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"Project development is the process of identifying solutions for clearly stated problems and structuring them in a way that makes them implementable."
"Project development is the process of identifying solutions for clearly stated problems and structuring them in a way that makes them implementable."
-International Youth Foundation's Project Development Guide
So you want to do a project? Wonderful!
On this page you will find a basic overview of the project development process. At the end are some additional online resources, however they are quite technical and challenging for even native English speakers to understand. The information provided here is a collection from several different organizations, simplified to highlight the important steps and questions.
Happy Project Planning!
PDM VOCABULARY
PDM VOCABULARY
Articulate: express something clearly and fluently
Assess: to examine the nature, ability, or quality of something
Asset: something useful or valuable
Concept: an abstract idea, a plan
Define: describe something exactly or precisely
Implement: put a plan or idea into effect
PDM: Project Design and Management
Resources: a supply of materials, money, staff, or other assets that can be used
Sector: different parts of a society. i.e. Health, Education, Environment, Political Leadership, Religion, Infrastructure, Business, Social Services, Arts, etc.
Specify: identify clearly and distinctly
PART ONE: IDENTIFY THE PROJECT
PART ONE: IDENTIFY THE PROJECT
Ask Positive Questions:
Ask Positive Questions:
What is good about this community? What has been done before? What are you proud of? What sectors are thriving?
These questions strengthen confidence, and will help community members to begin thinking about the available resources in the community.
Identify Resources:
Identify Resources:
What do you have? What is available in the community?
The first step is defining which community is being assessed. Is it a physical neighborhood, or is it a certain group of people? Which community are we targeting?
The next step is to identify available assets. A resource map can be an actual map of the area, showing the physical landmarks and resources that are available within in a certain boundary. Or, it can be a concept map of institutions and organizations that are at the national, city, and local levels. Local resources are written in the center, with city or regional resources written at the next level, and national resources written around the outside. Have several members in the community draw a resource map, then compare to see what is important to different members.
Here are questions to ask as you draw your map and ask others to draw their own maps:
- How would you draw your community?
- How do you see your community?
- What is important to your daily activities?
EXAMPLE: Neighborhood/Area Map
EXAMPLE: Concept Map (Local, Regional, and National Resources)
Needs Assessment:
Needs Assessment:
What does the community need? What problems or issues are identified by community members?
Focus on one sector of society at a time. List problems or needs in that one sector. Prioritize and determine what can be accomplished most readily with the available resources.
When conducting a needs assessment, it is important to hear from as many different parts of the community as possible. Consider age, gender, economic status, religion, and educational levels when gathering perspectives on needs in the community.
With each problem that is listed, ask a few questions to help better understand the problem and its cause:
- Why does the problem exist?
- Is there more than one cause?
- Are the causes related?
- What are the consequences of the problem?
- Who does this problem affect?
Daily Schedules and Calendar
Another activity to help assess needs is to ask community members to write out their daily schedules and activities, or draw out their seasonal activities throughout the calendar year. This can help shed light on what gets the most time and energy each day, and what projects would best improve and influence daily life in a positive manner. It can also help specify gender roles, which may help in defining the specific community that the project will target.
PART TWO: PLAN AND IMPLEMENT PROJECT
PART TWO: PLAN AND IMPLEMENT PROJECT
Vision and Goals (S.M.A.R.T.)
Vision and Goals (S.M.A.R.T.)
Once the target community and priority needs have been identified, work can begin on project planning.
The first part of planning is creating a vision statement. What is the defining purpose for this project? What values are important to remember? How does the project hope to address a community-defined problem?
Creating a vision means articulating the overall idea in a statement that specifies the purpose of the project. A good vision statement will say WHO is DOING WHAT to RESULT in WHAT DREAM.
It can be helpful when creating a vision statement to draw a picture of what a success in the project would achieve. What will the project look like? Who will be affected? What emotional or physical changes will be evident?
After setting the Vision, the next step is to Set Goals and Objectives for realizing the vision. Goals should be the different actions that need to be taken in order to achieve the vision. Objectives are specific tasks for achieving each goal. Use the SMART acronym when writing your objectives:
- S | Specific
- Is the objective clear in terms of what, how, when, and where the situation will be changed?
- M | Measurable
- Can the target be counted or measured?
- A | Achievable
- Does the objective express an action that can be accomplished with the available resources?
- R | Relevant
- Is the objective directly related to the goal of the project? Is it addressing a need?
- T | Time-Bound
- Does the objective reflect a time period in which it will be accomplished?
EXAMPLE: Vision, Goal, and Objectives
Project Plan (Task, Who, Deadline)
Project Plan (Task, Who, Deadline)
The Project Plan is a list of every task and activity that needs to be done in order to achieve the goals and vision of the project. This plan requires brainstorming, time, and organization. It also requires thorough consideration of every possible step in seeing the project completed. Look back at your goals and objectives, and begin thinking about the individual tasks that are needed to complete each objective. Each task should be listed with a deadline and a specific person or group that will carry it out. A table, such as the following, can be helpful:
Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)
Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)
As you begin putting your plan into action, keeping good records and documentation of everything that happens will be important for final evaluation and reports at the culmination of the project.
Along the way, good monitoring practices constantly look back toward the goals and vision of the project to make sure that the tasks and activities are continuing to accomplish the purpose of the project. Keep records through attendance sheets, pictures, worksheets, surveys, and meeting notes. For every task and activity that works toward the goal, make a plan for how you will monitor and record what happens.
When the project has been completed, an evaluation will look back to see how closely the end result matched the targeted goals. Evaluations are important, because they often provide important information for developing new projects. What new problems or needs were discovered while working on the project? Were the goals of the project met? Why or why not?
PROJECT PROPOSALS FOR GRANTS
PROJECT PROPOSALS FOR GRANTS
For some projects, access to grants may be available. In order to apply for those grants, a project proposal needs to submitted, and this proposal needs to show very thorough and detailed planning. Most proposals will want to know the following:
- Person/Group doing the project
- Contact Information
- People/Group affected by the project
- Project Location
- Project dates
- Description of the problem or need
- Description of the proposed project (including vision and goals)
- Timeline of project activities/tasks
- Plan for monitoring and evaluation
- Assessment of project sustainability
- Needs List
- Budget
Budgeting
Budgeting
Setting a budget for the project requires research, time, and realistic planning. It is crucial before asking for funding, since most donors or grant providers want to see a plan for how the money will be spent. Often there are some things that the grant cannot fund, and so those should not be included. Sometimes a grant requires that a certain percentage of the project's funding is provided by the community before the grant can be awarded.
A budget should show the plan and reasonable cost breakdown for the money that you hope to receive. It should be as realistic as possible, but as you are planning remember that it is just a plan. When you actually do the project some costs may end up being different.
Providing records and accountability for where money is spent is essential when working with grant money. Throughout the project keep very detailed records, SAVE RECEIPTS, and make a copy of everything. A record of expenses should list everything that money is spent on, the date, how much was spent, and the depleting balance of the total funds. Stay aware of how much is being spent on each area of the budget, and plan ahead if there are going to be big changes that may affect later activities in the project plan.
EXAMPLES: Project Proposal / Budget and Expenses Record
ONLINE RESOURCES
ONLINE RESOURCES
The following are several training manuals used by international development organizations for project design and monitoring:
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