As we answer this next question, we may recall the problems we solved: the time we found a flaw in our response plan that we quickly fixed, or the moments in the Emergency Operations Center when we relied on our team and our training to make the right decisions. Indeed, it is our ability to problem-solve effectively that keeps emergency management so dynamic. Whether we work in preparedness, mitigation, response or recovery, as we identify solutions to address the worst-of-the-worst that could happen (or has happened) to our communities, we act as agents of dynamic change.
This dynamism goes all the way to our core, as even our foundational structure and methodology have evolved significantly since the turn of the century. In recent years we have redefined our relationship with homeland security; we have learned our place under one National Incident Management System; the list could go on. This ongoing evolution, empowered by our willingness to identify our weaknesses and strengthen them, is a core reason why our community is so strong.
So the question becomes, what problems must we solve — what changes must we make now — as we strive to be the best we can be? A clear contender for our attention is the field of project management. Project management, like emergency management, is a field of its own, with its own guidelines, principles, methodologies, terms, etc. Project management has been embraced by the private sector with dramatic, positive results for efficiency, productivity and growth, but has been slower to gain traction in the government sector.
The potential for significant gain from the application of project management principles was recently demonstrated by the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s Plans Team. The team “projectized” the state emergency planning process. With a specific focus on the “initiating” and “planning” phases, the team created a “plan to plan” that guides every planner through the routine, simple tasks required to create an effective plan. “Make sure everyone knows what plan they are working on” is replaced with a project charter and clear requirement and scope definitions; “get it done on time” is replaced with a detailed timeline, making clear the critical path; “get it done right” is replaced with prompts to plan in quality using checklists; “get the right people” is replaced with clearly defined stakeholder lists; “keep people updated on progress” is replaced with a clear communication plan. By considering each knowledge area in the initiating and planning process groups, as defined by the Project Management Institute, the Plans Team dramatically increased team efficiency, decreased errors and delivered higher quality plans.
As we continue to serve as emergency managers, voluntarily serving to protect our communities, we have a shared responsibility to serve as agents of change and identify opportunities for improvement. Project management can offer emergency management the structure and the tools to make each project we work on easier, more transparent, better executed and more efficient. So our last question could be: What’s holding us back from embracing project management in a more structurally relevant way?
Kiran Dhanji is a Certified Emergency Manager, Project Management Professional and Professional Continuity Practitioner. Since 2012, Ms. Dhanji has led emergency preparedness planning for the most disaster-impacted state in the nation at the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Management. During this time, she led the development of an innovative “Planner’s Guide” that projectized the emergency management planning process.
