Project Development and Management

Scouts, young leaders, and everyone in general will have to work on projects at some point. Whether if it is to serve a beneficiary community or an entrepreneurial venture, grasping the basics of project development and management will ensure that you maximize your project's impact. 

In this course, you will be expected to:

• Learn the basics of planning, developing, and managing your projects.

• Apply 

• Create a Sample Project Plan as an output, through your worksheet. 

The project cycle is a step-by-step process that helps turn ideas into real, successful projects. It guides you through planning, doing, checking, and finishing a project properly. Whether you're organizing a school event or launching a Scout initiative, understanding the cycle helps you stay on track and reach your goals. Each stage builds on the last, making sure nothing important is missed. By learning the project cycle, you'll be more confident and effective in managing any task from start to finish.

As an introduction to this topic, check out this video from YouTube:

Please do note that when you are doing a project, you have to take into account the following considerations:

• Prioritize your safety and the safety of those doing the project with you. You should also ensure safe outcomes for your project team, beneficiaries, and 

• You may have limited resources. Budget and allocate your resources and put each one to its best use possible. Always minimize the maximum, maximize the minimum. 

Go to your Course Worksheet. In your own words, explain the different phases of the Project Cycle.

Every project begins with an idea. This phase is about asking, “What do we want to do, and why?” It could be planning a Scout event, a fundraiser, or a school activity. You think about the goal and what you hope to achieve. You also check if the project is needed or helpful. At this stage, it’s okay to dream big, but it’s important to be realistic too. A clear goal makes the rest of the project easier to manage.

To ensure you have defined clear objectives for your project, outlining SMART goals will help you make sure it works. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic/Relevant, and Time-Bound. You can ask yourself these quide questions:

SPECIFIC

• What exactly do I want to achieve?

• Who is involved and affected by this goal?

• Where will this happen?

• Why is this goal important to me?
  
  

Get into the details. Ask yourself the 5W+1H questions. 

MEASURABLE

• How will I know my goal is achieved? 

• What can I count, track, or measure?

• How much or how many do I need to achieve?

• Can I show proof of my progress?

Every project needs a measure, or "indicators" that the project is done. For example, if your goal is to do a fundraiser, a target amount is a good measure. If your project is a feeding program, the number of people you have fed is an indicator. Not all projects have the same indicator. if you want to create impact, you must know how to identify and count the effects if your project helped people. 

ATTAINABLE

• Can I really achieve this with the time and resources I have?

• Do i have the skills or support needed? If I don't who can I reach out to?

• What steps will I take to reach it?
  
  

Being realistic helps you make your project more believeable and credible. Set real goals, take into account your project's resources and what you need to achieve it. 

RELEVANT

• Why does this goal matter to me?

• Does it connect to my bigger dreams or responsibilities or the impact the project intends to have?

• Is now the right time for the goal?

Relevance is a key factor in impact in your projects. Doing an irrelevant project is like donating toys to a group of food-deprived persons: it does not make sense and will not help them in any way. Stay relevant in your project goals to ensure your project really helps people. 

TIME-BOUND

• When do I want to achieve this goal?

• What's my deadline?

• What can I do today, this month, the next few weeks for the project?

• What happens if I don't finish on time?

Some projects have a right time to do it. For example, let us say a barangay had a fire recently and the victims were relocated to the barangay evacuation site. You want to do a fundraising drive which will take months to reach a substantial amount to buy food and water supplies that will help your beneficiaries. Because the fundraiser took too long, by the time the project is over, your beneficiaries no longer need your help. This introduces a key thought: always think on what you can do given the amount of time and urgency of the help you wish to give.

Having SMART Goals will provide a strong foundation. The answers you have to these questions will. In this phase, you also think about who should be involved. You may need help from teammates, teachers, or Scout leaders. It’s good to talk to them early so they know the plan. You also look at possible challenges and think of ways to avoid them. This helps set a strong foundation. Once the idea is clear and people are on board, you’re ready to move to the next phase: planning.

The planning phase turns your idea into a step-by-step guide. You decide what tasks need to be done, who will do them, and when they should be finished. This is also the time to create a timeline or schedule. You might make checklists, assign roles, and set deadlines to stay organized. Planning helps you stay focused and avoid last-minute stress.

You should also figure out what materials, money, or tools are needed. If you’re planning an event, for example, you’d think about the venue, budget, and how to promote it. You may also want to prepare backup plans in case something goes wrong. Good planning doesn’t guarantee success, but it gives you the best chance to succeed. Once everything is prepared, it’s time to take action.

This is the phase where all your planning turns into action. You and your team begin working on the tasks you prepared. It’s important to follow the schedule and stick to your roles. Stay organized and communicate well with your group. Problems might come up, and that’s normal—just be ready to adjust if needed. Focus on doing your best and supporting one another.

As the project moves forward, keep track of what’s happening. Make sure everything is going according to plan. If something isn’t working, talk about it and find a solution. Stay motivated and don’t forget to celebrate small wins along the way. The goal is to make progress and bring your project to life successfully.

Here are some tips to ensure a smoother implementation of your project:

• Utilize and outsource volunteers.

• Don’t give a lot of tasks to a certain person. Delegate the Task

• Always gratify your volunteers, manpower. (through food, honoraria, etc.)

• Minimize the Maximum, Maximize the Minimum

• Participant’s safety should always be the prime consideration, mechanisms should be set in place in case of injury or illness for participants.

• Make use of a team or committee system for a project to ensure a structure and smooth flow of your project.

Once your project is going, you need to pause and check how it’s doing. Ask questions like: Are we on track? Are we meeting our goals? This helps you fix any issues before they become big problems. You might hold quick meetings or look at your checklist to see what’s been done. It’s also a chance to give and get feedback from the team.

After the project is done, this phase continues with evaluating the results. Did it go well? What worked and what didn’t? You look at the outcome and compare it to the goals you set in the beginning. This reflection helps you learn and grow. Even if the project wasn’t perfect, every experience teaches something valuable for the next one.

The final phase is about closing the project properly. You make sure all tasks are completed and that nothing is left hanging. It’s also the time to thank everyone who helped. Writing a short report or summary of what happened can be useful. This helps everyone see what was achieved and what lessons were learned. Don’t forget to celebrate the success—big or small!

Finishing a project also means preparing for the future. What could be improved next time? Are there new ideas you want to try? Sharing what you learned with others helps build stronger projects in the future. The end of one project is often the beginning of another. And with every cycle, you become better and more confident as a leader and a team member.

Go to your Course Worksheet. Read the Case Study and plan a project based on the provided template. 

Watt, A. (2014). Project Management, 2nd Edition. BCcampus. https://opentextbc.ca/projectmanagement/

Davies, D. (1996). The Economic Evaluation of Projects: Papers from a Curriculum Development Workshop. The World Bank, Washigton, D.C.