Lesson 2: Project Cycle: Stimulating Learning (Motivation)
Lesson 2: Project Cycle: Stimulating Learning (Motivation)
Project development and management must be participatory, it must be viewed in the context
of the lives, experiences and aspirations of the people, especially the poor, deprived, depressed, and
underprivileged sector of the community. It must not be divorced from the overall process of
community organizing and development and directed towards the building of self-reliant
communities, where people are continuously building their capabilities and promoting their own
empowerment. To be really people-centered and participatory, project development and management
must help in the pursuit of overall community development goals.
COMMUNITY
SOCIAL
NEEDS
ANALYSIS
ASSESSMENT
DETERMINATION OF
PROJECT
SUBSEQUENT COURSE IDENTIFICATION AND
OF ACTION PROPOSAL
FORMULATION
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
TOWARDS BUILDING SELF-
RELIANT COMMUNITIES
IDENTIFICATION
AND ORGANIZATION
IMPACT EVALUATION OF RESOURCES
PROJECT PROJECT
MONITORING AND IMPLEMENTATION
EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT
PROJECT CYCLE.
Development entails a progressive, continuous, and sustained intervention on community processes. Thus, a development project
is a cyclical process. The diagram above shows that the beginning of all project proposals is social analysis, and ends with impact evaluation
and determination of subsequent courses of action. The evaluation of a previous project is a stepping stone for the determination of
another developmental project, plan or activity, which is to begin with another social analysis.
A. SOCIAL ANALYSIS
Planning and management of development projects starts with social analysis of a given community. It will specifically focus on the
understanding of the demographics, history, problems, needs, resources, livelihood, beliefs, people potentials, structures and all the
other elements of community relevant to the implementation and management of the project. It also analyzes the strengths,
weaknesses, threats or opportunities within the community.
In this stage, a potential project design is organized after adequate consultation with the different stakeholders of the community.
Project identification gains meaning as the people discover potential projects which can help change the oppressive conditions in
their community and ways or means of responding sensitively to their problems and needs. Proposal formulation is the process of
putting down into writing the plan on how and when the project/activity shall be implemented including persons responsible for
their implementation and other details such as budgetary costs.
In this stage, the planners determine how and when a chosen project will be implemented. Identification and organization of
resources is a process of cataloging key services, benefits, and resources within the community, such as individuals’ skill sets,
leadership focal points, organization structures, the economy of the community and other variables that may facilitate and catalyze
the effective, efficient and productive implementation of the project.
E. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION AND MANAGEMENT
In this stage, the project is carried out by the planners and the local community members based on an agreed-upon timetable. In
implementing the project, we want to see the people taking the lead role. At this stage in the process of planning and managing
development projects, the actual participation of the people shall be fully harnessed in meeting their objectives.
This is an assessment of how the intervention being evaluated affects the particular development of the project or program at every
phase starting from the initial activities to results. It also evaluates the outcomes, whether their effects are intended or unintended.
The goal of impact evaluation is to improve the implementation of the project or activity and to make necessary re-calibrations
along the way thus enhancing relevance, efficiency and effectiveness.
If in case students lack hours of community immersion, or did not perform well, they are bound to receive an unsatisfactory rating;
more so, failure of compliance must be noted. Students must learn to work within the allotted time frame given, for their convenience
and also for the community’s sake. Despite the termination, the implementors should encourage the community member to sustain
the project or program implemented. This is to ensure that the projects are still enduring and beneficial to the communi