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MDP in Project Management for Rural Livelihoods

Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA) – Completed in 2021

A short‑term Management Development Programme covering the full project life cycle – from feasibility and planning to monitoring, evaluation, and team leadership. The faculty members who conducted each module are indicated.

Course Modules

  • An Overview of Project Management – Prof. Uday Shankar Saha
    Introduction to project management frameworks, life cycle, and key success factors.

  • Project Feasibility Studies – Prof. Uday Shankar Saha
    Technical, economic, financial, and social feasibility analysis.

  • Typical Issues and Challenges in Rural Development Projects – Prof. Hitesh Bhatt
    Common pitfalls in rural contexts (infrastructure, social dynamics, funding).

  • Need Assessment for Development Projects – Prof. Hitesh Bhatt
    Participatory rural appraisal (PRA), surveys, focus group discussions.

  • Effective Project Planning – Mind Mapping and Developing Work Breakdown Structure – Prof. Ruchi Mishra
    Tools for breaking down projects into manageable tasks.

  • Network Diagrams and Gantt Charts for Effective Project Execution – Prof. Ruchi Mishra
    PERT/CPM, scheduling, critical path analysis.

  • Removing Perceptual Blocks – Prof. Saswata N. Biswas
    Creativity techniques, overcoming mental blocks in problem solving.

  • Emotional Intelligence for Project Team Leadership – Prof. Saswata N. Biswas
    Self‑awareness, empathy, conflict resolution, motivating teams.

  • Project Accounting – A Primer to Financial Accounting – Prof. Paresh J. Bhatt
    Basic accounting principles, profit & loss, balance sheet, cash flow.

  • Conflict Management in Team – Prof. Satyendra C. Pandey
    Sources of conflict, negotiation strategies, mediation.

  • Project Team Development – Prof. Saswata N. Biswas
    Stages of team formation (Tuckman), roles, communication.

  • Costing and Budgeting for Rural Livelihood Projects – Prof. Paresh J. Bhatt
    Estimation of costs, budget preparation, cost control.

  • Managing Time in Projects – Prof. Ruchi Mishra
    Time estimation techniques, Gantt charts, critical chain management.

  • Effective Project Implementation – Prof. Ruchi Mishra
    Execution, monitoring, reporting, and course correction.

  • Marketing Orientation for Rural Livelihood Projects – Prof. Pratik Modi
    Marketing concepts applied to rural products and services.

  • Negotiation with Various Stakeholders – Prof. Satyendra C. Pandey
    Stakeholder mapping, interest‑based negotiation, win‑win outcomes.

  • Logical Framework Analysis – Prof. Hitesh Bhatt
    LFA matrix: goals, purpose, outputs, activities, assumptions, indicators.

  • Monitoring and Evaluation of Development Projects through EVA – Prof. Hitesh Bhatt
    Earned Value Analysis, performance measurement (cost and schedule variance).

  • Work-Life Balance – Prof. Hitesh Bhatt
    Managing professional and personal life, stress reduction strategies.

The programme combined interactive lectures, case studies, and group exercises. It was delivered over a two‑week period in 2021.