What I have learned as project field implementer (+10 years) in the ground, then as project manager in UN agencies (7 years) and now as UN Evaluator (+10 years) would be:

First, what I understand as “Quality of development project”? = A Project that is fit for purpose , e.g. achieves its outcome(s) that clearly contribute to a developmental impact.

What then can we do to get those projects happen:

• Design process is key, to:
  • Ensure the project is part of something bigger. It should be part of a developmental effort (programme) for the country.
  • Ensure clarity of objectives (outcome. Contribution to impact). How it will be measured afterwards?
  • Ensure government ownership. (The best indicator of government ownership is the financing or co-financing of the project)

If all of the 3 elements before are not there,  DO NOT implement the project   (doesn’t matter if you have the funds!, there are always better ways to spend them).

• During implementation:
  • Just ensure that the above 3 elements remain.  If not, make corrections, adaptation to get the 3 elements back (by the way, this is also called monitoring, when done systematically).  If needed, change the scope.  Be realistic.  Focus on the outcomes and adapt the activities and outputs as needed.
  • If by any reason, one or more of the 3 elements are not there anymore, and cannot be corrected or adjusted.  STOP the project. (cancel it).  There are so many project that their implementation is finished for the sake of finishing (knowing that it will not achieve its purpose)

• Finally: In any case:  get a proper Independent Evaluation to validate results, and learn out of it. There is no need to make the same mistakes over and over again, since there are so many new mistakes that we can do :-) 

Warm regards,

Javier Guarnizo

UNIDO Office of Evaluation and Internal Oversight