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National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention

Project Management

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While visioning and empowerment are essential to every Project LAUNCH grant, being a Project LAUNCH leader also requires the ability to plan and manage the day-to-day operations at the local implementation site and/or to manage the work of the state, tribal, local, or District of Columbia child wellness council. By establishing work systems, clarifying roles and expectations, and setting benchmarks and timelines, the Project LAUNCH leader frees staff to focus on their jobs.

Project Management in Project LAUNCH

Project management responsibilities of the state and local child wellness experts vary significantly.

To be effective, the local child wellness coordinator, with the support of the local council needs, to develop and implement systems for:

  • Planning: To ensure that the goals of the strategic plan are met, local-level Project LAUNCH coordinators with the support of their councils develop detailed work plans for their own staff and clear work scopes for subcontractors. These work plans contain specific time frames and clear lines of responsibility. Like the strategic plan, the work plan is a living document that coordinators revise annually, or more frequently, to reflect changing conditions in the project and the community.
  • Human Resources: Hiring the right staff is the first step in ensuring the success of any venture. Once staff are on board, the local coordinator can help new employees get off on the right foot by providing them with detailed job descriptions that outline their responsibilities and clarify supervision and reporting requirements. Coordinators and other project managers who routinely review job descriptions and work plans in their regular supervision meetings with staff, help those staff to meet project expectations. Further, instilling the philosophy of Project LAUNCH with staff helps to ensure sustainability of the effort beyond the federal funding.
  • Communication: Regular communication among the project team is just as critical as communication with the council or with the state child wellness expert. By establishing regular staff meetings and/or meetings with subcontractors who provide project services, coordinators can identify potential challenges before they become major challenges, engage staff in joint problem solving, and promote learning across all staff. Coordinators also can use the meetings to apprise staff of new developments and to celebrate progress together.
  • Ongoing Monitoring: Project LAUNCH coordinators use a variety of mechanisms to ensure that staff and subcontractors are on time and on target with work plan goals, including establishing reporting systems for tracking activities, accomplishments, and challenges; reviewing progress toward goals during staff meetings and supervision sessions; and reviewing client satisfaction data collected by the local evaluator.
  • Financial Management: Wise local Project LAUNCH managers use their organization’s own financial management requirements and systems and their subcontracting agreement with the state as tools for ensuring that precious Project LAUNCH dollars are used prudently.

In their roles as monitors and TA providers to local councils and coordinators, state child wellness experts develop and implement similar systems for planning, communication, ongoing monitoring, and financial management. A clear, detailed subcontract with the local Project LAUNCH program is essential for the success of each of these systems.