KHRC Organises 2-Day Leadership Seminar on Project Management for Staff

January 19 2023 | News | Reading time: 4 min

The Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC) recently organized a comprehensive 2-day seminar from January 10 to 11 2024 to enhance the leadership and project management skills of staff. The seminar was centered on project management and was facilitated by Dr. Kwabena Badu-Yeboah, a lecturer in the Faculty of Public Policy and Governance at Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies, Wa-Ghana.

To engage staff and gauge their prior knowledge on project management, the seminar began with a discussion of pre-test questions. Dr. Badu-Yeboah led the dialogue, covering topics such as expectations for the seminar, the roles of stakeholders, and risk management in project management. Following a comprehensive discussion of the pre-test questions, he delivered a presentation on the seminar's theme.

He emphasized the importance of understanding the concept of a project as the initial step in project management.

Additionally, he distinguished between two broad categories of projects: engineering projects and management projects. Engineering projects, covering civil, electrical, and mechanical domains, yield tangible outcomes such as buildings, refineries, roads, dams, etc. On the other hand, management projects encompass activities like organizational restructuring, exhibition preparation, IT system development, office relocation, or any initiative aimed at achieving an end result not identifiable as a physical item. He added that KHRC projects may be termed management projects.

Further delving into the context of public health, he elaborated on various types of projects within this domain, covering research, development, implementation, and execution projects.

He noted that research projects identify health problems, risk factors and determinants, and also identify strategies to address health problems.

He highlighted that management plans are derived from departmental plans, serving as crucial guides for the organization to systematically monitor project progress. He also mentioned that management can be at every level of the organization.

In the context of plan development, he emphasized the necessity for organizations to outline their strategies for effective communication with stakeholders. This entails not only addressing funders but also engaging with the broader community and other stakeholders integral to the project.

Transitioning to a discussion on project management pitfalls. One of the pitfalls mentioned was selecting an unintended problem.