Donor funded projects involve objectives and deliverables with particular challenges at every stage. Planning, managing, implementing, reporting and evaluating, imply key aspects that should be taken into account, here are some of them:
1. It is always about people, resources the key of success
Donor funded projects for social development involve a complex network of stakeholders. The funding agency, the contractor or implementing unit and the target beneficiary involve several actors with specific activities working together for the same goal. These challenging projects imply high managerial skills, team work, communication and clarity processes. Managing resources is a key component of success.
2. The importance of ever stage in the life cycle
Most donor-funded projects have five stages in the life cycle of project management, which are identification, preparation, appraisal and approval, implementation, and evaluation. By developing a detailed plan and schedule where every person involved knows what to do, the project cycle in every stage becomes easier and manageable.
3. Executing budgets properly
Social development projects aim at improving social needs of developing countries, such as improving living standards, environment and human rights protection, capacity building, and infrastructure, among others. An appropriate execution of budgets assuring the best possible outcomes is ideal in order to accomplish the general objectives. Keeping reports, invoices and accounting in the best possible way is crucial to generate good results.
Source:
Ahsan, Kamrul & Gunawan, Indra Analysis of cost and schedule performance of international development projects. International Journal of Project Management 28 (2010) 68–78
