Project design and management contributions to improve IITA’s Research for Development program

Project design and management
contributions to improve IITA’s
Research for Development program

Braima James
Candidate
Deputy Director
Project development and management
IITA

International Institute of Tropical Agriculture – Institut international d’agriculture tropicale – www.iita.org

Outline
 The job

 R4D environment

 Project planning
- Overview
- Specify problem Planning aims to coordinate decisions
- Agreeing objectives in an attempt to influence, direct and
- Analyze options control the future in order to achieve
- Plan of operations certain predetermined objectives

 If IITA were a donor…
- Bank of CNs
- Control management
- MIS

 Conclusions

1. The job
7 key responsibility areas 26yrs post-PhD experience
Lead responses to funding opportunities Managed 10 projects of US9m, 38% of which
I led in proposal development
Facilitate project proposals development 25 projects: 11 successful, 9 pending, 6
unfunded or refused
Strengthen use of appropriate design for UNDP-ESCaPP; IFAD/CGM; CG-NGOIPM; SDC
proposal development cowpea & vegs; FAO cassava & Striga; ADA
vegs; NRC vegs; BI-WAFRINET; SPIPM
Develop/conduct training programs to Project planning/management, UK; IPM tools,
strengthen project management at IITA Australia; Corporate governance, FARA
Facilitate development of strategic IITA-Benin; HVP; PRSP-SL; initiatives with
initiatives/internal proposals CFC, UEMOA, UNIDO;3 partnership wshps pa;
Facilitate partnerships for smooth Inclusive partnerships through projects
implementation of projects development and coordination
Collaborate with CGO & DDG-RS: recruit MoU with host-countries, CIRAD, NRC-Norway
staff; establish sites; monitor progress

2. R4D environment: MTP projects
MTP legacies on SC priorities CLS HVP AH RTS BPS AB OT

Gene conservation & use 

Increased knowledge/tech      

Improved/stabilized profitability    

High food & nutritional quality    

Efficient labour-use  

Self reliant NARS/capacity dev 

Markets/informed enterprises  

Policy advice/ext environment 

Suggestion
- Consider placing some the 3 thematic projects within commodity MTP projects

R4D environment: many special projects, one mission

Suggestions
- Coordinate results generation into common impact to achieve IITA mission


3. Project planning: Overview

SPECIFY
Formulate strategy PROBLEM Implement strategy
- Leadership - Long-term
- Decision-making - Anticipate changes
- Communications - Proactive/ideas/vision
MONITOR ANALYSE
PROGRESS PLANNING CYCLE
OPTIONS
- Work culture Short-term
- Resources - Reactive/tactical
- Authority levels - Reverse losses
CONTROL
Strategy: STANDARDS Implementation:
Establish key targets in Forecast & correct changes
social, political, in target environment and
technology & economic justify ones position and
environment & show proposals to deliver the
means to fulfil them desired change

Specify problem/a good problem statement
 Situation
- What situation needs change? Allocate $ to BC or
experiential learning or both?
- Who/what/region is affected?
- Magnitude of the problem?
 Causes (not symptoms)
- Why does problem exists?
- Single or multiple causes? Functional Leaf loss in S. macrocarpon:
group Mite population density per leaf
- Are causes interdependent?
On-station On-farm
 Consequences
8.6 5.5 159.8 52.9
- Population size affected? Pest mite
Predators 8.3 1.5 1.6 0.6
- Political, cultural, economic?

Suggestions
- Intensive problem analyses is pivotal to resource mobilization/allocation
- Learn PSW tools: Surveys; historical profiles; consultations, pinboarding

Agreeing objectives/the desired future
 SMART Objectives
- State what will/should happen DD-Projects: Authority environment

- Specify project expectations
- Clarify how to influence future Negotiated

 Agree, not set, objectives
- More motivated implementers
Existing
- Maximise chances of achievement
- Inputs of diverse expertise
- Realistic plans/complement capacity Imposed
- Confident decision-making: managers

Suggestions
- Invest in professionally facilitated project planning workshops
- Greater involvement of potential partners in a timely manner

Agreeing objectives: MTP project strategy

Diverse expertise: IITA, AVRDC, ARC, ICIPE, NARS Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo

Suggestion
- Harmonize strategic planning approaches across MTP projects
- Specify research/thrusts (= central pillars/strategic objectives. HVP now has 4
research thrusts: a) Productivity growth; b) Market efficiency & enterprise; c)
Nutritional quality & product diversity; d) Policies & institutional arrangements
- Position component projects within strategic objectives per MTP projects

Agreeing objectives: Template to position projects
Equivalent objectives to propose
Hierarchy of Description
Strategic plan Component projects
expectations
Goal - Greater why Mission Problem statement in
- Summarise rationale executive summary
Purpose - Change/impact needed Vision/research thrusts Basis of goal statement
- Motivation for outputs
Output - Specific deliverables Strategic objective/RT Basis of purpose
- ToR for projects
Activities - How/action Responses/RT Basis of outputs

Output - What? Qty/quality N/A Output targets
target - Location, time
Activities - How/action N/A Activities & resources

Suggestions
- Hands on training/common understanding of hierarchy of objectives
- Incorporate AU projected 6% annual productivity gain into planning process


Analyse options: Feasibility of tasks
 Decision Tree Analysis
- Conceptual map of potential decisions/outcomes on activities to produce OTs

Start task: step 1 Step 1 succeeds Step 2 succeeds Continue

Step 1 fails Step 2 fails

1
= Decide
 = Continue or exit/hand over
= Abandon task

Suggestions
- Test consequences of tasks prior to implementation
- Review/merge or develop alternative tasks based on possible consequences
- Visualize contingences, exit/handover of tasks (link to stakeholder analysis)


Analyse options: Relative feasibility of output targets
Force Field Analysis, e.g. IITA biopesticides
10
Learning
Specificity Durability

Demand Average
5 Production

Expertise
+ve forces
0
-ve forces
Application

-5

Average
2nd/other Toxicology
-10 pests Markets Registration Recruitment

Suggestions
- Assess/compare practicality of solutions (fertilisers, GMOs, biopesticides etc)
- Identify clear action points/inventory driving & restraining factors on OTs
- Minimize risks, amend/improve chances of success

Analyse options: Skills profiling

 Confident HR decision making
- Identify skills required to deliver OT
- Analyse internal skills/within the group
- Negotiate synergies/linkages & cross functions
- Inventory of external skills
- Identify potential consultancy areas

Suggestions
- Stakeholder analysis helps place objectives within IITA control
- MTP projects may require pillar champions/coordinators


Plan of operations/writing
By this stage information is available to prepare a winning project proposal
- A strategy framework approved by RDC
- CNs approved by RDC to operationize the strategy
- Proposal writing includes PoP to indicate time, staff & $ resource allocation

Output 1: Collective action on MTP projects documented and lessons shared
Output target Activity 2007 timeframe Performance Responsible $
indicator
J F M A M J J A S O N D

MTP action Identify & prioritize RDC report DD-R & 000
initiatives emerging new themes on decisions Coordinator
published on
web Organize internal M&E/CCER DDG-R & 000
review report Coordinator

Facilitate strategic MTP strategy Consultant & 000
planning workshop document DD-R, DD-Proj
Recruit project Strategy DDG-R, CGO, 000
leadership operational HR
Convene symposium. 15 papers DD-R; 000
Coordinator


4. If IITA were a donor: Bank of CNs

By end year 1 Benefits

 Problem specification  Coalition of interests in CNs

- Criteria to prioritize problem areas - Transparent decision making on CNs

- Justify technical, social, economic & - Ensure objectives are under IITA
environmental viability of CNs control

 Which projects?  Advocacy on donor policies

- SWOT CNs for robustness - Proactive donor intelligence

- Intranet-publicize database of CNs - Info support for investment

- Specify CNs which IITA would invest - Timely response to funding calls
in if it were a donor agency
- Basis of R4D $ mobilization/allocation


Control management: a control system

 A good plan is achieved only if it is subjected to good system of control

- Output targets = control standards

- Monitor progress towards standards

- Compare results with standards

- Adjust objectives/flexibility

Suggestions
- Agree financial resource management tools with CGO, CFO and DD-R


Design a management information systems

Category Type of info required Source of the info Use of the info

Deliverables - What has been done? - Activity records - Plan future/year’s work
- Not done but planned? - Supervision reports - Identify successes
- Problems encountered? - Periodic reports - Identify strengths
- How problems solved? - Staff reviews - Identify weaknesses
- Change in ext situation? - Clients - Plan to overcome them
- How staff work as team? - Surveys - Review and evaluation

Suggestions
- Agree on categories of info and other MIS elements
- Agree on type of MIS required: formal, informal, extensive or limited
- Keep MIS simple, efficient and useful (advisory; not a spy in the cab!)
- Train/supervise project team in use of MIS


5. Conclusion: I am suitable
 IITA research results are the only tools we have to impact on national
(e.g., PRSP), regional (e.g. with SROs) and continental (e.g. CAADP)
agricultural development plans

 I have summarized project planning & management tools & processes as
I know and apply in my work, and suggest each of us IRS learns such tools
for planning to improve effectiveness and usefulness of our research results

 I have also suggested action areas to guide R4D decisions on projects &
increase IRS understanding & collective ownership of those decisions

 I have drawn on 26yrs post-PhD experiences in education, partnership
building, project development, implementation/management & informal
discussions with colleagues to arrive at the summary I have provided

 I believe I have clearly demonstrated that I am suitable for the
advertised position of DD-Project planning and management at IITA


Thank you

I look forward to
working with you,
various authority
levels, SROs/NARS so
that together we help
improve IITA’s R4D
impact in the fight
against declining
livelihoods in SSA


Project design and management contributions to improve IITA’s Research for Development program

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