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1.2. Sources of Project Ideas:: Opportunity Studies

This document discusses various sources and approaches to identifying project ideas. Project ideas can come from communities, experts, leaders, NGOs, needs assessments, and development plans. There are two main approaches - top-down, where projects are identified based on directives from policymakers, and bottom-up, where communities identify their own needs and priorities. Both approaches have advantages like rapid response times or community empowerment, and limitations like lack of community input or not addressing broader goals. The identification process involves needs assessments, reviewing secondary data, and collecting primary data through interviews and discussions.

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498 views11 pages

1.2. Sources of Project Ideas:: Opportunity Studies

This document discusses various sources and approaches to identifying project ideas. Project ideas can come from communities, experts, leaders, NGOs, needs assessments, and development plans. There are two main approaches - top-down, where projects are identified based on directives from policymakers, and bottom-up, where communities identify their own needs and priorities. Both approaches have advantages like rapid response times or community empowerment, and limitations like lack of community input or not addressing broader goals. The identification process involves needs assessments, reviewing secondary data, and collecting primary data through interviews and discussions.

Uploaded by

Debebe Sori
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1.2.

Sources of project ideas:


➢ The community, researchers, experts, local leaders, Policy
makers, entrepreneurs, donors, NGOs, Planners, etc.
➢ Government policy priorities, unusual events, external
threats, unsatisfied demands, under utilized natural
resources, etc.
➢ The business or government development planning
document
➢ Needs of clients
➢ Individual working in organizations, well informed
technical specialists

➢ Opportunity studies
Sources of project ideas _Cont’d
 By their very nature, opportunity studies are
indicative rather than detailed and hence are
generally based on macro-parameters and rough
estimates.
 Such studies may also be carried out in one of the
following three directions:
 a given geographical area (Area studies).
 a specific sub-sector of economy or industry, like food-
processing, agriculture, or power generation (Sub-sectorial
studies).
 exploitation of renewable and non-renewable natural,
agricultural, or industrial produce like minerals, sugarcane,
flash, fish, plants, and even geothermal energy sources, etc.
(Resource-based studies).
Approaches to project identification
There are two major approaches to
project identification :
(a) Top-down approach
(b) Bottom-up approach
Top-Down Approach
 Projects are identified based on demands from the
community.
 This may include directives from:
 international conventions (such as Kyoto
Protocol/climate change)
 international institutions that have
determined particular priorities and thus
projects
 national policy makers identifying
projects that pertain to party manifestos
and/or national plans.
Advantages of Top-Down Approach
 It may be a rapid response to disasters like
floods, war outbreak because there is limited
time and chance to consult the beneficiaries.

 It can be effective in providing important


services like education, health, water, roads
etc.

 It can contribute to wider national or


international objectives and goals
Limitations of Top-Down Approach
 Does not help in modifying strongly established
ideas and beliefs of people.

 Assumes external individuals know better than the


beneficiaries of the service.

 Communities have little say in planning process


rendering approach devoid of human resource
development.

 Community develops dependency syndrome on


outside assistance and does not exploit their own
potential.
Bottom-Up Approach
In this approach, community/
beneficiaries are encouraged to
identify and plan the projects
themselves with or without
outsiders.
Advantages of Bottom-Up Approach
 Interveners accomplish more with limited resources
since people tend to safeguard what they have
provided for themselves.

 Develops people’s capacity to identify problems and


needs and to seek possible solutions to them.

 Provides opportunities of educating people.

 Helps people to work as a team and develop a “WE”


attitude - makes project progressive and sustainable.

 Resources are effectively managed; dependence


reduces, there is increased equity, initiative,
accountability.
Limitations of Bottom-Up Approach
 Not always effective for projects that require urgency to
implement.

 Time-consuming and requires patience and tolerance.

 People sometimes dislike approach because they do not


want to take responsibility for action.

 The priorities of communities may not fit with national


or international priorities that seek to have a broader
impact.
Project Identification in Both approaches:
 Involves needs assessment
- collecting, processing and analyzing data on
problems/needs of communities
 Review of secondary data
- Look at books, survey reports/ research papers,
publications, media reports, internet etc.
 Collecting and analyzing primary information
• Interviews

• Community mapping

• Focus Group Discussions

• Other methods
1.3. Activities in Project identification
and initial screening:
 Situation analysis
 Stakeholders analysis
 SWOT analysis
 Problem analysis
 Objective analysis
 Alternative Tree Analysis or project selection

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