Project Planning,

Management,
Monitoring and
Evaluation
Basic concepts and
definitions
 Project
• Project is a temporary undertaking
established to deliver specific
outputs within a specific time
period, cost and quality
constraints.
• A project should always be defined
and executed and evaluated relative
to an executive approved business
case which balances the costs,
benefits and risks of the project.
 A project
• has a defined start and end
point
• With specific objectives
which when attained
signifies the end of the
project
• Projects deal with outputs
 Program

Program is a group of related

projects managed in a
coordinated way to obtain
benefits not available from
managing projects individually
• Deals with outcomes
• Has an element of on-going
 Program

• program is a portfolio
comprised of multiple projects
that are managed and
coordinated as one unit with
the objective of achieving
(often intangible) outcomes
and benefits for the
organization.
 Project vs Programme
Project Programme

Objectives Outputs – Outcomes – often

tangible; relatively intangible;
easy to describe, difficult to
define and quantify; benefits
measure; tending often based on
towards objective. changes to
organizational
culture and
behaviours;
introducing new
capabilities into
the organization;
tending towards
subjective.
 Project vs Programme
Project Programme
Scope Strictly limited; Not tightly
tightly defined; defined or
not likely to be bounded; likely
subject to to change
material during the life
change during cycle of the
the life of the program.
project
Duration Relatively short Relatively long
term; typically term typically
three to six eighteen
months months to three
years.
 Project vs Programme
Project Programme

Risk profile Project risk is Program risk is

relatively easy to more complex and
identify and potentially the
manage. The impact on the
project failure organization if a
would result in risk materializes
relatively limited will be greater
impact on the relative to project
organization risk. Programme
relative to failure could
program risk. result in material
financial,
reputational or
operational loss.
 Project vs Programme
Project Programme
Nature of the Clearly defined Ill-defined; often
problem disagreement
between key
stakeholders on
the nature and
definition of the
problem.
Nature of the A relatively A significant
solution limited number of number of
potential potential solutions
solutions. with often with
disagreement
between
stakeholders as to
the preferred
solution
 Project vs Programme
Project Programme

Stakeholders A relatively A significant

limited number of number of diverse
stakeholders. stakeholders;
probable
disagreement
between them as
to the definition of
the problem & the
preferred
solution.
 Project vs Programme
Project Programme

Relationship to Environment Environment is

environment within which the dynamic; and
project takes programme
place is objectives need to
understood and be managed in the
relatively stable. context of the
changing
environment
within which the
organization
operates.
 Project vs Programme
Project Programme
Resources Resources to Resources are
deliver the constrained and
project can be limited; there is
reasonably competition for
estimated in resources
advance. between
projects.
 Planning:
Planning is a much more all-
encompassing process which
describes
• what work needs to be done
• how the work will be done
• when the work will be done
• who will do the work
• how much it will cost to do the
work
 Project Management
• The application of knowledge,
skills, tools and techniques to a
broad range of activities in order
to meet or exceed stakeholders
needs and expectations from a
project.
• Or simply, the process of
overseeing a project to ensure it
meets its goals , time line and
budget.
• It ensures that resources are used
 Monitoring:

• Monitoring is the systematic, regular

collection and occasional analysis of
information to identify and possibly
measure changes overtime
• Based on activities and targets set out during the
planning phase
• Helps to keep the work on track
• It provides a useful base for evaluation
 Evaluation:

• Evaluation is the analysis of the

effectiveness and direction of an
activity and involves making a
judgement about progress and
impact.
• Evaluation looks at what you set out
to do, what you have achieved, and
how it has been achieved
 Project
identification
• Project identification is the initial phase
of the project development cycle.
• It begins with the conceiving of ideas or
intentions to set up a project.
• These ideas are then transformed into a
project
 Project identification
ctd
Clear project identification allows you
to answer questions like:
• How do the projects come about?
• Where do projects come from?
• Why are projects where they are?
 Project identification

For projects to be properly conceived, the

characteristics below must be clearly
defined:
• Objectives
• Expected outputs
• Intended beneficiaries
• Planned lifespan
• Extended outcome of the project
• Principle stakeholders
• Financial plan and source of financing
 Development Strategy

• project strategy is mostly about goals and

plans aligned with a parent organization’s
• the strategy of a project relates to the
project’s aspirations to achieve a desired
position in its competitive stakeholder
environment
• In order to understand project strategy, we
need to understand the project’s position
in its external environment and the
possible pursuit to alter such a position.
 Project Cycle

• Project cycle depicts the management of

an intervention through a sequence of
interrelated phases
• These phases help define and think
through the design and management of an
intervention
• The phases are broadly progressive, with
each one leading into the next. However,
the phases are also interrelated and may
at times overlap.
Project Cycle
 Initial assessment:

• This phase is a process to understand the

current situation and find out whether or not
an intervention is required.
• This is done by identifying the key factors
influencing the situation, including problems
and their causes, as well as the needs,
interests, capacities and constraints of the
different stakeholders. When an intervention
is required, an assessment can include an
initial analysis and proposal of the type of
intervention that could be carried out.
 Planning

• It is a process to define an intervention’s intended

results (objectives), the inputs and activities
needed to accomplish them, the indicators to
measure their achievement, and the key
assumptions that can affect the achievement of the
intended results (objectives).
• Planning takes into consideration the needs,
interests, resources, mandates and capacities of
the implementing organization and various
stakeholders.
• At the end of the planning phase, a project plan is
produced and ready to implement.
Implementation and monitoring

• During implementation, activities are carried

out to achieve the intended results (objectives).
• Monitoring systems should be established
during the planning phase to allow collection
of information on the progress made in
achieving the objectives during
implementation.
• The resulting progress reports inform
decisions on whether or not an intervention
needs to be changed or adapted as the
situation evolves.
 Evaluation

• The “evaluation” phase is defined as “an assessment, as

systematic and objective as possible, of an ongoing or
completed project, programme or policy, its design,
implementation and results.
• The aim is to determine the relevance and fulfilment of
objectives, developmental efficiency, effectiveness, impact and
sustainability.
• An evaluation should provide information that is credible and
useful, enabling the incorporation of lessons learned into the
decision-making process of both recipients and donors.”
• Evaluation in turn informs the new planning process, whether it
is for the continuation of the same intervention, for the
implementation of a new intervention or for ending the
intervention.