3 musketeers who set up a team and system for a massive reconstruction work

Who are people should be in charge for setting up a team and system for a massive reconstruction work? This was one of my discussions with Treena Wu click here last week. Treena is a Research Fellow from Maastricht Graduate School of Governance. Aceh reconstruction work is quite familiar for her. On December 2005 she had produced a paper 1) on shelter reconstruction work.

In the discussion I shared to her what I called the 3 Musketeers of Reconstruction. The presence of these three’s company is a must for a massive reconstruction work. They have to be on the ground to set up the reconstruction team. They have to see by them self the problem faced then decide the policies, methodologies and the strategies for the operations.

Program Manager

This person will determine what kind of program will be implemented. He has to decide the methodologies that affect in long term development for the beneficiaries. Based on his/her experience the program should be operated efficiently and in cost consciousness manner. In order to simplify the work, Program Manager has to provide templates which tailor made suit to working condition. The templates should provide guidelines for the team to understand if the project tends to fail and provide the remedial action. Since the project is time limited, Program Manager should design time line and milestones prior the commencement. Last but not least, the manager should establish the exit strategy. The strategy which assured the output of the operations will be worth for a long period.

Finance Manager

Disbursement of big amount of money is a common thing in a massive reconstruction work. The challenge is how we can safely distribute the money in widely devastated area where no banking systems. It means no bank transfer or payment through bank can be made. For example, paying labours and local supplier with cash amounted of 1 billion Rupiah need to be carried by 3 men with backpack. This complicated work is just one thing should be anticipate by developing a proper finance system. Setting up finance procedural and budgeting will be the earliest work when he/she arrives on the ground.

Human Resource Manager

It is not an easy work to have an experienced, smart and dedicated staff to join the team. The team should be blend of experience people which mostly from outside of the area and from the local one. Set up a fair HR rules which can support the staffs to perform their best and in the same time can protect the staff from malicious act, should be done prior recruiting.

Last Tuesday, Treena came to our office as an external evaluator from Christian Aid, one of HFHI’s donor. I mentioned to her that even there are templates for the work, the presence of these 3 people are needed to make judgment of the most practicable methodology. The 3 musketeers have to work as a team. They have to have a good coordination since the beginning, so they can provide a realistic guidance to the team.

1) Aceh-Nias Reconstruction Shelter Sector: Views from Beneficiaries and NGOs. Treena Wu. December 2005

Arwin Soelaksono - Disaster Response & reConstruction

The strategy to deliver 4,500 houses

On 30th June 2007 we handed over the 1,500 houses we have been built in Aceh Barat District and Nagan Raya District. The celebration took place on Kuala Tuha village in Nagan Raya District. That number completed the 4,500 houses in which we have built in our Tsunami Disaster Response Project.

In this 2 years project we learned how to manage the massive reconstruction in disaster affected area. The challenges and difficulties are huge, which I have written in my previous posts in this blog. Some of the topics can be seen on the right column of this blog under title “Blog HOT Topics”. Despite the intricacies we have to find what strategies should be implemented. The strategy for sure can help our team to excel and surpass the challenges.

In one of our monthly senior meeting which happened on June last year, I shared the 5 points should be implemented in our work. In brief it can be describe as follows:

1. Create budget and stick to it

Creating budget is a must to do before any commencement. There is no guarantee that all operation shall succeed. In this disaster area we might surprise with wide devastation of infrastructures or challenges come from the nature. Click here These difficulties may increase the costs such as transportation cost. Another challenge is due to massive reconstruction, we expected that the construction materials will sky rocketed. Click here

We have to carefully lay out the plan, methodology and strategy and supported with budget. With clear plan and budget, the Finance Department can help the operations in terms of guidance also check and balances. This condition can create cost consciousness on the ground on any aspects.

2. Good team delivers good results

For me this is the most interesting and most challenging. In our work entire Aceh we worked in 4 areas or we call it Disaster Response Technical Centers (DRTC). Each DRTC leaded by a manager. I remembered on mid of December 2005, we did the reorganization and we carefully selected on who to be positioned in each DRTC. We were lucky that we got smart, committed and dedicated managers to help us They performed well so we can deliver the 4,500 houses for the tsunami victims.

Not only managers and engineers, our work is to find the best labours to work in our sites. This was tough. Due to enormous construction work in Aceh, workers usually pirated to work to other organization which doing the same project like us. But we already prepared our self with this kind of challenge. Click here.

In our operations in Aceh, we do the construction by our self which gave the work to labour, labour contractor, through construction company and mixed of all those methodologies. Finding a good contractor has became a big issue in Aceh. There so many un-experience and even bogus contractor that was. So we set up method to choose the right one. Click here

3. Enhance procurement and logistic team

Huge construction work in Aceh is a business opportunity for many people including building suppliers. The were flocking to Aceh not merely from other area of Indonesia but also from overseas. When we started the project, some suppliers shocked us with their requirement. They needed fully upfront payment for material which they sell, which is laughable in normal condition. The worst condition is some of them offered commission to many NGOs staff to buy their material.

Proper strategy needed when to purchase material and how to handling them. Stock piling in huge number doesn't proof as a good idea. But lack of material because to small purchasing is create more problem and also made the price higher. Our team trained to handle those things.

4. Strong Community Organizer team

Our basic methodology is Community-based Disaster Response. If we don't have strong team to handle the community development work, our work will be messed up. Many NGO who do the project in Aceh, fell in the community problems. Many problems like land tenure, resettlement, community participation and many other things should be taken good care by the strong community organizer team

5. Community acceptance and accessibility

“Please do no harm the NGO worker”said Kuntoro Mangunsubroto, Head of Badan Rehabilitasi dan Rekonstruksi NAD dan Nias on June 23, 2007. In front of many Aceh local leader in Calang, Aceh Jaya District, he stated his disappointment since some NGO worker taken as hostage and beaten by the community.

There is a dilema for the NGO. Still working in a difficult community, hoping that they can be changed and adopt the program. The question is how long the NGO have to wait? Please see the point number 1, there is a budget that limited our time line. If we don't careful about this the admin cost will totally consumed just to wait they will be changed.

I believe that we can not help everybody. We just have to work and help people that willing to accept us and agree with our program. This kind of community can help us to achieve our best to help them.

Arwin Soelaksono - Disaster Response & reConstruction