E-kapija: Regardless to competition or the EU funding program, some basic steps should be undertaken right away, in case you want to present your project successfully. You should start with analyses and preliminary preparations as soon as possible, in order to be able to define partners and prepare a qualitative project for some of the EU funding programs on time, writes Lider Press.
Project cycle management workshops as the basis for preparation of project concept and project application are still largely wanted at market. Therefore we present basic steps that can be undertaken regardless to competition or the EU funding program. In preparatory phase collected should be relevant and harmonized data related to topic you are interested in. It is necessary to educate yourself on all competition documentation, operational programs or other strategic documents relevant for that program. If the competition has not been announced yet, you can go through materials from last competition, in order to get introduced to conditions and guidelines of program. Look at the projects that have been accepted by now, or explore similar successful projects, in order for you to get the idea related to elaborating your project or explore possible partners. Sometimes, your project can be upgraded to some other project for which the funds have already been approved. Do not wait for the competition to be announced!
The second step is exploring project partners and establishing contacts with them. Include project partners in the early phase of developing project idea already – this will help better development of project, create a joint ownership and a real dedication of partner.
Besides the analysis of possible partners, you should draft the analysis of target groups as well. It firstly includes the analysis of all individuals, groups, institutions, organizations and companies that can be interested in project. Through analysis and defining target groups it is possible to recognize different interests, possibilities, possible impacts, and resources of target groups, manners on which they can affect the project or recognize the benefits for them. Besides analyzing target group, analysis of problems should be done as well. In a frame of that step, you should list all the problems related to your interest areas. If it is easier for you, you can rank the problems from the biggest to the smaller ones (so called 'problem tree analysis').
The next step is analyzing overall and specific objectives.
Overall objectives (project objectives) deal with the project in general: in concrete sense, what the project deals with at the level of needs (problem description) and in what way it will change the current situation of citizens (indicator of success). Specific objectives are directly connected with program objectives: what will be the project effects on specifically targeted group/area and what will project partners specifically do.
In other words, specific objectives should explain what exactly will be achieved by the project and what the expected benefits for target groups are. Project objectives should be achieved by this project at the end of it. All those objectives should be harmonized. After these preparatory steps, there follows drafting logical framework matrix as a schematic diagram of project, which serves to its coherent and logical rationalizing; summarized and descriptive project presentation and monitoring implementation and evaluation of its successfulness.
According to the intervention logics, the following should be read from above to down:
- If the funds have been ensured (‘inputs’), it is possible to implement activities
- If the activities have been implemented, it is possible to implement results
- If the results have been achieved, specific project objectives will be achieved ('purpose')
- If the purpose has been achieved, project will contribute to reaching its overall objective ('overall objective' or 'goal')
This logic is being complemented by the assumptions as are the external factors that can affect the project success, but are not controlled by the project team. Precondition is the assumption that should be fulfilled, in order to start with the activities.
After these recommendations and explanations, we can only advise you to remain patient and start with analyses and preliminary preparations as soon as possible, in order for you to define partners and prepare a qualitative project on time. Good luck!