Having the right technology is crucial for any organisation to thrive – in an increasingly digital age, that goes for charities too.
Many business change initiatives are IT Projects these days and for charities, where resources are limited, effective deployment and delivery can mean the difference between success and failure.
Whereas most businesses and public sector organisations have dedicated IT teams, many charities struggle to afford or maintain enough of such specialised resources.
About five years ago, the Association for Project Management’s (APM) “The Golden Thread” research identified charities as a sector where there was “a desire for greater support and expertise in managing projects, programmes and portfolios”.
The Golden Thread research discovered that project management in the charity sector contributes an annual £6.61bn to the UK economy, and that “a major portion of charities’ work is project-based”. Charitable organisations, where resources are often stretched at best, “must therefore be confident in their ability to deliver projects, which are so vital for fulfilling their charitable purpose”.
This is where Stoneseed’s IT Project Management as a Service (PMaaS) can offer flexible, cost-effective solutions to help charities achieve their project goals. We’ve worked with Mencap, Plan UK, St Monica Trust, Migrant Help and Action For Kids, to name just five and we are very proud of the difference our resources have made.
Here’s why PMaaS and the charitable sector are perfect partners.
1 – Flexibility = Cost Control
One key advantage of Stoneseed’s PMaaS is its ability to flexibly scale resources up or down depending on the project’s needs. When making the business case for your IT Project you may benefit from the expertise of a Business Analyst, for example, but that’s an expensive addition to your headcount only for them to be benched as the project progresses. With Stoneseed, charities can access this facility through our Business Analysis as a Service (BAaaS).
Then, during initial stages of a project, you may require only a handful of project specialists, but as it progresses to development or implementation, additional resources may be needed. With PMaaS, charities can seamlessly adjust the size of their project teams – scaling up when workloads increase and scaling down once the project moves into maintenance or post-launch phases.
For most charities, budget constraints are a constant challenge. IT projects can be expensive, but essential, and hiring full-time project managers may simply not be an option. Another route is using contractors, but they are often locked into fixed contracts for a certain duration or number of hours, regardless of how the project evolves. If a project is delayed or pivots in a new direction, charities may find themselves paying contractors for unused time or facing expensive change to accommodate new requirements. This rigidity can lead to unnecessary expenditure and inefficiency, both of which charities can ill afford.
The charities we work with frequently have fluctuating demands. You might need an IT project manager for a short-term task like rolling out a new website or for longer-term strategic transformations. As I say, a major advantage of PMaaS is its scalability – charities can bring in project management resources only as needed. Whether for a one-off project or multiple overlapping change initiatives, PMaaS scales to the size and complexity of the task at hand, ensuring you restrict spend on resources to where they are most needed.
PMaaS allows charities to access professional project management expertise on-demand, only paying for what they need, when they need it. This flexible model helps organisations avoid the long-term costs of permanent staff or inflexibility of contractors while ensuring their projects are in safe, capable hands.
2 – Access to Specialised Expertise
IT projects often require specialised knowledge, whether it’s implementing cloud-based platforms, developing mobile apps, or upgrading cybersecurity measures. Many charities don’t have the luxury of employing full-time IT experts in-house.
By using Stoneseed’s PMaaS, charities can tap into a pool of seasoned professionals with experience across various industries, sectors and technologies.
This access to expertise ensures that projects are done right, avoiding costly errors or delays that could hurt the organization.
3 – Leadership And Decision-Making
At APM’s roundtable, when discussing project managers as leaders, David Thorne, of the Canal & River Trust, said, “People deliver projects; processes don’t. There’s sometimes a reluctance for project managers to see themselves as line managers, because they’re often borrowing people from other teams. But that requires more people skills because they have to get all those different people aligned to a goal.”
Richard Preston, founder of Amyloid Action urged project leaders to show more decision-making courage. He said, “One of the big causes of project failure… is that there’s a lot of fear out there. When it comes to project sponsorship, a lot of it boils down to the fact that certain people lack the courage to make decisions. They’re always looking for more data and certainty, which may not be available.”
Stoneseed’s PMaaS talent come pre-loaded with leadership experience and decision-making expertise, and a fresh pair of eyes (with no baggage) can help isolate what really matters. Furthermore, Stoneseed’s new P3MO platform gives charities access to real-time project data making decision-making more certain and reducing the risk of a wrong call.
4 – Managing Change and Driving Adoption
Rolling out new technology is often only half the battle, getting your team to actually use it effectively can be a whole other challenge.
Charities, like any organisation, can face resistance when introducing new tools or platforms. A PMaaS provider worth its salt can help with change management, helping to ensure that staff are not only trained but also confident in using new systems.
By managing the transition carefully, your PMaaS provider can encourage end-user adoption rates and ensure your investment in new technology delivers maximum returns.
5 – Reducing Risk and Increasing Compliance
A failed IT project can be disastrous for a charity, whether it’s from wasted funds, data breaches, malfunctioning systems, resulting in loss of revenue and damaged reputation – the stakes are high.
PMaaS helps mitigate these risks with professionals who are skilled at identifying potential challenges early on and implementing the right strategies to overcome them.
This also extends to compliance, our charities handle a lot of sensitive data, from sensitive case studies to donor identities. Ensuring that all IT systems are compliant with regulations, for instance GDPR, is crucial. IT project managers can ensure that projects meet all security and compliance standards.
6 – Better Data
The use of historic and live project data, enabling better decision-making on project delivery, is a game changer – for those accessing it and using it right!
For project professionals in all sectors, insightful project data can have a transformative effect. It’s not enough to just have the data though, interpreting what your project data is telling you and allowing it to inform your strategic decision-making is where the real magic happens.
Developing greater competence in this area will make a huge difference in IT Projects in the charitable sector, like it has in other sectors, and Stoneseed’s P3MO platform can open a door on your project data.
In conclusion, the charitable sector has to be as engaged in its technology offer as the biggest corporations, whether that’s to maintain donor engagement, streamline operations, or safeguard sensitive data.
Stoneseed’s IT Project Management as a Service offers charities an affordable, flexible way to ensure their technology projects succeed without compromising on quality.
With access to expert resources, only when you need them, charities can stay focused on their mission while benefiting from best-in-class IT project management.
Whether your charity is looking to scale its digital operations, enhance service delivery, or simply keep pace with modern tech, PMaaS can flex to be the solution you need.
More about Project Management as a Service from Stoneseed
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