1. Project Management for
Social Impact
Anas Talalqa
Sr. PM and Human Rights Advisor
Project Design for
Social Impact
Anas Talalqa
Senior Projects Manager
and Humanitarian Aid Advisor
2. Project Design
In Bangladesh, Ipas noticed that women were getting sick or dying because they could not
access reproductive health services. They decided to strengthen reproductive health
rights and services.
In India, Pragya noticed that people in mountainous regions did not have the training to
get jobs. They decided to start a job skills training program.
In Mexico, CIMMYT noticed that local farmers were not using the latest agricultural
research. They decided to teach local farmers about their organization's research.
ProjectDesign
3. Project Design
Every social impact project starts in the same way: someone
notices a problem and decides to do something about it.
ProjectDesign
4. Problems & Solutions
"If I were given one hour to save
the world, I would spend 59
minutes defining the problem and
one minute resolving it.” — Albert Einstein
ProjectDesign
5. Collecting Data
The community's needs
Past and existing projects in the community
The community's strengths and assets
The stakeholders in the community
ProjectDesign
6. Collecting Data Tools
• Scientific papers, government reports,
• or reports of previous projects.
RECORDS
REVIEW
• Bring a few members of the community
• together and ask them questions as a group
FOCUS
GROUPS
• Ask a few questions to communitySURVEYS
ProjectDesign
7. The Problem Analysis
Constructing a problem tree involves the following steps:
1. Identify major problems existing within a given situation (brainstorming)
2. Select an individual starter problem
3. Look for related problems to the starter problem
4. Establish hierarchy of cause and effects:
1. Problems which are directly causing the starter problems are put below
2. Problems which are direct effects of the starter problem are put above
5. Complete with all other problems accordingly
6. Connect the problems with cause-effect arrows
7. Review the diagram and verify its validity and completeness
ProjectDesign
8. The Problem Analysis
Keep in mind:
Problems have to be worded as negative situations as they exist
Problems should be as specific as possible – what is the problem, who does it affect?
Problems have to be existing problems, not future ones or imagined ones
The position of the problem in the hierarchy does not indicate its importance
A problem is not the absence of a solution, but an existing negative situation,
that is a “lack of” something
ProjectDesign
9. Understanding Your Problem
After my team and I analyzed the data we collected about the Infant mortality in
community A and community B, we found that in community A the Infant mortality is
higher in comparison to community B, we found some likely causes:
Poor sanitation practices, such as not washing hands
Poor nutrition for mothers and infants
High rates of bacterial infections
- Safgia Nil,
WB, Nigeria
ProjectDesign
11. Problem Tree
• Step 2: Write down
the effects of your
problem. What
issues does this
problem cause?
Place them above
the problem.
ProjectDesign
12. Problem Tree
• Step 3: Write the
causes of the
problem on sticky
notes. Place them
beneath the
problem.
ProjectDesign
13. Problem Tree
• Step 4: Where did
the causes come
from? What are
the causes of the
causes?
ProjectDesign
14. Problem Tree
There is no one “correct” tree – there can be many perspectives
and different problems between different people and groups!
ProjectDesign
16. The Objectives Analysis
Compiling a tree of objectives involves the following steps:
Step 1: Reformulate all negative situations of the problems analysis into positive situations that
are: Desirable
Realistically achievable
Step 2: Check the means-ends relationships thus derived to ensure validity and completeness of the
hierarchy
Step 3: If necessary; Revise statements; Add new objectives if these seem to be relevant and
necessary to achieve the objective at the next higher level
Delete objectives which do not seem suitable / convenient or necessary
ProjectDesign
17. Designing a Solution
Meet overall objectives of your organization
Relevant to the target group
Realistic
Sustainable
Eliminate one or more of the causes
ProjectDesign
18. The Objectives Analysis
Remember! LFA is an iterative process. This means that as you define your
Objectives Tree based on the Problem Tree, you will check whether the
problems were clearly identified, and whether the logic still holds
between them. You can (and should!) be altering your Problem Tree as you
go along.
The clearer the problem is stated in the Problem Tree, the easier it is
to identify the logical link between problems, and then to define clear
objectives.
ProjectDesign
23. Identifying scope
Imagine a builder, who has been asked by the town to build a new school. He has been given
some money to spend, and a deadline of next June. But no one has told the builder how many
classrooms the school needs, whether there should be a playground, or the ages of the children
who will attend the school. Will the builder produce a school that satisfies the town?
ProjectSetUp
24. Identifying scope
Project scope: The tasks and activities that will need to be done.
Product scope: The products or services that will be delivered.
ProjectSetUp
25. Three Constraints
Scope: the products, services, or work that you promise to provide.
The scope for one project might be "one bridge will be built." For another project,
the scope might be "1,000 children will be taught to read."
ProjectSetUp
26. WILL SPECIFYING THE SCOPE KEEP ME
FROM BEING FLEXIBLE?
You planned on training 2,000 farmers on new irrigation techniques and recorded that target
in the project charter. However, only 1,900 farmers show up to your workshops. Does this
mean that your project has failed?
Probably no, but why? No one expects you to predict the future, so the scope of your
project should allow for a little bit of uncertainty
ProjectSetUp
27. WILL SPECIFYING THE SCOPE KEEP ME
FROM BEING FLEXIBLE?
Product Scope: 2,000 farmers will be trained on new irrigation techniques, with a
tolerance of +/- 5%.
A tolerance of +/- 5% means that the project will still be successful if 5% fewer farmers are
trained than our target (1,900 farmers), or if 5% more farmers are trained than our target
(2,100 farmers).
ProjectSetUp
28. Three Constraints
• A nonprofit in Jordan goes over budget.
The organization in Jordan did not finish under the required budget.
• A group of aid workers in Turkey does not have the time to deliver disaster relief supplies
before the monsoon season arrives.
The organization in Turkey did not finish during the required schedule.
• An organization in India learns that their donors are not satisfied with the housing that they
have built.
The organization in India did not produce the required scope.
ProjectSetUp
30. Project Set Up
Establish project governance
Align on scope and requirements
Authorize the start of the project
ProjectSetUp
31. PROJECT CHARTERS
Project
purpose
What is the
purpose of this
project? What
problem is it
addressing?
Project
scope
What outcomes
and outputs will
this project
create?
Project
estimates
Activities,
schedule and
budgets
ProjectSetUp
32. PROJECT CHARTERS
Project
risks
What might go
wrong?
Project
change log
What changes
have been made
to the original
project design?
Project
governance
Who is in
charge?
ProjectSetUp
46. Project Design & Set Up
Projects have constraints of time, budget, and scope.
During the project design phase, a problem is researched, solutions are designed, and
funding is secured.
During the project set up phase, the governance structure is created, the scope is
specified, and the project is officially started.
ProjectSetUp
47. Understanding Your Real Goal
Project managers are often hired during the project set up phase. If you
are joining an organization for the first time during project set up, you
need to do more than just read the project proposal. You need to deeply
understand your organization's goals, beneficiaries, and mission.
PMSI
