4.3.2 Project Selection and Management
The International Development Organisations reviewed all have
their own way of selecting and managing projects and programmes with their own
monitoring and evaluation systems put in place to ensure that the projects
selected are in line with their strategies.
Action Aid's Accountability Learning and Planning System (ALPS)
is based on the organisation's strategy and focuses on selecting projects and
programmes that are cost effective. The Accountability, Learning and Planning
System helps Action Aid's programme staff:
1. Analyse the context before a programme is launched
2. Decide what to do
3. Take action/implement
4. Review and reflect on the action taken
The Accountability Learning and Planning System is used for
Action Aid's long-term, short-term and medium-term programmes.
Oxfam's Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEAL) system enables
the organisation to track progress, make adjustments, and discover unplanned
activities or actions that can have an impact on programmes and projects
launched. The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning system is made up of:
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1. A logic model similar to the Logical Framework discussed in
the literature review and it helps define the strategies or the type of
activities that will be undertaken, the expected outputs of these activities,
and he outcomes and impact (s) that is expected from the outputs
2. Indicators which are quantitative or qualitative factors that
help measure achievement
3. Data collection mechanisms such as sampling to analyse the
impact that programmes have had
4. Moment dedicated for reviews to analyse why intended results
were or were not achieved, to assess how and why results were affected by a
specific action, etc.
Plan International's Programme Accountability and Learning System
(PALS) support the organisation in achieving its vision to help children
realise their full potential in society. The Programme Accountability and
Learning System consist of three levels:
1. Level one consist of the core guidelines for project
selection and management
2. Level two is a `'how to» guide to carry the different
processes
3. Level three consists of the tools that are used when
implementing programmes and projects
The above three levels are an integral part of Plan
International's Programme Accountability and Learning System (PALS)'s cycle
described in the findings section.
Christian Aid's Programme Information and Management System
(PROMISE) is built around the organisation's understanding of value for money
for its programmes and projects which aim to achieve the best results with the
money and resources available. Results are measured in terms of the number of
people benefiting from a programme or project (scale), the sustainability of
the change brought (depth) and the impact the programme or project has had on
the people who are excluded and marginalised (inclusion). The Programme
Information and Management System also helps maintaining a clear and consistent
link between the results achieved through a programme or projects and the money
invested for it which has led to the incorporation of value for money
management in Christian's
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Aid's programme cycle at both the organisational and country
levels. Programmes and projects are scored under PROMISE according to:
- The changes brought beyond their scope
- The changes within the scope that are beyond what was expected
given the resources invested
- The changes in line with the invested resources, and
- The disappointing level of change brought given the resources
invested
Water Aid's approach to project selection and management focuses
on sustainability of the change brought be its different programmes and
projects. To ensure sustainability, the organisation has identified some
requirements that have to be met before a programme is launched:
- There must be a real demand from the users
- There should be adequate revenue to cover the recurrent costs
of the systems to be implemented
- A functioning management and maintenance system comprising
tools, equipment, supply chain, etc. should exist
- An effective support for community-level structures and
institutions should exist where required
- Attention have to be given to natural resources and
environmental aspects of the system to be implemented
To ensure sustainability, critical needs and issues are analysed
and addressed at country-level leading to the design and development of
sustainable programmes. Monitoring and learning remain the first priority of
Water Aid through the generation and collection of data that help improve the
sustainability of the programmes launched.
The Logical Framework Approach, a planning and appraisal tool, is
also used because it is a pre-requisite to receive funding from the Department
of International Development and also from other bilateral and multi-lateral
partners. The Department of International Development's Logical Framework has
been specifically designed to make it easy for the organisations to propose:
- Achievable outcomes for their programmes
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- Realistic and measurable milestones, and
- Sensible baselines against which progress can be measured
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