How
to Manage A Security Project
This is a very complex topic
for me to write about.
In 2007 and 2010 when I was
the Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Harvest Organizing Committee (HOC) in St.
Brigid’s Catholic Church, Ijeshatedo, Surulere Lagos, Nigeria, we usually refer
to this phrase “Security is not discussed in the open” anytime we
needed to discuss the movement of cash.
With benefit of hide sight, I
have also come to the realization that most issues bothering on security is
mostly shrouded in secrecy and confidentiality. The reason for this is not far-fetched.
Comprise!
Saboteurs can easily
undermine and comprise a security plan if they know about. Sometimes not only saboteurs
alone can undermine a security plan. Flippant people can also cause a problem
by unknowingly discussing a security plan at the wrong place.
If this is the case, how then
can a security project be successfully managed to ensure that it is not compromised.
First, I went in search of
What is Security?
What is Security?
A lot definitions are out
there on the internet. Here are a few
1.
Security is “the state of being free from
danger or threat.” (https://tinyurl.com/y2zyk7m2
)
2.
“Security is freedom from, or resilience
against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercive change) caused by others…..”
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security)
3.
“Security is an inherently contested concept,
encompassing a wide variety of scenarios, and is commonly used in reference to
a range of personal and societal activities and situations.
Security
can be distinguished between day-to-day security at the individual level
(nutritional, economic, safety), security for favorable conditions (the rule of
law and due process, societal development, political freedom), and security
against adverse conditions or threats (war and violence, crime, climate
change).
The
term security is used in three broad segments. The first is the general,
everyday use of the term. In this instance, security refers to the desire for
safety or protection. Second is the usage of the word for political purposes;
relating to political processes, structures, and actions utilized to ensure a
given political unit or entity is secure.
The term “security” is frequently used as a political tool to assign
priority to a given issue or perceived threat within the broader political
realm.
Third,
and finally, “security” can be employed as an analytical concept to identify,
define, conceptualize, explain, or forecast societal developments such as
security policy, institutions, and governance structures.” (https://tinyurl.com/y69fgrm9)
These three definitions clearly
capture the concept of security. I will try to use it to create an
understanding of how to manage a security project. Now that we have a clear
definition, I will proceed to seek an insight into the meaning of a security
project.
What is a Security Project?
I have searched the internet
to obtain a clear definition of a Security Project. Either I did not search
well or I did not have the patience to check all the results thrown up by
Google. The few top line results did not give me a clear definition of the term
“Security Projects”.
Yes, a lot of the results thrown
up by google during my search is referring to Information security, cybersecurity
projects, Project Security, Certified Security Project Manager (CSPM), etc.
This could be as a result of my choice of Keyword or otherwise. However, I am
looking for something that addresses security as a whole as stated in the definitions
in this write up.
I will therefore like to define
a security project myself as
“Any project that has
the key objective of removing danger or threat to any individual, group,
organisation or system.”
Working with this definition,
let us now try to understand how to manage a security project.
Managing A Security Project
From my definition of a security
project, it means that it is a project hence it must follow all the principles
and procedures of project management.
Since every project should
have a project manager, a security project too must have a Project manager. It has
become fashionable and important to subclassify the project manager of a
security project as the Security Project Manager. This is due to
the specialization and secret nature required to manage a project of such
calibre.
Who is Security Project Manager
(SPM)?
According to Study.com “A
security project manager directs security projects based on a company's
specific goals and needs……. Security project managers work with a project team,
overseeing the development of security systems for the protection of
facilities, personnel, data and assets. Using a combination of management
skills and specific security system knowledge, they coordinate the security
project through its progressive stages, with the goal of project completion
within specified time and budget constraints” (https://tinyurl.com/yxor4lfd)
From this definition, it is
important to note that a SPM should have a combination of management skills and
Specific Security System knowledge.
The specific security skills
could be in area of Information Security, Cybersecurity, Physical Security,
Electronic Security or as the case may be.
Having established all these,
it becomes straight forward to admit that managing a security project will
follow the same standard project management principles and procedures.
A look at this publication “Basics
of Security Project Management” by the Security Industry Association (https://tinyurl.com/y24qzh9s) it is easy to collaborate my statement above.
Here are the 5 major stages
a.
Initiation
This marks the beginning
of the project. Here the project objective, goal or need is identified along
with the following
i.
Recognize
that the project is worth doing
ii.
Determine
What the project should accomplish
iii.
Define
the overall project goals
iv.
Develop
Project Charter
v.
Develop
the Statement / Scope of Work (SOW)
b.
Planning
This is where the project solution is further
developed and broken down into tasks in as much detail as possible. Some of the
key activities of this stage are
i.
Writing the Project Plan
ii.
Planning the Scope using the Work Breakdown Structure methodology
(WBS)
iii.
Developing the Project Schedule
iv.
Communication Planning
v.
Resource Planning
vi.
Procurement management
vii.
Quality Control
viii. Risk and Contingency management
ix.
Stakeholder Management
x.
Cost and Budgeting
c.
Execution
The is the stage where the actual project work will be done following
the project plan. The entire work of the project is put into motion and the
work of the project is performed. Here are some of the things done at this
stage
i.
Hunt,
recruit, onboard and train the necessary human resources required to perform
the project
ii.
Identify,
Source and Procure all the equipment, materials and facilities that will be used
for the project
iii.
Perform
the actual project tasks as stated in the work breakdown structure
iv.
Communicate
and Meet with team members and Stakeholder.
v.
Provide
leadership and direction for the project
d.
Monitoring and Control
The project progress
is continuously measured, monitored and appropriate adjustments are made and
recorded as variances from the original plan. The project manager uses this
information to maintain control over the direction of the project by comparing
the progress reports with the project plan to measure the performance of the
project activities and take corrective action as needed.
The activities of this
stage are
i.
Change
Management
ii.
Benchmarking
iii.
Refinement
and fine tunning
iv.
Evaluate,
Reschedule and Correct where there is need
v.
Review
and Project kill point analysis
vi.
Documentation
e.
Closure
This is the end of the
project. Here are the important things done at this stage
i.
The
final deliverables are released to the customer
ii.
The
project enters the operations state.
iii.
Handing
over project documentation and final report to the business
iv.
Terminating
suppliers and vendors contracts
v.
Releasing
project resources
vi.
Communicating
the closure of the project to all stakeholders.
vii.
Shutting
down the project
Conclusion
Security Project management
will follow the same standard project management principles and procedures
however, a security project is expected to follow the secrecy and confidentiality
associated with the project objectives to ensure its success.
Emeka Achebe-Okosieme
@achebeokosieme
PS: If you wish to join our next project
management training kindly Click Here Now to Register http://bit.ly/BasicProjectMgmt04
