Project planning and management resources
A selection of resources likely to be useful in planning and managing your community focussed Information and Computer Technology (ICT) project.
A business plan puts down on paper what your organisation will do to turn its vision into reality. It summarises the activities, systems, skills and resources needed to achieve your short, medium and long-term aims. Only undertake projects that support your business plan and its aims! This booklet, from the Charities Evaluation Services in the UK, outlines the process. Available only in a 52 KB Adobe PDF file.
http://www.c-f.org.uk/funding-your-project/forms-and-guidance/business-plan/business-plan.html
Your project and its outcomes
These day many people (and funders) take an outcomes based approach. This guide explains what outcomes are and how to describe them for community projects. "Your project and its outcomes" can be downloaded free in Word or Adobe PDF from this UK website. It was written by Sally Cupitt, with Jean Ellis, from the Charities Evaluation Services for the Community Fund in the UK.
http://www.c-f.org.uk/funding-your-project/forms-and-guidance/outcomes/your-project-and-its-outcomes.html
Directions and Fishbones
Bevis England and the Work Raft Trust are developing a set of work books to assist community organisations initiate and successfully manage their own ICT projects. The first two modules, called Directions and Fishbones, are available online is now available online for download, or used online in their FACITS Resource Selector, and are unique in being created for the community and voluntary way of working.
All are linked from:
http://www.workraft.org.nz/Publications.htm
Basecamp
How do you manage projects? Scraps of paper? Expensive software? Brain cells? Try Basecamp, a brilliant free online tool for small projects. Basecamp allows you to manage one project free. For more, a paid service starts at USD$12 per month for 3 projects.
For more details, read the review we wrote.
This comprehensive toolkit contains a complete set of free downloadable planning guides, templates, MoUs, sample contracts and other legal documents, real life examples, training and project management tools. It was developed by e-Learnz to help tertiary education organisations to collaboratively develop e-Learning resources.
http://www.e-learnz.org.nz/ToolBox/Index.htm
ICT project plan template © Peter Metham, 2001-2006
This simple but comprehensive project plan template guides you through the process of developing and using an ICT project plan. It includes checklists to help a successful result. Peter Metham, Senior Teaching Fellow, School of Information Management, Victoria University of Wellington developed the template for students at Victoria University managing their first ICT project. Peter has kindly given us permission to make it available to not-for-profit community organisations for their own internal use only.
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Three resources from the treasure-chest at www.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au:
The Tasmanian Government has a project management website containing useful tools for project managers.
http://www.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au/getting_organised/managing/projmr.html
John Kenyon says the challenge for organisations to successfully use technology is to develop a budget that takes into account the cost of setting up a computer as well as all related expenses.
http://www.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au/getting_organised/managing/tech.html
Produced by the Evaluate IT Team at the Queensland University of Technology, this resource kit simplifies the task of reviewing or evaluating your IT project
http://www.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au/getting_organised/managing/itres.html