s meet you!
•Your Name?
•Do you have experience in Project Management? YES or
NO
6

What is a Project and what is an
Operation?
A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a Product,
Service or Result according to the PMBOK 5th edition, from P.M.I (Project
Management Institute).
• A Project can be constructing a building, implementing a software program,
creating a telecom company, a new vaccine to fight the Zika Virus etc Its not
repetitive.
• An operation is repetitive and continues..
• E.g: Operating a refinery or Power Plant. These are not Projects but setting it
up the refinery and plant is.
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Some of Nigeria’s Popular Project
Management Success Stories
• MMA2 Airport Wing in Lagos built under a P.P.P{Public Private
Partnership} between Nigeria and Bi-Courtney.
• $800 Million Glo 1 Submarine Cable
• Mile 12 to CMS Bus Rapid Transport(B.R.T) in Lagos, Lagos State
• Obajana Cement Project, Kogi State
• Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Akwa Ibom State etc
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How do you build a Project
Management Career in Nigeria?
To build a career in Project Management in Nigeria or anywhere in the world here are
some tips.
1. Firstly take an assessment of your skills –Hard and Soft Skills. Are you good with
people, organizing, planning etc
2. Do a research of job profiles that target professional Project Managers do you like
what you have seen? Is it a fit? Do you see yourself doing these?
3. Join Social Media Channels that talk about Project Management on
Linkedin{Groups], Twitter{Follow #ritetracconsult #pmchat
#pmot},Facebook{Follow Project Management Institute}etc
4. Volunteer your service to a Project in your community or association for FREE to
test your understanding of what project managers do and get your hands wet.
Yes deliver PRO BONO services for first times I will say and build your portfolio.
5. Get certified as a C.A.P.M {Certified Associate in Project},P.M.P{Project
Management Professional} or P.R.I.N.C.E 2{Foundation/Practitioner]
6. Research organizations you want to work with, tell people in your network,
create a resume that matches your new desired role, apply for these openings
and give it your best shot.
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Question
• How did you get into Project Management, was it Planned or
Accidental?
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Lessons learned managing Nigerian
Projects
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#Lesson 1
Meetings can go out of hand: Our meeting stretch- we love to talk in
the Nigerian Culture. Ensure your meetings always have an agenda
and action points and you stick to timing.
Encourage your team members to really communicate. Try Delphi
Technique were they can say what's on their mind anonymously.
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#Lesson 2
Remind your teams/Stakeholders of email communications: Always
call or sms to inform your team members that you have just sent an
email(or it may not be acknowledged or read)
Communicate constantly, know the content extent for each
stakeholder’s communication. Ensure timely delivery and you copy
everyone that is involved. Make sure you also file away these
communication records for reference purposes. A culture in Nigeria is
not to keep records/data but we must as professionals.
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#Lesson 3
• Have an open mind: I have learned to keep an open mind on
projects. I now have many colleagues turned friends and lots of
tools that easily help me manage projects and enhance productivity
even when am not physically available on site. E.g Dropbox, Weekly
Debrief, ProjectPlace ,Asana, Wrike, Microsoft Project etc you can
research these online.
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#Lesson 4
• Ensure everyone understands the Processes and documentation
needed: Keep a folder of desired templates, policies and procedures
for your Project. Do you need an executive summary for the CEO or
a detailed Project Status report?
• Archive Project Records: Ensure you archive your Project
Documentation such as Status Report, Timesheets, Risk Registers,
Lessons Learned Documents etc in both soft and hard copies!
Remember Hard copies may get lost, stolen,burnt, torn etc
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#Lesson 5
• Practice using the your Project Plans, W.B.S(Work Break Down
Structure), R.A.C.I (Responsible, Accountable, Consult and
Inform)Matrix, Risk Register, Critical Path Methods, Earned Value
Management {E.V.M} Analysis Concepts etc -to monitor Project
progress and to check in constantly for your Projects health.
• Continually reference your PMBOK 5th Edition on your projects and
dedicatedly apply the processes that are needed by your project.
• The concepts when applied really work!
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#Lesson 6
• Ensure you understand the performing organizations work culture!
Every organization is different their work culture, ethics and the
office politics. The popular “Nigerian Factor” can derail your Project
but ensure you find creative ways to motivate and engage your
team.
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#Lesson 7
• Know your stakeholders –Stakeholders are people or organizations
affected by your project. The (K.Y.C-know your customers mantra in
Nigeria in recent times can also be transferred to projects.
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Contd.
• Know your stakeholders-K.Y.S use the power/interest provided in
the P.M.B.O.K guide to classify and engage them as shown below.
• An unidentified Stakeholder who has High Power and High Interest
may disrupt your project. So K.Y.S is a continuous activity.
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#Lesson 8
• Keep your Cost Report/Issue Log/Risk Register/Change Log
updated regularly: If you have uncontrolled changes on your
projects it will cause the project to lose control and eventually fail.
• Remember you can’t manage what you can’t measure!
• If there is no change control board on your project, create one
with the people in the organization to manage these project
changes and check for impact before going ahead with the
proposed changes.
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#Lesson 9
• Be clear on your Scope Management -Ensure you spell out your
Project Assumptions clearly in your Project Scope Statement for the
Project’s Terms of Reference Document so that you can have a
legally binding agreement when you run into issues.
• E.g A Project can run into financial problems with the dollar
exchange rate situation in Nigeria if it was not stated that the rates
are assumed.
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#Lesson 10
• Make use of Project Savvy People on Projects: This will shorten the
learning curve and also reduce the failure rate of the Projects.
Ensure also that they are certified in either C.A.P.M or the P.M.P if
they will be playing an active role managing projects.
• According to the latest Project Manager Salary Survey 87.2% of the
Project Managers say that Project Management certifications will
help them for future employment opportunities and infact 83.1%
say that Project Management Certifications have already helped
them grow in their career! So the secret of successful Project
Managers is earning and certifying their Project Management Skills.
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Way Forward
• According to recorded evidence as of 2015,Nigeria has over 12
Trillion Naira locked up in abandoned Projects by the 3 tiers of
government.
• Way forward includes to ensure we have clear cut Project
Frameworks in place going forward. To have different results than
we record, Performing organizations and Project contractors have to
ensure they employ Certified and experienced Project Savvy
employees to cut down on the rate of our failed or abandoned
projects per time!
• Thank you.
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Some of our Services @Ritetrac
Consulting Nigeria Ltd.
• Project Advisory
• PMO {Project Management Office} Setup
• Project Management Team Mentoring
• Project Management Certification Training
• Project Management Software Licensing: PROJECTPLACE,
Primavera,Microsoft Projects etc
• MINITAB Software Licensing {We are the Official Representatives of
Minitab in Nigeria and Ghana} and much more
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LOTS OF OFFERS!
1. FREE 15 Minutes Consultation via Skype {ritetracconsult]for the
first Twenty people to email us for Project Management
Advisory before May 31st,2016.
2. FREE “Online Time Management classes” for 3 weeks via email
starting May 17th,May 24th and May 31st 2016. Pre-register by
emailing info@ritetracconsult.com.ng
3. View our 2016 course catalog here http://bit.ly/1MHxxET also
enroll for any of our courses here www.ritetracconsult.com.ng
and enjoy 15% DISCOUNTS as a bonus for attending this
webinar.
4. Our next free Webinar –Mark your calendar for June 2nd,2016:
“How to build a successful career with your Professional
Certifications”.
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Questions/Answers
THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING!
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Lessons learned managing nigerian projects

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