Question

project proposal that includes project identification, a project plan, a schedule and budget with appropriate justification.

Answer 1

Project Cycle: - Organizing, planning and managing projects follows a logical, continuous cycle.

Identify is a stage where needs assessment process to determine the needs and problem in a community.

Design states are the actual planning and design of the project.

Implementation actual working whether it is a single year or multiyear implementation period.

Evaluation, result orientated that occurs at the end it determines if the project goals and objective were achieved, identifying additional problems, allowing the cycle to begin again.

The monitor is the stage which is carried out through all the stages of the project for any adjustment, correction in the projects i.e. planning, design implementation to ensure the project success.

Project planning involves a series of steps that determine how to achieve a community or organizational goal or set of related goals. This goal can be identified in a community plan or a strategic plan. Project plans can also be based on community goals or action strategies developed through community meetings and gatherings, tribal council or board meetings, or other planning processes. The planning process should occur before you write your application and submit it for funding.

Project planning:

1. identifies specific community problems that stand in the way of meeting community goals.

2. creates a work plan for addressing problems and attaining the goals.

3. describes measurable beneficial impacts on the community that result from the project’s implementation.

4. determines the level of resources or funding necessary to implement the project.

Why is project planning important?

Project Planning helps us to: Think ahead and prepare for the future clarify goals and develop a vision identify issues that will need to be addressed choose between options consider whether a project is possible to make the best use of resources motivate staff and the community assign resources and responsibilities achieve the best results.

Project Planning helps to eliminate: Poor planning overambitious projects unsustainable projects undefined problems unstructured project work plans.

Approach to Community Development

The community and its involvement are central to designing and implementing a successful project. Many government and other funders seek to fund community-based projects that reflect the cultural values, collective vision, long-range governance, and social and economic development goals of native communities. The following overview includes some key points to consider during the project-planning phase. Local decision making in achieving community self-sufficiency is fundamental in the success and growth in every community. Community involvement is central to both the strategic planning and project planning that occurs before the development of any grant application. However, in addition to a detailed description of community involvement in the planning and implementation phases of the project, proposals must provide documentation to verify community involvement in and support for the proposed project. This documentation should explain and provide evidence of how the community was involved in determining problems faced by its members and in designing strategies for reducing or eliminating those problems.

Keep in mind that each of the documentation sources listed below provides information about different elements of the planning process.

Examples of documentation can include the following:

· summary of a community comprehensive plan

· summary of a community strategic plan

· summary of results from a community needs assessment

· Tribal Council or Board meeting minutes and/or sign-in sheets

· community meeting minutes and/or sign-in sheets

· community surveys There are different methods for involving your community in the project planning process. Below are some examples:

Comprehensive Planning: - This process involves completing a community-wide needs assessment to engage the community in identifying and prioritizing all long-range goals and the community problems preventing the achievement of those goals. Next, the community is involved in the process of developing a method to accomplish long-range goals, also discussing initial ways to overcome the problems. This method should include a process to measure the progress towards achieving those goals. Comprehensive plans usually require at least a year to complete and cover a five- to ten-year time span.

Strategic Planning: - This is a process used when a community or organization already has a comprehensive plan and wants to move forward to achieve its long-range goals. Strategic planning involves the participation of the community in identifying problems that stand between the community and its goals and moves the community toward realizing its long-range vision. The product of strategic planning often simply called the “strategic plan,” builds on pre-established long-range goals by designing projects related to one or more of these goals. A strategic plan generally takes at least a year to complete.

Initiating the Planning Process: - Project planning begins with the formation of a local project planning committee or group. Whenever possible, tribes and organizations should use a team approach to plan new projects which involves staff, community members, community or organizational leadership, and a grant writer or consultant if necessary. The committee members play an important role in keeping the project planning process on track while also ensuring everyone can participate. The committee can organize meetings, conduct surveys, gather and analyze information, and meet with other agencies and organizations. This team will develop the project plan and use it to write the different parts of the application. Generally, you want to spend approximately 80% of your time planning your project and 20% of your time writing and packaging the grant application. Once your team is in place, the planning process generally begins with an assessment of community problems and issues involving various methods to gather community input. Based on information gathered, project developers can identify problems and issues or interests common to all members of the community to begin the process of setting community priorities. Perhaps one of the most daunting aspects of project planning is ensuring community involvement because it requires the knowledge and skills necessary to set up and conduct or facilitate effective planning sessions, large meetings, and presentations. Public meetings are essential to the development of a project with broad grassroots support. Meetings should be held regularly throughout the planning process. Properly facilitated meetings provide a great way to gather traditional, cultural, and local knowledge. They also serve to receive input on goals, objectives, and activities in order to determine ways to best prioritize them.

Develop a Project Cost Estimate: - The project budget is a program and fiscal document. The budget reflects the costs necessary to perform the activities of the project. The budget is the dollar expression of the project being proposed and must be reasonable and tied to the project objectives and work plan. The budget should not be prepared until the organization’s policies, priorities, and plans have been established. Without clearly stated goals and objectives financial projections cannot be made nor should budgeting substitute for planning. Approval of the budget should be regarded as a commitment on the part of the governing body and the administration to carry out the policies, respect the priorities, and support the plans that have been translated into dollars through the budget. Budgeting is the method by which an organization translates the project goals and objectives into the resources necessary to accomplish the goals and objectives. Budgeting is not a hit-or-miss approach. Rather, it involves serious consideration of many factors. These factors include: -

1. Available Resources: - Analysis of available resources involves identification of what is available in terms of dollars and people. This includes an assessment of human resources, capital resources, and financial resources. If the budgeting process does not assess the three areas of resources available, it lessens its ability to achieve the goals and objectives.

2. Regulations: - The regulations govern programs. The budgeting process must assess the impact that these regulations will have on the allocation of resources to the various line items. If this is not done the tribe or organization will spend excessive time forcing expenditures into inappropriate cost categories.

3. Scope, Quality and Method of Service: - One of the most important factors in determining expenditures is the range and quality of services to be provided. This must include the methods that will be used to provide the service. Rather than just basing the budget on past expenditures, the tribe or organization should look at alternative ways of providing the services as part of the budgeting process.

4. Volume of Activity: - The volume of activity must be analyzed to determine fixed costs and those that are impacted by an increase or decrease in the funding or level of activity. The organization must establish a base level at which the project can be operated. If this level of revenue is not secured, then the tribe or organization will have to either generate additional revenue or combine the project with another with similar goals.

5. Cost elements: - The organization will need to determine the types of labour, materials, equipment, and other cost elements required to perform the services and the cost for each.

When planning the budget, answer the following questions:

1. What is the staff time required to complete the project?

2. Will consultants be needed for the project?

3. What travel is necessary to perform all activities?

4. Will equipment be needed to perform the scope of work?

5. What supplies will be needed by the project?

6. What other costs will be incurred to complete all activities of the project?

Once the resources necessary to carry out your proposed project have been determined it is time to begin researching and gathering the cost estimates for these resources. Organizations that have an accounting or purchasing department can work together to gather the required information. It is important that good documentation is kept during this process. This documentation will be needed when writing the budget justification. Some of it may be included in the proposal.

Summary: - The process of project planning involves twelve development steps, the first being identification of long-term goals for the desired condition of the community. The second step involves assessment of the current conditions of the community, resulting in the identification of the problem or problems as well as assets. Once the problems are identified, the project planning team refines the inventory of available resources during step three and then chooses a goal for the project in step four. Step five involves choosing a strategy to achieve the goal using the previously identified resources. The project plan begins to take shape during step six when the project objectives are established. Also, a part of step six, the project activities are designed to accomplish the project objectives. In step seven, the planning team studies the objectives and activities identify any potential challenges to the project’s successful completion and develops a corresponding contingency plan. Step eight focuses on creating the project Objective Work Plan. The next step is to select a method to evaluate progress towards achievement of the project objectives and goal. After creating an evaluation plan, step ten is to develop a sustainability plan that ensures the project’s benefits to the community will continue after the end of project funding. Finally, during step eleven, the financial resources required to perform, evaluate, and report on the project will be estimated and a budget established. Summarizing the project by writing an abstract is the last step. The formal project development process is both simple and complex. Conceptually, the process is very simple—a progressive narrowing of strategic choices—although it may involve many activities and require an extended period. Approximately 80% of your time should be spent planning your project and only 20% of your time writing and packaging the actual application. Operationally, the project planning process is far more complex than the project goals, objectives, and activities. Project development is one component of an overall strategic plan designed by a community working toward positive change through a community-based planning process.