The document discusses the project cycle management (PCM) process for successfully managing an approved European project. It describes the five phases of the PCM: project idea, identification, formulation, implementation, and evaluation. It emphasizes that quality is ensured through stakeholder participation, use of tools like logical frameworks, and producing key documents. The document then outlines steps for after project approval like notifying partners, signing agreements, and organizing kickoff meetings. It provides guidance for managing partnerships through tasks, meetings, risk management and quality assurance surveys. Finally, it discusses monitoring, dissemination, sustainability, and reporting requirements throughout the project cycle.

1. European Project Management
Sofia, December 2018
Mirko Varano
varano@kth.se

2.  The PCM
 After the approval
 Managing the partnership
 Quality Assurance and monitoring
 Dissemination and exploitation
 Sustainability
 Reporting
How to successfully manage an approved project

3. The 5 phases of PCM
Project Idea

4. 1. Decision making criteria and procedures are defined at each phase (including key
information requirements and quality assessment criteria);
2. The phases in the cycle are progressive – each phase should be completed for the next
to be tackled with success;
3. New programming and project identification draws on the results of monitoring and
evaluation as part of a structured process of feedback and institutional learning.
The cycle is based on 3 principles

5. 1. projects are supportive of overarching policy objectives of the EC and of development
partners;
2. projects are relevant to an agreed strategy and to the real problems of target
groups/beneficiaries;
3. projects are feasible, meaning that objectives can be realistically achieved within the
constraints of the operating environment and capabilities of the implementing
agencies;
4. benefits generated by projects are likely to be sustainable.
PCM ensures that:

6. 1. Active participation of key stakeholders and aims to promote local ownership
2. Uses the Logical Framework Approach (as well as other tools) to support a number of
key assessments/analyses (including stakeholders, problems, objectives and strategies)
3. Incorporates key quality assessment criteria into each stage of the project cycle
4. Requires the production of good-quality key document(s) in each phase (with
commonly understood concepts and definitions), to support well-informed decision-
making
How PCM helps to reach the aims:

7. The quality of a project is measured in terms of relevance, feasibility and effectiveness. In the Quality Frame these three attributes are
subdivided into 16 criteria which are key for evaluating the quality. In each phase of the cycle, the project must be analyzed on these
quality criteria, so as to facilitate decision making
Quality criteria

8.  Be transparent: notify the partners in due time
 Sign the grant agreement
 Alert the internal actors to get involved
 Organize the kick off meeting
 Prepare the consortium agreement
 Open an internal project
 Create a basic website
 Agree on the platform to use for internal communnication
After the approval

9.  Go through the application
 Go through the financial provisions and regulations
 Keep the minutes
 Define roles and responsibilities
 Ensure the participation of the whole organization
 Define the operational plan
At the kick off meeting

10. The operational plan

11.  Assign tasks to each partner to avoid sleeping partners
 All partners active in each WP whenever possible
 Plan regular consortium meetings and online meetings in between
 Define risk management and mitigation measures
 Organize internal QA surveys (anonymous)
 Expect the unexpected
Managing the partnership

12.  QA plan defined at early stage
 Continuous monitoring of the LFM
 Internal QA surveys
 External mid-term and final evaluation
 Multiplier/Open events with quality assessment
Monitoring

13.  Dissemination plan defined at early stage
 Planning of events
 Website
 Involvement of stakeholders
 Project based multiplier effect
Dissemination and exploitation

14.  Achieved results will keep being used
 Tight link with dissemination and exploitation
 External funding identified and available
 Clustering projects
Sustainability

15.  Final fase of the project
 To be addressed already at early stage
 Contents of the reports taken into account when deciding over the project documents
 Project report vs Activity report
 Don’t take anything for granted
 All activities and produced results taken into account
 Any deviation should be argumented (positive and negative)
 The evaluators assess the project solely by comparing the proposal with the report
Reporting

16. Thank you!
Contact: varano@kth.se