3.4 Time Horizons
Two main types of time horizons exist in relation to academic
research: longitudinal and cross-sectional (Saunders et al., 2007).
Longitudinal research is conducted over a period of time and
allows the researcher to examine the changes that have an impact on a specific
problem.
Cross-sectional research on the other hand is time constrained
and only allows the research to examine a problem for a specific time
period.
This dissertation follows a cross-sectional time horizon in that
it focuses on the frameworks currently being used for programme and project
selection in the five selected international development organisations. The
cross-sectional data gathered from their reports and strategic documents
allowed me to compare these organisations in terms of strategy and programme
selection and management processes. This comparison allowed me to identify the
similarities and differences between the frameworks and facilitated the
development of the framework proposed in the recommendation section of this
dissertation.
3.5 Limitations
Like any other research, the findings of this dissertation are
constrained by the research strategy adopted and the data collection technique
used to support it. The initial idea was to interview project managers or
members of programme selection committees of the five selected organisations to
get a practical description of the different frameworks used when selecting
programmes and projects in these organisations but due to conflicting schedules
and the amount of work they are subjected to, I was re-directed to their
official strategic documents and annual reports and advised to use them to
capture the information I required. Analysing documents is a good way to get
background information about a phenomenon in a non-intrusive manner. In the
case of this dissertation, using this technique did not allow me to get a
practical understanding of the way these framework are used but it
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University Of Hertfordshire (2014)
did not however compromise the findings of the study because the
aim of this research is to find out how programmes and projects are selected in
these organisations and their annual reports and other strategic documents did
provide sufficient information on the subject. The information gathered mixed
with the discussions in the literature review lead to the development of the
framework proposed at the end of this dissertation. Future research could be
focussed on how these frameworks are used in practice and the other factors
that are considered when selecting development projects and compare the
findings with what is described in the strategic documents of these
International Development Organisations. This type of research would give even
more insight on project selection in development organisations and the skills
and attributes of the people responsible for the selection and implementation
of development programmes and projects.
University Of Hertfordshire (2014)
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4. Findings and Analysis
This section of the dissertation looks at five International
development organisations in terms of their strategic objectives and the
different sectors they are involved in. The aim of this research is to develop
a programme/project selection model based on the principles of project
portfolio management that can be used by International Development
organisations. In order to achieve this aim, this section of the dissertation
will focus on the following four areas: project identification, project
prioritization, project management and project evaluation. The International
development organisations selected for the study are: OXFAM UK, Action Aid
UK, Christian Aid UK, Water Aid UK and Plan International. These
organisations were selected because they paints a perfect picture of the
sectors in which other development organisations are involved in worldwide and
the impact that their work has had in the different regions in which they are
operating.
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