Marketing of Projects Essay Example

element of this strategy entails striking a balance between the intentions of donors and the country's policies or objectives, ultimately benefiting society.

Project failure often occurs due to a lack of focus during the project identification and selection phase. It is crucial to maintain a strategic approach throughout the project identification and planning process. The purpose of this document is to explore Project and Project Cycle Management (PC) and conduct a critical analysis of the Project Identification phase. It will identify typical issues that are often ignored during this stage and offer recommendations as potential solutions.

Understanding of Project and Project Cycle Management (PC)

What is project?

According to Nicholas, John M. (2001) some of the characteristics that warrant classifying an activity as a project centers on the purpose, complexity, uniqueness, unfamiliarity, stake, impermanence, and life cycle of the activity. Based on these features then project is defined as follows: A project involves a single, definable purpose, end-item, or results, usually specified in terms of costs, schedule, and performance requirements. Every project is unique, in that it requires doing something different than was done previously.

Projects are temporary activities that cut across organizational lines, requiring the skills and talents of multiple professionals and organizations. They involve unfamiliarity, uncertainty, and risk, with the organization having something at stake.

In short, a project is the process of working towards a goal. This process involves several distinct phases, which together make up the project life cycle. According to Jason Wasteland (2006), a project is a special endeavor that aims to produce specific deliverables within predetermined time, cost, and quality limitations. Projects are unlike

regular operational activities in that they are unique and do not involve repetitive processes. Each project is different from the previous one, while operational activities frequently consist of repeating identical processes. Additionally, projects have a set timescale.

Projects are bound by a set timeframe and budget to create deliverables that satisfy customer demands. They have a specified start and end date, which must be adhered to for completion. Moreover, projects receive a designated amount of financial resources that require efficient management due to their scarcity. Initially, a predetermined quantity of labor, equipment, and materials are assigned to the project. Additionally, projects inherently entail an element of risk.

Projects involve uncertainty and, as a result, entail business risk while aiming to bring about beneficial change by implementing business change processes. The essence of a project lies in delivering inputs within a defined timeframe to achieve a predetermined impact, known as the project purpose.

When multiple projects within a sector, sub-sector, or region are connected by a clear concept, we refer to them as programmers. The sustainability of these projects and programmers depends on their ongoing impact. A project is defined as temporary work that results in a unique product or service, as well as an intervention to assist users in improving their situation. It is an undertaking aimed at achieving specific objectives within set time and budget constraints, involving the investment of resources to produce goods or services.

According to Jason Wasteland (2006), project management is the combination of skills, tools, and management processes necessary for successful project completion.

Examples include time management, cost management, quality management, change management, risk management, and issue management. REPRESS, May 2009: MAMBO 2008, defines project

management as the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities, to meet specific scope, mime, cost and quality goals of projects'. John M. Nicholas (2001): Project management is a system/ contingency approach to organization and management; it applies elements of classical and behavioral management and uses organizational forms and management roles best suited to the unique environment of projects.

What is Project Cycle Management?

In general, Project Cycle Management is a tool that describes the management activities and decision making procedures used throughout the life-cycle of documents. The project cycle spans from the initial idea to the project's completion. It offers a framework to ensure stakeholder consultation and outlines the crucial decisions, information requirements, and responsibilities at each phase. This enables informed decision making at every stage of the project's life.

The process of initiating, planning, implementing, managing and evaluating projects or programmers is referred to as 'Project Cycle Management', PC. It is an approach used in project management to guide activities and decision-making throughout the life-cycle of a project, from inception to post-evaluation. According to the European Commission (March 2002), Project Cycle Management consists of distinct phases with defined management activities and decision-making procedures. PC provides a framework for ensuring stakeholder consultation and availability of relevant information, enabling informed decisions at key stages of the project. The European Commission (May 1999) states that projects follow a sequence called the project cycle, starting with idea identification and progressing through plan development, implementation, and evaluation. Project Cycle Management integrates these phases systematically using an approach and methodology that prioritize objectives and sustainability.

What are the phases of the project cycle?

Wasteland, Jason (2006): The project life cycle includes four phases: Project initiation, project planning, project execution.
During the project initiation phase, a business problem or opportunity is identified. A business case is defined which provides various solution options. A feasibility study is conducted to investigate whether each option addresses the business problem. A final recommended solution is then put forward.
The project planning phase involves outlining activities, tasks, dependencies, and timeshares. It also includes creating a resource plan, financial plan, quality plan, acceptance plan, and procurement plan.
The project execution phase consists of implementing the plans created during the project planning phase.

The closure of the project is initiated by the customer through various actions, including handing over project documentation to the business, terminating supplier contracts, releasing project resources, and communicating the closure to all stakeholders. The CE external aid programmers follow a seven-stage project cycle which includes Policy setting, Project Identification, Appraisal, Formulation/planning, Contracting/commitment, Implementation/monitoring & midterm evaluation, and Final evaluation. The Lucian COLONIAL event occurred from September 27th to 29th in 2007. The generic project cycle within CE external aid programmers consists of six phases starting with Programming. This phase determines the partner's development priorities and the focus for assistance from SEC. It also involves analyzing the national and sector level situation to identify problems, constraints, and opportunities that can be addressed through cooperation. This analysis includes reviewing socio-economic indicators as well as national and donor priorities.

The text below has beenand unified, while retaining the and their contents:

The objective is to determine the main goals and priorities for cooperation in a specific sector. This will create a suitable framework for project identification and

preparation. The identification stage is intended to determine if the project concept aligns with local needs and CE policy priorities. Its purpose is to identify relevant project ideas, assess their feasibility, and prepare a Financing Proposal or Identification Fiche. Additionally, it involves making financing decisions and determining further work needed during the formulation stage. In the formulation stage, the goal is to confirm the feasibility and relevance of the proposed project idea, create a detailed project design with various arrangements, and prepare a Financing Proposal and decision. The implementation stage focuses on achieving results, utilizing resources efficiently and effectively, and taking corrective action when necessary. Monitoring and reporting are important components of this stage.The implementation stage aims to deliver results, achieve project objectives, manage resources efficiently, and monitor progress. Evaluation is done to determine if planned benefits were achieved and if lessons were learned. The project cycle consists of project identification and selection, preparation, implementation, and project closure & evaluation, as stated by Wasteland (2006).

During the initiation phase, the project team is appointed to identify the business problem or opportunity, define a solution, and build and deliver it to the customer. A business case is created to provide a detailed description of the problem or opportunity and propose a preferred solution. The business case is then approved by a project sponsor, and funding is allocated for a feasibility study. This study evaluates the likelihood of each alternative solution option achieving the benefits stated in the business case.

The feasibility study will assess the reasonableness of forecast costs, achievability of the solution, acceptability of risks, and avoidability of identified issues. Once the business case and feasibility study

are approved, a new project is created and terms of reference are established. These terms define the project's vision, objectives, scope, and deliverables. They also outline the organization structure, activities, resources, and funding needed for the project.

It is important to identify all risks, issues, planning assumptions, and constraints in the project. Ideally, before recruiting the project team, a project manager should be appointed. The project manager's responsibility includes creating a detailed job description for each role in the team and recruiting individuals with suitable skills and experience. Furthermore, it is necessary to establish a project office as the physical environment for the team.

While it is possible to have a virtual project office with team members located worldwide, having a central project office is more common. The project office should include different elements like equipment (office furniture, computer equipment, stationery, and materials), communications infrastructure (telephones, computer network, e-mail, internet access, file storage, database storage, and backup facilities), documentation (project methodology, standards, processes, forms, and registers), and tools (accounting software , project planning software ,and risk modeling software).