Accountability
I’m thinking specifically accountability for college students who are carrying out international service projects. This topic is relevant to MPI, to CGI U, and hopefully to many of you.
How do we ensure follow through from the beginning?
Using step-by-step charts with deadlines, assigned responsibilities, etc. to facilitate follow through. Does anyone have some kind of relevant “project management chart”?
Delegating responsibility and keeping others accountable. This can be especially challenging when the work is voluntary.
How to save a project that is behind schedule.
How to filter differentiate between the reliable and less reliable volunteers early on.
On our end, we have had some success with student teams creating internal and external workplans during their first two weeks in country. The students list all the tasks that need to happen and when, and then assign those tasks to a member on the team (internal workplan) or specific group (ex. NGO, community members, student team, etc) on the external workplan. The external workplan needs to be signed by the NGO, students, and Northwestern/FSD coordinator before the project starts to make sure that everyone is on the same page.
-Ryan, CGE