Welcome VISTAs Phone call logistics

1. Welcome VISTAs Phone call logistics • Dial-in by telephone to: 866.363.6079 • Conference code: 5315701192# • Press * 6 to mute your line. • Press * 6 again to unmute your line. • Do not put this conference call on hold. In case you need to attend to a different call, please simply hang up and dial-in again.

2. Project Management:Asking the right question Designed by Kapila Wewegama Facilitated by Swati Karandikar

3. Agenda • Introductions: Name, organization & favorite Halloween costume • Overview of Financial Capabilities • Why ask the right questions • Establish session goals • Key stages & components of Project Process

4. Financial Capabilities • What does this field entail? • Passage for homeownership • Asset building education • Behavioral Change objectives • What types of neighborhoods should have community development organizations? • How did you get first involved in community development? • What are your reasons for working within the field of financial capabilities? • Planning process & implications • Stakeholders

5. Why ask the right questions? • Increase stakeholder ownership • Promote responsibility and accountability • Support capacity building • Encourage cross examination & increase efficiency • Promote the role of facilitative leadership • Key for gaining experience and turning project management to process facilitation

6. Whom should you ask these questions? • Yourself • Supervisors • Beneficiaries • Collaborators • Colleagues – VISTA members • Resource providers

7. What’s the point? Session Goals • Identify and describe the key components of effective project process facilitation. • Identify and list key questions that facilitateseffective designingof each of the key component.

8. Key Stages & Components of a Project Process

9. Need Identification & Analysis • What is the perceived need? • Who is asking this question? • What is the scope of the need/problem? • Whose need is it? • Who benefits from addressing the need? • How important is the need? • What are the consequences of the problem /not addressing … need? • How does it impact/affect different groups (org., community, collaborators, etc)? • What are culture/social consequences? • What are the environmental consequences?

10. …continued • What are the causes of the need/problem? • What are the different groups perception of causes? • What are the common trends/themes among the different perspectives? • What is the relationship among causes? – Causation versus correlation • What have the past/current efforts to address this need? • What aspects have and have not been successful and how/why? • What insights can we draw from past/current efforts? • Need Statement/description

11. Need identification, Approach, Assessment & Selection Potential approaches identification Most promising Approach Selection • What are the potential ways to address this need? • Is the proposed approach feasible & appropriate? • Remember to involve all the stakeholders • What are their attitudes and reactions to the proposed project? • Is there sufficient motivation from the group for engagement? • Is there consent from the group’s leadership? • Does the project confirm with their cultural & social norms? • Does the group feel the project is addressing their real need?

12. Ask your stakeholders? • Does the proposed project compliment the organization’s mission and goals? • Is my supervisor supportive of the project? • What’s the level of support my supervisor/organization is willing to provide? • Would any personnel change (supervisor, director, etc.) affect the commitment to the project? • Does this project promote capacity building? • Who/what is the focus for capacity building (organizational, staff, target group)? • Will the implementation of this project lead to sustainability? • Have other VISTAs executed similar projects as mine? If so, what were their results? • Who are the other collaborators in this project? • Do I have my organization’s consent/support to work with them? • What are their roles and responsibilities? • Are they willing to commit the resources and time for the project? • Includes Technical. Financial, and Human resources • Are the required technical skills available in house? • Can the associated costs be funded? • Are there specific resources/materials needs for this project & can those be secured? • Can we find the needed personnel?

13. Planning & Implementation Creating a Vision Creating a Mission • What the accomplished status will look like? • What is our intent? • What future possibilities will this project create for the beneficiaries? • What we/project do/does? • Who we are and our values? • Whom we/project serve? • Why the project is done (the purpose)?

14. Creating project goals & objectives • What are the overall change/results expected? • Are the identified goals along the directions of the vision? • Do the identified goals compliment the mission? • Are they realistic and achievable? • While setting goals & creating objectives  be S.M.A.R.T.  define each goals and set benchmarks • [S] Do they SPECIFICALLY state what will be achieved/focused? • [M] Are they described in MEASURABLE outcomes? • [A] Are they stated in ACTION verbs and are they ATTAINABLE? • [R] Are they RELEVANT and REALISTIC? • [T] Is the expected TIME FRAME identified for these outcomes?

15. Program Design/Developing Project Strategy • What is the strategy? • Does it compliment the vision & mission? • Is it in line with the project goals & objectives? • Does it promote ownership, accountability, & transparency? How so? • Does it define & outline plans for activity implementation, collaboration, and communication? • Importance of team development • 80% of conflicts in a team are attributed to unclear goals • 16% to unclear roles • 3% to unclear processes • Rules have to be established, understood, shared & agreed upon Team Development Model Interpersonal Relationships Processes Goals Roles

16. Program Design Questions Team Development Questions Action Plan • Is everyone clear about the project goals? • Is everyone clear about their role, responsibilities & tasks? • Is everyone clear about the decision making process, and communication plan? • Have you established channels of trust, open communication and feedback? • What are the key steps each objective breaks down to? • Who will be responsible for each step? • What is the specific time line? • What resources are needed for each step? • What expertise needed to carry out each step? • Are their certain conditional factors for each step?

17. Program Design Questions Communication Plan Collaboration Plan • What are the key aspects that needed to be communicated (agendas, key activities, progress status, changes, etc.)? • Who is responsible for communicating different aspects/items? • Who are the key recipients of each communication? • What media (phone, email, etc.) will be used to communicate each aspect/item? • How would you ensure that each communication is received? • How would you communicate about the communication plan, communication responsibilities and expectations? • What are the different aspects/needs of the project that requires/promotes collaboration? • Who are the different collaborators/partners? • What is the nature of each collaboration/partnership? • Who are the point persons for different collaboration aspects? • Who would be coordinating each collaborative aspect?

18. Revise the Key Stages & Components of a Project Process

19. Process Monitoring, Improvement & Evaluation • Process Monitoring – under used tool • Measuring output of your organization • Need to include all the stakeholders • Allows for short cycle lessons learned section • Difference between Process Monitoring and Process - Additional data are collected for process evaluation. Measuring Outcomes!!! Questions may include: • Was the implemented project consistent with its design? • Did the project reach the population most in need? • What barriers did clients experience in accessing the program? • Does the project meet the key expected outcome (goals, objectives, milestones)? • What are the monitoring indicators? • What was the cost of the program • What are the sources/methods? • What is the expected date? • Do we need to readjust the timeline? • Who is monitoring? • What did we learn here? • What are the surprises? • What worked well & what didn’t? • What are the areas of improvement?

20. Revise Key Processes Key Components • Need identification, need description, approach assessment and selection • Planning & Implementation • Process Monitoring, Improvement & Evaluation • Goals • Roles • Processes • Interpersonal Relationships

21. Questions • Resources: • VISTACampus.org > VISTAs > The Work > VISTA Program Areas > Financial Literacy • Classes recommended: • HO209el Financial Fitness