5: Parameters of Development Projects _1 Project Management

The experience of working on projects related to dams, bridges, roads, water harvesting, soil conservation, etc. has shown that there is no substitute for dialogue with the farmers, villagers, and resident population.

It is important to maintain continued close relationships throughout the project tenure and learn from the people of the target area. Development projects often require demonstrations before people can understand and envisage their effectiveness. Therefore, project authorities need to keep in mind the importance of people’s priorities and participation.

The project approach should be tailored to the nature of the project. High-calibre techniques provide a sophisticated way of doing projects like dams, canals, or bridges, while simple projects like water harvesting or soil conservation require simple techniques that are easily adaptable. The former requires specialized training and a highly qualified workforce.

Resource mobilization is an important aspect of project development. Depending on the nature of the project, the use of sophisticated or simple machinery generates demand for training. The classification of the project work will decide the type of raw material to be used, the manufacturing process, and the techniques used. These are linked to employment, which determines the type of workforce to be involved or hired – local labour contract or in-migration of the workforce.

Fixed work plans are meant to operationalize project activities within a time frame. For big projects like the construction of dams, tunnels, mining, etc., a certain amount of delay is inevitable. However, in small projects like water harvesting and conservation projects, fixed work plans or rigid targets should not be set in the early stages of implementation. It is unrealistic to plan for all contingencies, and arrogant to assume that the techniques and approaches planned from the outset cannot be improved. Learning from experience and interaction with the people is a much better approach. Thus, flexibility should be written into both types of project documents.

Subsidies and incentives for big projects such as dams, canals, and mining could be given indirectly. For example, in mining, subsidies are given to the local people about the use of water, while for canal projects, free or concessionary supply of water to their agricultural field could be provided. For small projects like water harvesting and toilet construction, subsidies are made through contributions from the beneficiaries.

Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting are important aspects of project development. In big projects, there is a sophisticated information system under Project Management Professional (PMP) for the distribution of tasks and information management on Excel. However, in small projects like water harvesting, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting are often weak spots. Too many projects fail to collect data at even the most basic level. For example, crop yields and tree heights are often just estimated. It is also very rare to find any information on the frequency or depth of water harvested. Without a basic monitoring system, projects are starving themselves of data for evaluation. Without clearly written reports, widely circulated, projects are denying to provide others with important information. Thus, monitoring and evaluation is important to both types of projects