project identification in Entrepreneurship

1. PROJECT IDENTIFICATION By Dr K.Arrun Vidya

2. MEANING OF A PROJECT
oA project is an envisioned workplan devised by the entrepreneur or the top level
management for the start or initiation of a new business venture.
oThe project typically consists of a specified set of objectives to be achieved within a
specified period of time.
oIt contains all the details about the project/venture including its expected outcomes
and anticipated profits. It is the job of every entrepreneur to find such promising
project ideas.
oThe identification of opportunities for project investments requires an understanding
of the environment in which one operates, sensitivity to emerging investment
possibilities, imaginative analysis of tangible and intangible factors and also an
element of luck.

3. MEANING OF PROJECT IDENTIFICATION
o Project identification is the first step of a new venture. It is therefore very crucial to
entrepreneurs to identify projects.
oAn entrepreneur has an infinitely wide choice with respect to this project. The
important dimensions of choice are: product/service, market, technology, equipment,
scale of production, location, incentives, and time phasing.
oThe task of identifying a feasible and promising project is somewhat difficult.
Moreover, it is interrelated with the government policies, infrastructural development
and skills of the people.
oProject identification is concerned with collection, compilation, and analysis of
economic data for the eventual purpose of locating possible opportunities for
investment and with the development of such opportunities.

4. TYPES OF OPPORTUNITIES:
oOpportunities according to Drucker are of three kinds which are as follows:
oAdditive opportunity
oComplementary opportunity
oBreakthrough opportunity
oThis is explained as under:
oAdditive opportunities are those opportunities which enable the decision-maker to better utilise
the existing resources without in any way involving a change in the character of the business.
These opportunities involve minimum disturbance to the existing state of affairs and hence the
least amount of risk.
oComplementary opportunities involve the introduction of new ideas and as such do lead to
certain amount of change in the existing structure, hence there is a considerable amount of risk.
oBreakthrough opportunities involve fundamental changes in both the structure and character of
the business. The element of risk in these opportunities are the greatest as compared to
complementary and additive opportunities.

5. OBJECTIVES OF A PROJECT
oThe various objectives for the start of a particular project can be stated as under:
oTo increase profit
oTo reduce losses
oTo become more competitive
oTo provide help after disaster
oTo train people in a new area
oTo create employment
oTo introduce innovation in the market
oTo improve the rural and backward areas
oTo reduce the level of imports
oTo encourage export oriented production in the country
oTo improve the standard of living of the people.
oTo alleviate poverty and improve welfare measures

6. CLASSIFICATION OF PROJECTS
oProjects can be classified in a number of ways depending upon the nature, type,
magnitude of resources and the cause of the project. Some of the popular
classifications of projects include:
oQuantifiable and non-quantifiable projects
oSectoral projects
oTechno-economic analysis
oFinancial Institutions
oThis is explained as under:
oQuantifiable and non-quantifiable projects: The projects in which a quantitative analysis of costs,
resources involved, level of investment deployed and benefits derived from the project can be
undertaken are called as quantifiable projects. Projects for which such a quantifiable analysis of costs
and benefits cannot be performed are called as non-quantifiable projects.

7. oSectoral projects: Sectoral projects are those projects that can be classified on the basis of the sector
that it belongs to, such as follows:
o Agricultural & Allied
o Mining & Quarrying
o Industrial units
o Food, gas, water
o Electricity, power, petroleum
o Transport, trade and commerce
o Education and health
oTechno-economic analysis: Under this category, the projects can be classified into three types:
o Demand based and raw material based: These are projects which are undertaken either on the basis of market demand or
because of the excess availability of the raw materials.
o Capital intensive & Labour intensive: These are projects undertaken on the basis of the type of inputs used, whether it is capital
oriented or labour oriented.
o Magnitude: On the basis of magnitude the projects can be classified as small scale, medium scale and large scale enterprises.
oFinancial Institutions: On the basis projects are classified as follows:
o New projects
o Replacement projects
o Diversification projects
o Modernization projects

8. DIMENSIONS OF PROJECT IDENTIFICATION
oAny project when going through the screening process is analysed in terms of its
efficiency with respect to three dimensions, namely:
oInput analysis
oOutput analysis
oCost & Benefit analysis
oLet us look into each dimension in detail:
oInput Analysis:
The input analysis is mainly concerned with the internal factors associated with the project. These are
more or less regarding the costs associated with venturing into a new economic and creative opportunity.
The following factors are analysed and evaluated under input analysis:
oAvailability of sufficient factors of production.
oAvailability of sufficient amount of capital.

9. oAvailability of both skilled and unskilled labour.
oAbility to raise capital for the purpose of investment.
oNature and type of location for the venture.
oType and selection of the product or service.
oNature and size of the risk involved in the project.
oThe level of experience and expertise in the particular field/ industry under consideration.
oThe amount of funds that can be invested into the project.
oEstimating all the hidden costs and expenditures involved in the project.
Thus the input analysis puts it into perspective how much a particular project consumes in terms of
implementation costs and the amount of risk involved in the venture at different stages of the venture.
oOutput Analysis:
The next component is the output analysis, this analysis revolves around the aftermath of the project
implementation. Here the emphasis shifts from to “How to execute a project ?” to “What can be expected
from the implementation of the project ?”. This output analysis is a more result-oriented analysis as it
considers the estimation of output, expectation of profits to the firms and the returns to shareholders. The
following factors are considered in the output analysis:
oThe expected profits that can be generated from the project and the returns that can be earned by
the investors.
oThe reception of the product/service by the society and expected demand for the commodity.

10. oA detailed analysis of market trends, the targeted segments of the population for who the product is
made, is considered under output analysis.
oAvailability of sufficient distribution channels and warehousing facilities of safe and clean storage of
output.
oMinimizing the loss incurred by the firm by optimizing the production of output.
oDetermination of the break-even point of production and sales of the output.
oComping up with an accurate pricing mechanism for the product/service.
oSetting up of feedback mechanisms to guarantee continuous customer satisfaction.
oAdding more value to the product at factor prices.
oSafeguarding the employees from low morale and upgrading technology to maintain sales.
Thus the output analysis puts into perspective how much a particular project can give back to the entrepreneur
and to the team involved in its production.
oCost and benefit analysis:
The last component of project identification is the cost and benefit analysis. This analysis aims at ascertaining a
relationship between the costs incurred and benefits derived from venturing into a particular project opportunity.
Here a close look is taken into how much costs were involved and what were the benefits derived from it and
also how close is this estimate to the predefined budget estimate of the entrepreneur or the firm. The more
proximate the two are, it shows successful management and financial prudence by the firm as the firm was able
to optimize production, minimize loss and generate substantial profits. Thus, cost-benefit analysis is a close look
at the performance of the firm.

11. IMPORTANCE OF PROJECT IDENTIFICATION
oThe importance of project identification is highlighted in the following points:
oThey become catalytic agents of economic development.
oThey boost production and generate employment.
oThe commitments to a project are non-reversible.
oThe project consists of benefits that are of a long term nature.
oA project causes substantial financial outlays.
oProject identification causes the necessary changes in society overtime.
oProject identification is the most crucial step of the project planning cycle and employs a
significant amount of resources as part of its exercise.
oProjects provide the framework of the future pattern of activities and services of the enterprises.
oThey also initiate development of basic infrastructure and environment.
oProjects accelerate the process of socio-cultural development.

12. SWOT ANALYSIS
oSWOT Analysis is a logical, analytical, research tool used by entrepreneurs or the top level
management to analyse the feasibility of a particular project. It consists of four components:
oStrengths
oWeaknesses
oOpportunities
oThreats
oThis can be explained as under:
oStrengths: Characteristics of a business which give it advantages over its competitors.
oWeaknesses: Characteristics of a business which make it disadvantageous relative to its competitors.
oOpportunities: Elements in a company’s external environment that allow it to formulate and implement
strategies to increase profitability.
oThreats: Elements in the external environment that could endanger the integrity and profitability of the
business.

13. PROJECT SELECTION
oProject selection is the process of selecting a promising project idea from a list of
various project ideas based on certain conditions that are set by the entrepreneur or the
firm.
oProject selection is the second step after project identification in the project planning
cycle.
oAfter gathering a large number of project profiles, the entrepreneur should consider the
following criteria for selecting a particular project:
oInvestment size
oLocation
oTechnology
oEquipment
oMarketing

14. oInvestment size:
Professional managers, who have worked in multinational companies or large Indian companies, should think of starting
medium-sized or large-sized units only. The investment size should be Rs. 3 to 5 crore. They should not commit the common
mistake of restricting the project size to less than Rs. 2 crores, so that they have to go to all the financial institutions. In fact,
under the present circumstances, it will be much easier to get projects cleared by the all-India institutions, requiring even
lesser promoter’s contribution.
oLocation:
A new entrepreneur should locate his project to the extent possible, in and around the state headquarters. There are many
backward areas around such cities. It is necessary to have such a location so to attract competent managers. This will also
facilitate liaison with the State Electricity Board, State Industrial Development Corporation and various other agencies.
oTechnology:
The first project should not be for a product which required high technology, necessitating foreign technical collaboration. It
is better to go in for a product with a proven technology that is indigenously available. It makes life easier to begin with.
oEquipment:
The entrepreneur should select the best equipment as per advice of experienced technical consultants. He should not
compromise on the quality of the equipment. Many entrepreneurs enter into some sort of a deal with the equipment
manufacturers for a “kick-back” and in the process sacrifice quality. One should not be short-sighted and come to grief by
going in for poor quality equipment.
oMarketing:
It is not advisable to get into a project particularly the first, which would mean survival amidst cut-throat competition
involving direct selling to the ultimate customer. One should go in for products with a limited number of industrial customers.

15. CONSTRAINTS INVOLVED IN PROJECT SELECTION
oThe various constraints faced by the entrepreneur during project selection, can be
divided into 2 components:
oExternal constraints
oInternal constraints
oExternal constraints:
oThese include all the factors outside the project such as the social taboos, social structures,
government policies, the market conditions, the industrial receptivity and so on.
oIt depends upon the competitor’s strategy and the degree of competition and stress faced by the
industrial units in a free and perfectly competitive market environment.
oIt depends upon the economic conditions prevailing in the market. Whether the economy is in boom
or depression what are the hopes and optimism of the producers and consumers.
oIt depends on the political climate of the country whether the country is in a politically unstable
condition, is it in a war or experiencing a revolution, etc.

16. oInternal constraints:
oThese refers to the availability of the factors of production such as land, labour, and capital.
oThe problems associated with the nature and type of the industry and the particular product or
service.
oThe mindset of the management, whether it is a competitive or a conservative management.
oThe required location and the cost of social overheads.
oThe ability to raise funds for the project and availability of funds to invest as seed capital.
Conclusion:
It can thus be said that project identification is an important dimension of entrepreneurship. Also, more
important is its classification which goes towards the emergence of three dimensions- inputs, outputs and
social costs and benefits and finally the economic development of the country.

17. THANK YOU