Knowledge, Skills and Strategies
for Professionals

Designing and Planning Projects (5 days)

Mastering fundamental project design skills

Courses in 2010

24-28 May, Geneva
Early bird fee available until 12 April, registration and payment deadline: 3 May.

Course fee and registration

Early bird fee/full fee (course fee is calculated in Swiss Francs CHF, more information):
- Non-OECD: CHF 1450/1700, approx. USD 1250/1500
- OECD: CHF 1950/2200, or approx. USD 1750/2000.

To register, please fill in this form and send it to us by email.

For further enquiries, please contact us.

Overview

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail! This interactive project management course focuses on the design and planning of projects. Participants are first introduced to Results-Based Management (RBM) and its application in project management. RBM focuses on performance and achievement of results and is the dominant management strategy in use.

The main tool used during this course is the logical framework approach, which provides a structured model for identifying expected results as well as the activities and inputs needed to accomplish them. The course provides tools to analyse problems and stakeholders, define objectives and determine activities based on stakeholder needs. It also introduces the implementation of a monitoring system. Participants learn how to best use the various tools with case studies and through group exercises.

This course is also available in French. Ce cours peut également être animé en français.

This is part of our training on Project Cycle Management, which provides a solid foundation on the three following core subjects:

- Needs Assessments in Emergency and Rehabilitation situations (5 days), next course from 8-12 February
- Designing and Planning Projects (5 days), next course from 24-28 May
- Monitoring and Evaluation (5 days), next course from 22-26 November.

Participants obtain a certificate in Project Cycle Management after attending the three courses. Each of these courses covers one main subject and can also be taken individually, leading to a course certificate. For more information about Project Cycle Management, please see the overview of courses.

Click here to download the course leaflet (PDF format).

Who should attend

The course will benefit persons who are new to project management, or have some experience but not yet obtained training, in particular:
  • Project managers
  • Programme coordinators
  • Key field and HQ staff involved in designing and planning projects
  • Managers supervising project development and implementation
How you and your organisation will benefit - Learning Objectives

At the end of the course, participants have understood how to design and plan a project following the results-based management concept and using the logical framework as a tool.

Course programme

The training course is based on a series of modules, which can be adapted to the requirements of the course participants. The emphasis is put on practice and hands-on exercises and includes:
  • Group-work
  • Brainstorming
  • Questions and answers
  • Role play
  • Simulation
  • Short presentations

Day 1 A. Project design: Concepts
  • Why Results-Based Management
  • Introducing the RBM concept
  • Defining the results chain: Impact, outcome, output, activities, input
  • Designing a project with the RBM approach
Day 2 B. Process
Step 1: Problem identification and analysis
  • Aim of problem identification
  • Problem analysis: Importance and challenges
  • Using the problem tree tool
  • Stakeholder analysis
Day 3 Step 2: Choosing the operational strategy
  • Defining priorities according to the problem analysis
  • Linking priorities to the mandate of the organisation
Step 3: Designing the project
  • Introduction to Logical Framework Approach (LFA)
  • Formulating project objectives
Day 4
  • Formulating project objectives (cont.)
  • Defining project activities
  • Analysing risks (assumptions) linked to the project
  • Identifying indicators and baseline
Day 5 Step 4: Planning the project implementation
  • Sequencing and scheduling project activities
  • Planning the resources (budget, materials, human resources; roles and responsibilities)
  • Creating data-collection tools for indicators
  • Planning a successful monitoring system

Individual consultation

As a participant, you can obtain an individual consultation from the trainer during the course on how to further develop a project of your own, or on another subject of your choice.

Course venue

If there are no management courses for NGOs in your country yet, please read about our partnership approach, the benefits for partner organisations and three simple steps to organize the training courses for NGOs in your community.

NGO Management School   Switzerland  Copyright 2009: Some rights reserved