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Epitome of Forest Reforestation Project

PM/571

University of Phoenix

Prof. Lloyd Krieger

Epitome of Forest Reforestation Project

After a massive destruction of Epitome forest by licensed and illegal loggers in search of various wood products, the vast forest was once again no more. Bearing the great importance of the forest as it was the source of many important rivers which are used to supply water for domestic and industrial use. The need to combat the late of desertification that was affecting the country, the government initiated a reforestation program which could show the twenty thousand (20,000) hectares piece of land planted with trees again. The program involved the subdivision of the total area of the forest into two thousand equal units of ten hectares each. The unit of ten hectares was given to two thousand people who were responsible for overseeing the entire tree planting process from land preparation, coming to tree planting and post planting activities that could continue until the trees reached a stage where they could continue growing on their own. We had units working cohesively under the top leader, but enjoy some extent of flexibility. There were units of specialists in pest and disease control, experts in tree planting and expert in selecting the trees. The teams were the watering and general overseeing of the ongoing of the trees. These units ensured that everything functioned properly without expecting orders from the overall project lead. Freedom of decision making such as when to water, spray pesticides and even what type of trees will be viable in the area remained a segmented responsibility at the team level. Since I was working with the forestry department by that time I happened to be among the two thousand people who were selected to oversee the progress of the program in each unit.

The reforestation program can be said to be a project because it meets all the specifications a project is supposed to meet. According to Heerkens 2002, a project is a set of interrelated tasks that are supposed to be executed within a fixed time frame and within set cost limits. A project is often aimed at accomplishing a particular task. The reforestation program can be termed a project because it meets the definition and all the characteristics of a project as set out in project management. For instance, the project will be carried over a given period, which was approximated to be three and half years. The exercise will involve accomplishment of certain tasks which will either be done in tandem, or one after the other. Also, the program will involve incurring of costs in the process of fulfilling the various tasks involved in the project. For example, costs will be incurred in the process of land preparation, buying tree seedlings, planting, weeding, and fencing. Also, the fact that the program involves several subunits, which are managed by different teams who are focused on accomplishing the tasks assigned to them, which will be harmonized later to form a complete whole, leaves one with no doubts when he/she terms it a project (Heerkens, 2002).

The program cannot be classified as of today’s work because work does not have clear schedules on how the various tasks will be carried out, similarly day to day work are often carried over a short period usually one day and they don’t involve teams but single individuals. All these facts clearly distinguish the program from being classified under day today work.

An organization structure explains how the various activities such as task allocation, task coordination, and supervision are carried out in the pursuit of achieving the completion of a given project (Diaz, 2016). An organizational structure is aimed at fostering an environment in which there will be cohesive interactions among the team members that will result in minimal disruptions, overlaps, and incidences of conflict. The reforestation program takes a project based organization structure as the unit managers, who in this case can be seen as the project managers of each unit have a high level of authority. This is true because we were entrusted the authority to acquire resources we needed in the project virtually from anywhere so long as we were within the set limits in terms of costs, the variety of trees and the other set guidelines. The reforestation program also fits in the project based structure in that the employees who were engaged in the program directly reported to the unit manager. The diagram below helps explain the structure

Reforestation Project Organizational Structure

The project base organization structure is advantageous in the implementation of the reforestation program in that; it enhances accountability. For instance, the director will hold the project manager accountable; who will, in turn, hold the staff accountable in case of any disparities from what is required. The structure will also ensure timely completion of the project within the set costs as each unit manager will strive to minimize costs but increase efficiency (Diaz, 2016).

The major drawback of the structure is that the project unit manager is entrusted a lot of powers, which may undermine the other players in the project. The units had been delegated different responsibility; sometimes the units almost overlooked the major project and focus more on what is in their deliverable package. Also, the outcomes of the various units may differ depending on individual efforts of the various unit managers, and that undermines the success of the project. The other demerits include lack of focus since each unit has its functions with issues arising if the project has different priorities. Poor integration and lack of ownership among others. Both are alike in that they are special units undertaking designated roles. Teams and functional organizational projects allow specialists to work on areas they are best suited hence deliver the best of the projects.

The department of forestry for a very long time has a culture of independence and equal opportunity to serve. This culture boosted the success of the tree planting program as all the individuals who were given responsibilities as unit managers were left with full authority to carry out their roles without unnecessary restrictions. This led to quick sourcing of the various inputs that were required to accomplish the project. The autonomy brought about timely completion of the various tasks as required within a very short time. The forestry department culture, therefore, impacted the project positively as it fostered an environment that led to the timely completion of the project.

References

Diaz, P. (2016). Retrieved 26 October 2016, from

http://www.classtoolkit.org/sites/default/files/documents/PM4DEV_Project_Management_Structures.pdf Heerkens, G. (2002). Project management. New York: McGraw-Hill.