Project Analysis and Planning

The analysis is followed by actual planning

where the results of the analysis are transcribed
into a practical, operational plan ready to be
implemented. It involves developing logical
framework matrix.

1
Project Analysis and Planning…
Project planning tools
• Different planning tools exist and are being used to
minimize or completely avoid project failure. These
include:
Logical Framework Approach (LFA)
Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)
Obstacles and Opportunities to Development (O&OD)
SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and
Threats) analysis.
2
Project Analysis and Planning…
Project analysis & planning tools/approaches
Different tools/ • Participatory Rural Appraisal
approaches are being (PRA)
used to minimize or • Obstacles and Opportunities
avoid project failure. to Development (O&OD)
These include: • SWOT (Strengths,
• Logical Framework Weaknesses, Opportunities
Approach (LFA) and Threats) analysis
• Theory of change • Problem tree
• Outcomes mapping • Objective tree
3
Project Analysis and Planning Tools...
Logical Framework Approach (LFA)
• The LFA is an analytical process and set of tools used
to support project planning and management.
• It aids structured and systematic analysis of a project
idea.
• It guides efficient, effective and consistent planning
and implementation of project activities.
• It strengthens project design, implementation,
monitoring and evaluation.
• Note: LFA is not Logical framework matrix
4
 LFA, Logframe and Project Cycle
Management
• The main document of the LFA is the Logical Framework
Matrix (LFM), also known as logframe.
• Logframe helps to link in a logical way the objectives of a
project, project activities and assumptions about the project
environment to the results of the project.
• Thus the logframe is drawn up in the planning stage.
• Although it is constructed during the planning stage of a
project, the logframe is a living document, which should be
consulted and altered throughout the project’s life cycle. It
serves as a reference for Project Cycle Management (PCM).
• PCM describes management activities and decision-making
procedures used during project’s life cycle (key tasks, roles
and responsibilities, key documents and decision options).
5
 Outline of the Logframe

• The logframe does not show every detail of the

project. It is an overview of the key factors.

• Details can be given in other documents, such as the

proposal, budget and activity schedule, which
accompany the logframe.

6
 Outline of the Logframe...
Logframe is a table of four rows and four columns
Narrative Objectively Verifiable Means of Important
Summary Indicators (OVI) Verification Assumptions
(Intervention Logic)

Goal Measures of goal Sources of

(General, overall achievement information;
or development methods used
objective)

Purpose End of project status Sources of Assumptions affecting

(Specific, project, information; purpose-goal linkage
or immediate methods used
objective)

Outputs Magnitudes of outputs; Sources of Assumptions affecting

(Results) Planned completion date information; output-purpose
methods used linkage

Activities Means: Nature and level of Sources of Assumptions affecting

(Methods) resources; necessary costs information activity (inputs)-
outputs linkage
7
Major elements of the log-frame
Goal
Where do we want to be?

• Goal is the ultimate objectives to which the project will

contribute.
• The project will contribute towards the goal but will not
achieve it itself.
• The goal could be the same for a number of projects and for a
number of organizations.
• The goal might be a national or sectoral goal or United
Nations Sustainable Development Goal.

8
 Purpose
Where do we want to be?...
• Is what the project is expected to achieve upon or
shortly after its completion.
• Make sure to include both material benefits and
positive social change in the purpose statement.
• There should be only one purpose. If we have more
than one purpose, the project will be difficult to
manage, so we should consider having separate
projects. Each should have a separate logframe but
will share the same goal.

• Attainment of the purpose will work towards

achieving the goal.
9
 Outputs
How will we get there?

• Outputs are specific results arising during project life.

• Is what will need to be produced, at the end of a given
period of time.
• A project will often have several outputs or expected
results.
• Outputs are what the project team has control over.

• Through results achieved during the project lifetime

the purpose will be attained.
10
 Activities
How will we get there?...

• The actions necessary to produce each of the outputs.

• A detailed outline of the activities should be given in

a separate activity schedule. The logframe should not
include too much details.

• Through the implementation of the activities the

project outputs are expected to be achieved.

11
Major Elements of the Logframe…
Hierarchy of objectives
• If the means are provided, the ends will be achieved
• Causal links: If inputs, then outputs; if outputs, then purpose; if purpose, then
goal

NB: The linkages function only if a set of conditions (important assumptions) applies
Goal (Overall

Objective)
The project purpose contributes to the
overall objective (goal). Purpose

Results collectively achieve the purpose;

Outputs

(Results)
By carrying out these activities, the
results are achieved; Activities Means (Inputs)
Means allow to carry out activities;
12
 Indicators
How do we know when we have got there?

• Indicators are measures (direct or indirect) to

determine whether the project is meeting its
objectives. They are the basis for monitoring and
evaluation.
• Indicators should be given for each level of project
objectives (goal, purpose and output).
• There are no indicators for activities in the logical
framework matrix.

13
 Indicators...

• Indicators should specify quality, quantity and

time (QQT).

Quality: The kind of change

Quantity: The extent of the change
Time: By when the change should take place

14
 Indicators...
A good OVI should be SMART

S Specific

M Measurable

A Attainable

R Realistic

T Time-bound
 Indicators...
Example of indicators specifying QQT
• Basic indicator: Increase in sunflower production.
• Quantity: Increase in sunflower yields by
200kg/acre.
• Quality: Increase in sunflower yields by 200kg/acre
with the use of marketable variety namely record.
• Time: Increase in sunflower yields by 200kg/acre
with the use of marketable variety namely record by
2019.
Is the indicator SMART?
16
 Means of Verification (MoV)
What will show us we have got there?

• Are sources of information used to check on the

achievement of the OVIs.
• MoV indicate where and in what form information on
the achievement of the overall objectives, the purpose
and the results can be found.
• The MoV may be secondary data, primary data
collected specifically for the project such as farm
surveys, projects annual reports, etc.

17
 Assumptions
What are the potential problems along the way?
• Assumptions are external factors that influence or
even determine the success of a project, but lie
outside its control.
• The factors could be important events, conditions or
decisions outside the control of the project necessary
for the development objective to be attained.
• These could include climatic change, price changes
and government policies.

• Usually, there are no assumptions at the level of the

overall objective (goal).
18
 Relations between elements
Hierarchy of Indicators Means of Assumptions
Objectives Verification
…development goal
will have been made
by the project

this purpose being …if these assumptions are

achieved which… true, contribution to …

…these outputs …if these assumptions

being produced about factors external to
which… the project are true, will
lead to…
If these activities …if these assumptions
are carried out, about implementation are
and… true, will lead to…

Start here! 19
 Elements of logframe…
Consider “Soil erosion” case

To contribute to poverty reduction by supporting increase

in crop yields in Mgeta Division, Mvomero District Goal (Overall

Objective)
To test and promote soil erosion control measures for
soil nutrients maintenance and sustained agricultural Purpose
production in Mgeta Division

1. Soil and water conservation practices implemented by farmers

2. Production of high value crops on conserved land implemented
3. Farmers trained on good land husbandry practices Outputs

(Results)
1.1 Train farmers on soil and water conservation
1.2 Establish demonstration plots
2.1 Train farmers on production of high value crops
2.2 Link farmers with markets for their crops Activities
3.1 Train farmers on good land husbandry practices
3.2 Subsidize farm equipment (hand hoes, spade, machete)
3.3 Facilitate formation of farmer groups
20
 case
Objectively Verifiable Indicators
Narrative Summary (Intervention Logic) (OVI)
Means of
Verification
Important
Assumptions

Goal •Farmers income from crop Final project

production increased by 20% evaluation
To contribute to poverty reduction by supporting reports,
by 2019
increase in crop yields in Mgeta Division, Mvomero farmers records
District •50% of the households afford
3 meals per day by 2019

Purpose Yields from high value crops

cultivated on conserved land
Monitoring
reports,
There is political
will to promote
To test and promote soil erosion control measures for
increased by 30% by the end farmers SWC, conducive
soil nutrients maintenance and sustained agricultural
of the project records policies prevail
production in Mgeta Division

Outputs •100 ha of land conserved by Field reports, Technical staff &

2019 monitoring local authorities
1. Soil and water conservation (SWC) practices namely
•3 varieties of high value crops reports, have the capacity
bench terraces and fanya juu terraces implemented
cultivated on conserved land minutes of to work, no major
by farmers
by 2019 farmers climatic accident
2. Production of high value crops on conserved land
meetings occur
implemented •130 farmers trained on land
3. Farmers trained on good land husbandry practices husbandry practices by 2018

Activities Means (personnel, Costs Farmers are

willing to
1.1 Train farmers on soil and water equipment…)
participate i.e.
conservation SWC is socially
acceptable
1.2 Establish demonstration plots
2.1 Train farmers on production of
high value crops
2.2 Link farmers with markets for
their crops
3.1 Train farmers on good land
husbandry practices
3.2 Subsidize farm equipment (hand 21
 Why use a logframe?
• Help people to think logically.
• Help identify weaknesses in project design.
• Ensure key indicators are identified from the start of
the project so that monitoring and evaluation is easier
• Ensure that people involved in the project use the
same terminology.
• Help people to summarize a project plan on a few
sides of paper. This helps them to communicate their
plan simply with others, although a logframe is no
substitute for writing a full plan.
22
 Limitations of the logframe
• Focuses on outputs that are easy to measure or
quantify. Projects may end up concentrating on
products or outputs (e.g. increasing crop yields) rather
than the process (e.g. strengthening farmers abilities to
develop new crop technologies of their own) i.e.
project management can become rigid unless the
logframe is continually checked and adjusted.
• As the approach involves participation by a number of
different stakeholders, good leadership and facilitation
skills are needed to ensure stakeholders understand the
approach and that they actively participate.
23
 Limitations of the logframe...
• The approach itself can be very difficult to understand in
some cultures.
• Since the approach builds on analysis of a problem, it
might not be viewed as appropriate in cultures where
people do not openly discuss problems.
• Planners regarding the logframe as being a requirement of
funding agencies and not as a design or management tool.
• While the logframe is supposed to form a basis for
planning a project, there is a tendency by some project
planners to prepare the logframe when the project has
already been designed.
24
Who should complete the logframe?

Slide 1-25
Who should complete the logframe?
• Where possible, the primary stakeholders should be
involved in developing the logframe.
• It should be developed by the people most closely
involved in project implementation.
• It is possible that the concept of the logframe will not
be easily understood by primary stakeholders.
• However, as the process is as important as the end
product, participatory processes could be used to
guide stakeholders through questions and help them to
identify some of the project components. Then the
logframe could later be completed by project staff.
26
Recap

27
Major elements of the logframe…
Hierarchy of objectives
• If the means are provided, the ends will be achieved
• Causal links: If inputs, then outputs; if outputs, then purpose; if purpose, then
goal

NB: The linkages function only if a set of conditions (important assumptions) applies
Goal (Overall

Objectives)
The project purpose contributes to the
overall objectives (goal). Purpose

Results collectively achieve the purpose;

Output (Results)

By carrying out these activities, the

results are achieved; Activities Means (Inputs)
Means allow to carry out activities;
28
 Project Results…
• Outputs are short-term results arising during project life.
• Outputs are the products, services or facilities that result
from project's activities.
• The project beneficiaries may use these outputs to
achieve changes they want to achieve for themselves.
• Outputs are not the benefits or changes achieved by
beneficiaries, they are the interventions made by the
project to bring about those achievements. An example
of an output: Improved husbandry practices for local
chicken production implemented by farmers.
29
 Project Results…

• Outcomes are intermediate results.

• Outcomes are desirable changes (behaviour, attitude,
services, institutional performance, economic…) or
other effects that happen as a result of the project.
• Examples of an outcome:
1. Recommended husbandry practices for local chicken
production adopted by farmers.
2. Chicken producers income increased through local
chicken production.

30
 Project Results…

• Impact is the broader or long-term results of a project

outputs, outcomes and activities.
• It is the ultimate result attributable to development
intervention over an extended period.
• Often, these are effects on people beyond the direct
users of a project, or on a broader field such as
government policy.

• Example of an impact: Improved living standards of

small scale farmers in Kilosa District.
31