- Know the phases of the project cycle.
- Analyse stakeholders.
- Manage the triple constraint: scope, schedule, cost (and quality).
1Project, programme and the role of the project manager
A project is a temporary endeavour, with a beginning and an end, that produces a unique result (for example rehabilitating 20 water points in 12 months). A programme groups several related projects that serve the same broader objective.
The project manager does not do everything personally: they organise the work, coordinate the teams and support services (logistics, finance, HR), monitor progress and report to management, the donor and communities.
2The phases of the project cycle
Sector guides (such as PMD Pro) describe successive phases, with monitoring, evaluation and control running throughout the project:
- Identification and definition: analysis of needs, context and options; intervention logic (logframe).
- Set-up: project charter, team, governance, kick-off meeting.
- Planning: detailed work plan, budget, procurement, risks, monitoring and evaluation, communication.
- Implementation: carrying out activities, managing the team and partners.
- Closure: final delivery, reports, handover, lessons learned, administrative close-out.
A decision taken at the start costs little to change; the same decision changed at the end of the project is very expensive. Hence the importance of scoping.
3Stakeholders
A stakeholder is any person or organisation that influences the project or is affected by it: communities, local authorities, donor, partners, clusters, team, suppliers.
The influence / interest matrix helps decide how to work with each one:
| Low interest | High interest | |
|---|---|---|
| High influence | Keep satisfied (inform regularly) | Manage closely (involve in decisions) |
| Low influence | Monitor | Keep informed and consult |
Affected communities often have little formal power but maximum interest: accountability requires consulting them and reporting back to them.
4The triple constraint
Every project balances three linked parameters: scope (what is delivered), schedule and cost, with quality at the centre. If one changes, at least one other must move: delivering more latrines with the same budget requires more time, or reduces quality.
The project charter (one to two pages) sets these parameters, the objective, the deliverables, the main risks, the budget and who decides what. It is approved by management before planning begins.
Launching a project after floods
Flooded delta, South Asia
You are appointed project manager of a 6-month shelter and water response after floods.
The funding has been granted. Your team is not complete, the local authority wants to be consulted and three NGOs are already working in the area.
Decision 1 of 3First action?
Decision 2 of 3How do you deal with the three other NGOs?
Decision 3 of 3The local authority asks for a school to be added for rehabilitation. The budget is fixed. What do you reply?
Key takeaways
A well-launched project is properly scoped, coordinated and protected from scope creep, without shutting the door on stakeholders.
Exercise: a project charter
Take a real or imaginary project (for example a distribution of hygiene kits for 2,000 displaced households). Write on one page: the objective, three deliverables, the duration, the overall budget, five stakeholders placed in the influence / interest matrix, and three assumptions on which success depends.
Key points
- A project is temporary and produces a unique result.
- Phases: identification and definition, set-up, planning, implementation, closure; monitoring and control is continuous.
- Scope, schedule and cost are linked: changing one moves the others.
- The influence / interest matrix guides the relationship with each stakeholder.
Further reading: course references
- PM4NGOs (2020). A Guide to the PMD Pro: Project Management for Development Professionals. www.pm4ngos.org
- European Commission (2004). Project Cycle Management Guidelines. international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu
- CHS Alliance, Groupe URD, Sphere (2024). Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability (CHS). www.corehumanitarianstandard.org
- ALNAP (2022). The State of the Humanitarian System (report). www.alnap.org
Daily quiz
3 questions to check what you have learned. Answer them all to complete the day.