Chapter Two

Project
Identification

1
Sources of Project Ideas

Where does a project idea come from?

Project ideas may originate from various
circumstances:

 Needs – to make available to all people in an area of

minimum amount of certain basic material
requirements or services.
- A needs assessment survey establishes the urgency
for intervention;

 Market demand –domestic or overseas; many

projects are conceived, just because there is
a market. 2
Sources of project ideas…Cont’d

Resource availability – opportunity

to make profitable use of available
resource.
- Where unemployment is a challenge, or
where raw materials are abundant,
projects can be designed to use available
labor and raw materials.

 Technology – to make use of available

technology
 Natural calamity – hedging against the
3
Sources of project ideas…Cont’d

 Constraints: A project is identified from

the constraints of existing environment
in an activity, a business, a sector, a
community or a country.
- Such env’t may be characterized by
unsatisfied strong needs like lack of
water in a village, or inadequately
utilized resources such as fruits rotting
in markets b/s of lack of fruit processing
factory.

4
Sources of project ideas…Cont’d

 Weakness or Strength: a project can be

conceived/generated to remove/alleviate
weaknesses & to use strengths or to benefit
from new opportunities.
- E.g. In agro-industries, insufficient storage
capacity for produce may be the origin of a
handling project.
- This project could aim at saving losses
due to lack of storage, processing and
transport facilities
- Such project may involve the construction of
warehouses, roads, purchase of transport
facilities, etc..
5
Sources of project ideas…Cont’d

 From macro-economic point of view, the

performance analysis of the national
economy may show that planned economic
objectives have not been reached.
- High inflation rates, balance of payment
deficits, high unemployment levels & an
acute shortage of foreign exchange are
some of the economic situations which national
plans try to correct by specific programs.
- Failure to reduce the effects of such
situations by simple economic measures of a
policy nature call for identification of national
projects.
6
Sources of project ideas…Cont’d

 The wish to reach certain political &

social goals such as self-reliance, wealth
distribution, equal educational opportunities,
and free health services will lead policy
makers to conceive projects aimed at
acquiring the benefits indicated in policies.

7
Analytical Phases of
Project Identification
 Project identification involves
several analysis.
 There are four steps to the
Analysis Phase:
1. Stakeholder Analysis
2. Problem Analysis (image of
reality)
3. Analysis of Objectives (image of
an improved situation in the
future)
4. Analysis of Strategies 8
1. Stakeholder Analysis

It is a process:
◦ Of identifying the people involved in and
affected by the project (stakeholders)
 To determine the opinion of the
stakeholders and
 To facilitate their contribution to the
project activities at all stages of the
project cycle.

9
Stakeholder Analysis…Cont’d

 Stakeholders: - are people affected by the

impact of an activity & people who can
influence the impact of an activity
 Stakeholders are:
 individuals or groups with a direct,
significant and specific stake or interest
in a given territory or set of natural
resources and, thus, in a proposed project.
 People affected by the project
 People who can influence the impact of an
activity
 Participation or stakeholder analysis
seeks to identify the major interest 10
groups involved (all those affected by or 10
Key players (stakeholders)
 The project manager
◦ Is responsible for achieving project
objectives.
◦ Manages the project:
 Planning, organizing, leading, controlling
(monitoring progress)
 Communicating, balancing conflicting
requirements, managing stakeholders,
building & inspiring the team
 Sharing success, accepts all blame!
 Sponsor– the person or group that provides
the financial resources, in cash or kind, for
the project
◦ Project Initiator 11
Key Players…
 Customer/user/client– the person or
organization that will use the project/s product.
 Performing organization—the enterprise
whose employees are most directly involved in
doing the work of the project.
 Project team members– the group that is
performing the work of the project
 Project management team– the members of
the project team who are directly involved in
project management activities
 Potential opponents: Groups which may
oppose or obstruct a project.
 Supplier-- Provides resources

12
Stakeholder Analysis…Cont’d

It is a four-step process

1. Identify key stakeholders
2. Assess stakeholder interests and the
potential impact of the project on
these interests (expectations,
benefits, willingness to mobilize
resources, interests)
3. Assess the stakeholder influence and
importance (power, control of
strategic resources)
4.Outline stakeholder participation
strategy 13
Stakeholder Analysis…Cont’d

 Why stakeholder analysis:

◦ To identify stakeholders’ interests in,
importance to, and influence over the
operation
◦ To identify local institutions and processes
upon which to build
◦ To provide a foundation and strategy for
participation
◦ To develop a strategic view of the human
and institutional situation, and the
relationship between the different
stakeholders and the objectives identified.
◦ Provides a useful starting point for problem
analysis.
14
Stakeholder Analysis…Cont’d

 Stakeholder analysis is a continuous process

that should engage different groups, as
issues, activities, and agendas evolve.
 Seeing the community as one stakeholder
group could be meaningless because some
people may have very different interests
from others in the same community
 Different stakeholders and sub-groups
in each stakeholder category may be
affected by the project differently.

15
Identifying stakeholders

Core issue

16
 Stakeholder
Participation
 Active participation is likely to have many benefits, although it is
not a guarantee of project success
 Achieving full participation is not easy. It can also take a lot of
time, and conflicting interests are likely to come to the surface
Little input
by others
Being consulted, Work with
Others analyze and others
Decide course action
Control,
Being informed, Co-operation/
others set the agenda
collective action or
Partnership Co-learning
Consultation

Being manipulated; Informing

No real power

Coercion

Decided by others Decided by ourselves

Levels of participation
17
2. Problem Analysis

18
Problem Analysis
What is the problem to be addressed?
What is the event or series of events
that was a catalyst for action?
Is it a problem or crisis that demands
immediate attention?
Is the problem one of national
security, economic development,
diplomacy?
What interests are at stake for the
actor (e.g. state) overall?

19
Problem Analysis…Cont’d

 State the problem meaningfully:

 Determine the magnitude and extent of the
problem
 Continually re-define the problem in light of what
is possible
 Question the accepted thinking about the
problem
 Question initial formulations of the problem
 Say it with data
 Clear definitions allow people to communicate
with one another
 Measures are important for clarification (e.g.,
how many people are living in poverty)
 Often have different ways to measure problems
20
Problem Analysis…Cont’d

 Politicsof problem definition

◦ Based on perspectives
 What will change in the future?
◦ Projections and forecasting
 Think about causes
◦ Must ask why the problem came about
◦ Answers may help determine how to resolve
problem
◦ Often problems have multiple causes;
conflict over which one to address

21
Problem Analysis…Cont’d

 Steps in problem analysis:

1. Agree on the main problem
2. Identify the causes of the main problem by
asking ‘But why?’
3. Identify the effects of the main problem by
asking ‘So what?’ until we can go no
further.
4. Copy the complete tree on a paper
 Establishing a hierarchy of problems in a
problem tree helps to form a base for the
objectives.

22
 ProblemTree
Causes and Effects Relationships

EFFECTS

CAUSES

23
Problem Analysis…Cont’d

 Establish the hierarchy of problems in light

of the cause and effect relationships to find
the focal problem
 Identification of priority problem
 Problem analysis
◦ Problem tree
◦ Solution/objectives tree
 Linking the solution/objectives tree to
Logframe (we will discuss this under
planning).

24
3. Objectives
Analysis

25
Objective Analysis

It’s a process to

– determine the objectives

parallel to the problems by
stating the problems in positive
terms and
– form an objective tree (solution
tree) in the light of ends and
means relationships.

26
 From Problem to
Objective/solution

Problem Objective

High rate of child deaths To reduce the rate of child deaths

To reduce the rate of

High rate of infectious diseases
İnfectious disease

27
Objective Tree
Technique to describe the future situation that
will be achieved by solving the problems
Turning negative conditions into positive in a
.
certain time Overall Objective ENDS

Project bjectives

Outputs
MEANS

Activities

28
Alternative Analysis

Identify differing means-ends ladders, as

possible alternative options or activity
components
Eliminate objectives that are obviously
not desirable or achievable.
Eliminate objectives being pursued by
other development activities in the area.
Discuss the implications for affected
29
 Tertiary E1
E
f
Secondary E1 Secondary E1 f
e
c
Primary E1 Primary E1 Primary E1
t
s

Focal Problem

Primary C1 Primary C2 Primary C3 C

a
u
s
Secondary C1 e
Secondary C2 Secondary C3 s

30
4. Project Selection

31
Project Identification &
Screening
Objectives
Internal

SWOT Brainstorming

External
Alternative
Project
Possibilities

Criteria
Screening

Candidate Project
Proposals

32
Project Identification & Screening…Cont’d

No of ideas
Screening
Appraisal

Selection

Time

Mortality of new ideas

33
Project Identification & Screening…Cont’d

Project identification, therefore, aims at

undertaking a preliminary test of a project
idea before important planning resources, like
money & skills are utilized in detailed project
design & appraisal.

34
Project Selection Approaches

Top-Down Approach
 Projects are identified based on demands from
beyond the community.
 This may include directives from:
◦ international conventions (such as Kyoto
Protocol/climate change)
◦ international institutions or NGOs that have
determined particular priorities and thus
projects.
◦ national policy makers identifying projects that
pertain to party manifestos and/or national
plans.
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Advantages of Top-Down Approach
 It may be a rapid response to disasters
like floods, war outbreak because there is
limited time and chance to consult the
beneficiaries.
 It can be effective in providing important
services like education, health, water,
roads etc.
 It can contribute to wider national or
international objectives and goals
◦ and therefore potentially be part of a
wider benefit
(as in the case of trans-boundary
resources, such as climate, water or
others)
36
Limitations of Top-Down Approach
 Does not help in modifying strongly
established ideas and beliefs of people.
 Assumes external individuals know better than
the beneficiaries of the service.
 Communities have little say in planning
process, rendering approach devoid of human
resource development.
 Community develops dependency syndrome
on outside assistance and does not exploit
their own potential.
 The development workers (change agents)
become stumbling blocks to people-led
development
◦ tendency to impose their own biases, etc. on 37
Bottom-Up Approach
 Inthis approach community/beneficiaries are
encouraged to identify and plan the projects
themselves with or without outsiders.
 Advantages of Bottom-Up Approach
◦ Interveners accomplish more with limited resources
since people tend to safeguard what they have
provided for themselves.
◦ Develops people’s capacity to identify problems and
needs and to seek possible solutions to them.
◦ Provides opportunities of educating people.
◦ Helps people to work as a team and develop a “WE”
attitude - makes project progressive and
sustainable.
◦ Resources are effectively managed; dependence
reduces, there is increased equity, initiative,
38
Limitations of Bottom-Up Approach
 Not always effective for projects that
require urgency to implement
 Time-consuming and requires patience
and tolerance.
 People sometimes dislike approach
because they do not want to take
responsibility for action.
 The agency using this approach is never in
control and cannot guarantee the
results it would want.
 The priorities of communities may not fit
with national or international priorities that
39
Activity

Identifya project idea of your own (to be

submitted/presented in next class or session).

40