Problem analysis
Task
With reference to the above case study, illustrate how would you effectively design, plan and manage any developmental or community based project using the following tools;
- Problem analysis and objective tree development (10 Marks)
- Logical frame approach (10 Marks)
ANSWERS
- Problem Analysis
Organizations need to be able to react swiftly to changes in their business environment in a fast-paced business climate. Many industries are experiencing “disruption” as a result of new business models, technological advancements, and competitors. Although there is undoubtedly an increasing capacity for technology to accelerate change, change and competition are nothing new. The organizations that can identify and understand these changes, make quick decisions, and respond quickly will probably succeed in this fast-paced market. Developing organizational agility to respond in a consistent, coherent, and strategically cohesive manner is essential for survival and growth. This begins with identifying the opportunities and issues that already exist and coming up with effective solutions to them.
The discipline of problem analysis is one of the crucial ones that helps organizations achieve this level of organizational agility. To evaluate an existing condition, comprehend the issues blocking the organization from growing, and generate a variety of potential improvement chances, problem analysis can be used. Additionally, it can be used to evaluate and scope an opportunity and ascertain the prospective advantages of taking advantage of it.
Organizations typically launch projects to address these types of changes. The difficulty with many organizational efforts is that they are started with a specific vision of the solution in mind, without giving the problem any creative room to be considered.
In order to effectively design, plan and manage any developmental or community based project using problem analysis the following steps will be followed to enable the proper analysis of the problem so that implementation of the project is in line with the interest of the organization in solving the problem at hand.
There is need for improved understanding of the problem; by thoroughly analyzing the problem, this leads to gaining deeper understanding of its causes, symptoms and potential solutions. This further enables the organization to have a deeper understanding and the context within which an organization intends to work. It helps in understanding and identifying what the key issues are and where they might best apply the resources to achieve the most impact (Lee et al., 2018). This forms therefore forms part of the original project design process. It can be used to inform a concept note, influence the development of project plans and documentation and will form part of the project baseline. Although conducted at the very beginning of a project, it should be reviewed regularly a understanding evolves throughout the life of an intervention; certainly as part of any mid-term review. Reflecting on and deeper analysis is also part of any final evaluation so that lessons can be identified to inform future work, this leads to better decision making; with clear understanding of the problem, one can make more informed and effective decisions about how to address the problem at hand after visualization of the problems in form of a diagram, or “hierarchy of problems” to help analyze and clarify cause effect relationships, a decision can be taken with information about the causes and effects of the specific problem and how to solve it. Increased efficiency; by identifying the root cause of the problem, an organization can focus on efforts addressing it directly, rather than treating symptoms, or addressing unrelated problems, once the problem has been identifying the organization will be able to calculate how much resources it needs to accomplish a specific problem and achieve its desire goals.
Reduced costs; By addressing problems early on, one can prevent the problems from becoming more severe and costly to fix. Therefore, analyzing the problems are essential before the beginning of any projects.
Gathering data: collecting data and information related to the problem, including facts, figures and observations. This is imperative in understanding both the quantitative and qualitative problems to be solved by understanding the magnitude of the problem the management is able to solve the problem. When the quantitative is analyzed the project implementers are able to calculate the cost of the project and improve on the key issues that they need to get right for the success of the project.
Analyzing the data; collecting data and information related to the problem, including facts, figures and observations. After collecting the data of the problem the organization needs to analyze the data. Data can be analyzed using different methods some of them specifically for quantitative data can be analyzed using excel, while qualitative data can be analyzed using thematic analysis methods.
Identifying possible solutions; in the process of problem analysis there is need to generate ideas and possible solutions and evaluate possible solutions to the problem. Identification of possible solutions enables the organization to find the best possible option to solving a specific problem and this leads to success of the problem.
Select and implement the best possible solutions; selecting the most promising solution and developing a plan to implement it. This may include identifying resources, timelines and responsibilities. This step involves selecting the key people to handle the project those who have the technical and managerial skills necessary to accomplish a specific project.
Evaluate results; monitor and evaluate the results; this is to enable the project management to determine the effectiveness of the strategy implemented and if it’s not effective there is need to redesign the project to get the best possible results.
Documenting the process: Document the problem analysis process, including the problem, data collected, solutions considered, and final solution implemented, in order to have a reference for future problem analysis. Documentation of the problem is imperative for both present and future references, this enables the future project implementers to identity the gaps that needs to be worked on and also the current projects is able to evaluate its self both qualitatively and quantitatively.
OBJECTIVE TREE
An Objective Tree is a Problem Tree that is transformed into a set of future solutions to the problems. Each negative problem is converted into an objective by rewriting it as a positive future statement (Alothaimeen, & Arditi, 2019).
As the Objective Tree is transformed from the Problem Tree, the analysis of problems in the Problem Tree from Problem/Project Identification (PPI) phase is the basis and starting point for the Objective Tree analysis.
There are three main steps in formulating an Objective Tree (Tetiana et al., 2019).
reformulate all negative statements of the problem analysis into positive statements that are desirable and/or realistically achievable. After the problem has been analyzed the first step in designing an objective tree is reformulating all the negative statement into positive statement. This now will be in understanding the key activities to be carried out in order to solve the problem at hand.
Check the means-ends relationships to ensure validity and completeness of the hierarchy; cause-effect relationships in the problem tree are turned into means-ends linkages in the objective tree.
If necessary; Revise objective statements. At this stage the project implementers can revise all the objective statements if they are not leading to achievement of a specific problem to be solved. When the problem is being analyzed it is imperative to review all the objective statements in case the project is not achieving its intended goals.
Add new objectives if these seem to be relevant and necessary to achieve the objective at the next higher level. In case in the project implementation phase the management finds it necessary to add new objectives to be able to achieve the intended goals of the project there is need to add new objectives.
Delete objectives which are not apparently suitable or necessary. In case this is discovered the management can delete the objectives it finds unnecessary to solve a specific problem or challenge and review it or introduce new objectives if it finds it necessary.
- Logical frame work
A Logframe is another name for Logical Framework, a planning tool consisting of a matrix which provides an overview of a project’s goal, activities and anticipated results. It provides a structure to help specify the components of a project and its activities and for relating them to one another. It also identifies the measures by which the project’s anticipated results will be monitored (Ringhofer, & Kohlweg, 2019).
The logical framework approach was developed in the late 1960s to assist the US Agency of International Development (USAID) with project planning. Now most large international donor agencies use some type of logical or results framework to guide project design.
The following are some of the key steps on designing a logical frame work
Identify the project’s objectives: Clearly define the overall goal of the project, as well as specific objectives that need to be achieved to reach that goal. This is the first step in designing a logical frame work and it helps in understanding what is to be achieved by the organization.
Develop indicators: Identify measurable indicators that can be used to track progress towards achieving the project’s objectives. This steps helps in having a mechanism of understanding success and failures of the project.
Identify assumptions: Identify any assumptions that are being made about the project’s implementation, such as the availability of resources or the level of community support. This helps in understanding who are the key people to benefit from the project being implemented.
Develop a results chain: Show how the project’s activities will lead to the achievement of the objectives, using a results chain that illustrates the cause-and-effect relationships between different elements of the project.
Identify risks: Identify potential risks that could impact the project’s implementation and success, and develop strategies to mitigate those risks. There are many risks in the projects and understanding the key risks likely to be faced in the course of implementing a specific project is imperative in designing an appropriate risk management plan to enable the success of the project being pursued.
Define a monitoring and evaluation plan: Develop a plan for monitoring and evaluating the project’s progress and impact, including the use of the indicators and assumptions identified earlier.
Identify indicators of success: Identify the key indicators that will be used to determine the project’s overall success.
Identify the stakeholders: Identify the key stakeholders involved in the project, including beneficiaries, partners, and funding agencies. The key stake holders are both beneficiaries of the project and the key project implementers this enable the project management team to track the progress and if they have achieved their intended purpose by further determining the theory of change.
Review and revise: Review the logical framework regularly and make revisions as needed based on new information or changes in the project’s goals or circumstances.
REFERENCES
Alothaimeen, I., & Arditi, D. (2019). Overview of multi-objective optimization approaches in construction project management. Multicriteria Optimization-Pareto-Optimality and Threshold-Optimality.
Lee, C. Y., Chong, H. Y., Liao, P. C., & Wang, X. (2018). Critical review of social network analysis applications in complex project management. Journal of management in engineering, 34(2), 04017061.
Ringhofer, L., & Kohlweg, K. (2019). Has the Theory of Change established itself as the better alternative to the Logical Framework Approach in development cooperation programmes?. Progress in Development Studies, 19(2), 112-122.
Tetiana, H., Chernysh, O., Levchenko, A., Semenenko, O., & Mykhailichenko, H. (2019). Strategic solutions for the implementation of innovation projects. Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 18(1), 1-6.
