Design of Projects – Key Exam Notes
Page 1
• Qualitative / consensus-seeking techniques for need detection:
– Key Informants (expert interviews)
– Delphi (anonymous, iterative consensus among experts)
– Nominal Group (face-to-face consensus)
– Brainstorming (quantity & originality of ideas, no early judgment)
– Community Forum (open meeting for collective consensus)
– Complementary: literature & past-project review
• Innovation as idea source: think broadly, avoid preconceptions; volume of ideas increases chance of quality
Page 2
• Innovation = putting ideas into value within changing contexts
• Rationale: invention + market → competitiveness
• Main routes to innovate:
– Detect unmet needs
– Track lifestyle / market trends
– Improve existing products (packaging, size, flavour, etc.)
– Stay informed / observe nature
– Leverage personal skills & interests
– Exchange ideas in informal groups
• Priority setting after need detection (resources limited):
Define valuation criteria
Pre-select problems when too many exist
Classify & rank remaining problems
Page 3
• Typical criteria for ranking:
– Importance / severity
– Gap between current state & desired goal
– Affected population size
– Persistence of problem
– Time required for solution
– Immediacy of expected effects
– Expected efficacy
• Problem delimitation requires:
Clear description
Justification of project relevance
Statement of overall objective
• Guiding questions: how to respond, activities, resources, timeline, people, methodology
Page 4
• Identify technical / legal requirements early (safety, sector norms, licences, protocols)
• Map potential funding sources, even for internal projects; critical for non-profits seeking external finance
• Select solution alternatives considering technical & economic viability within resource, time & legal limits
Page 5
• Technical viability: availability of human resources, materials, equipment, facilities; absence of insurmountable technical barriers
• Economic viability:
– Cost–benefit / profitability analysis
– Estimate required funds & funding sources
• If either viability fails → revise, replace or cancel project
• Always review external information & previous projects (good practices, weaknesses to improve)
Page 6
• Project definition elements:
– Brief description (problem/need & main goals)
– Justification (background, motivation, theoretical basis)
– Beneficiaries (who, how many)
– Location & coverage (area, population; affects resource planning)
Page 7
• Objective characteristics: clear, concrete, realistic, pertinent, evaluable
• Key questions: what to do, desired change, destination state, timeframe
• Practical rules:
– Set realistic, prioritised, compatible objectives
– Allocate proper resources & tools
– Use active, measurable verbs (e.g., increase, reduce, design)
Page 8
• Separate objectives if they need different strategies/metrics
• Include explicit success criteria (e.g., compliance in of cases)
• Examples highlight rewriting vague aims into precise, measurable statements
Page 9
• Objective hierarchy:
– General objectives: final desired impact, linked to root causes; never activity-centred
– Specific objectives: concrete, actionable steps that realise general objectives; should be quantifiable for evaluation (use action verbs such as design, classify, validate, etc.)