Introduction
Development is a broad phenomenon that is often considered a vehicle that allows agrarian people to access the basic facilities of life (Annah Sizakele Mzizi, n.p); however, this is just one aspect of development and widely speaking the term development covers a variety of disciplines and facets of life that concentrates towards attaining better social, educational, ethical, environmental, political and economic outputs.
Shepherd reveals that Development is a “set of activities comprising diverse actors – individuals, organizations and groups – which together lead to progress in rural areas” (p1). Much of the development work concentrates on the developing regions of the world like African countries where the rural areas are much populous then the urban areas and the availability of certain amenities is also difficult for the people of these rural areas. Development can not be attained through the individual’s choices and there must be well managed involvement of the organizations and corporations in the process so that the development can progress (P. Finlay, p152)
An important concern for the people related and affected by the process of development is the execution of the entire development process because if the development measures successfully address the problems of the people only then the development process could be occurred and people can get benefits from the system.
In order to plan, manage, arrange and execute the development process “projects” are important instruments and around the globe different projects are running by national, regional and international agencies to attain development in different sector and uncountable projects have already ended in different sectors of different countries and regions. However the success and failure of the projects depends upon various variables that operate in the society and it is not necessary that every project succeed to achieve the targets set for the development.
The concept of the execution of development through the projects become popular after the Second World War when the western countries especially concentrate towards restructuring their economies that were ruined during the war period. During this phase the economic growth was considered as the main goal of the development projects however the human development also gained the attention of world community and along with passage of time development projects started emphasizing on variety of disciplines (Annah Sizakele Mzizi, n.p.).
The awareness about the broad scope of development projects was increased after the 1970s and in the new paradigm development was taken as a “multi dimensional process that works for bringing change in the social structures, popular attitudes and national institutions reduction of inequality and the eradication of absolute poverty” (MP Todaro, p30). This broad concept of development also widened the scope of the projects and efforts started to achieve variety of development goals and objectives through the projects and the projects were then considered as a practical and functional approach to achieve sustainable development in different areas.
In this way projects become “universal language of international development” (A Shepherd, p1). At present there are varieties of development objectives that are targeted through the projects including fund raising, aid collection, economic liberalization, awareness creation etc. As the concept of development is getting more complex in the global scenario the projects are also becoming more inclusive as well as multi sectored so that the complex issues of development in different areas could be covered by the projects (Annah Sizakele Mzizi, n.p).
Projects are not only use to initiate the actual development work but the projects also prepare the ground for the developmental measures because the projects can achieve wide range of objectives for the development programs like with the help of the conducting a study project in the rural area, it could be anticipated that what the are developmental need of that area and what are the issues that should be addresses by the development measures. Moreover the project’s outcome can also provide some proposals to select the development process in the area and to set the policies and standards that should be used through out the development process in an area (Dr. Deborah Thomas, p3)
The significance of projects is accepted world wide and different regional and international assistance organizations like WTO, World Bank, UNDP, UNESCO, IMF etc consider the projects as an “approach to achieve their goals”. There are many projects executed by these organizations and it is believed world wide that the development process could be managed effectively through projects.
There are different projects introduced by UNDP to achieve development in the main focal areas of the organization including “Water Governance, Sustainable Energy, Sustainable Land Management, Biodiversity and Chemicals Management”, in order to attain development in these areas, UNDP works with the help of different projects like the “UNDP’s work on Energy and Environment” etc. (UNDP, n.p.).
In the same way WTO also strives to achieve its objective through different projects including the “Aid and Reform in Africa Project, East Asia Prospects Project, Fiscal Decentralization in Latin America Project, Reaching the Poor Project and many more (WTO, n.p.).
IMF is also progressing through different projects including “General Data Dissemination System (GDDS) projects, Crackdown on Corruption Projects etc.” The involvement of these major international bodies in different projects clearly identifies that projects have been recognized as important and crucial development management tool by these organizations and they are managing their development measures with the help of different projects
Limitations and Strengths of Projects
Some researchers (e.g. MM Cernea, p5) believe that the development projects cover any one specific aspect and work to achieve output in that particular area like many of the development projects launched in the rural areas are focused on the economic development and in such cases it often happens that other important variables are neglected by the economic criterion and there is little or no emphasize on the political, social and other issues. This neglecting often causes the failure of the projects because all the variables of society are interconnected with each other and the development can occur in a regional when there is progress in every sector otherwise the achievement of one sector are destroyed by the disasters of another.
For example, attempts are being done in Nigeria to promote foreign investment so that the country can achieve more FDI and accelerate its growth. To achieve this objective the investment promotion commission of the country NIPC is working of different projects but the unstable law and order situation often discourage the investors (NIPC, n.p.) and despite the opportunities and incentive available in investment regime the overall economic condition of the country is lagging behind the other.
Projects have been criticized on the basis of the ways they are planned and managed. In many of the rural areas some projects are introduced by the international agencies to provide monitory aid to the people so that they can improve their livelihood and poverty could be reduced from these areas but the provision of heavy financial aid in many of the countries proved to be fruit less as the actual deserving people failed to get the aid and the money is distributed in the local administrators of the projects due to the prevailing corruption culture in the country.
In this way the projects are failed to alleviate poverty because the project concentrates towards one social problem only and the other social problem i.e. corruption is overlooked in the project that resulted in the failure. For example in many developing countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan and some African countries monitory aid has been provided by IMF under the Poverty alleviation fund but due to unavailability of the fund to the deserving people, poverty still exists in these countries and the projects for poverty alleviation are not successful because these concentrate on just one aspect i.e., poverty and other social variable are neglected. Hence, it is the major limitation of the projects that one project generally focuses on one or two areas and many variables connected with that area are not covered due to which projects sometimes failed to achieve the targets.
Strength of Projects as Instrument of Development Management
Despite the limitations projects are considered as important instrument of development management all over the world and many social scientists have highlighted the significance of projects for achieving development. Rondenelli revealed that projects are the primary means that could be utilized in order to transfer the financial resources of development from the richer to poorer and also arrange some agreements through which high priority development policies could be implemented in the developing countries (p307).
Projects possess great significance for the development process as the projects allow the international funding institutions to provide the financial resources to the governments of the third world countries that can utilize these resources to progress in different sectors (MP Todaro, p30). JP Gittinger revealed that despite all the criticism on the planning, management and applications on the projects, the process of development is managed, administers and executed through projects and they are important instruments that can assure the improvement in the prevailing conditions of the countries and regions (p17).
The projects are important tools for the development management because the projects perform variety of functions for the development. Meredith, Jack, Samuel J. explained that the “projects manage development, measure development, defines the characteristics of sustainable human development, indicates the opportunities and challenges; and implement the policies and strategies that can bring socio-economic change” (p5).
Projects are significant for the management of development process because the projects help to organize the work to achieve the objective. The projects set the targets that are “specific, measurable, achievable, Time terminated and also allow the evaluation at the end of the project” (Berkun, Scott, p21). These are the attributes that strengthens the status of projects as an important instrument of managing the development progress
Examples of Projects Initiated for Development Management
All over the world the development work is in progress with the help of different plans and projects. The role of the international assistance organizations is remarkable in this regards and these originations are striving to bring development in different sectors of different region with the help of variety of projects. Following are the examples of some ongoing projects initiated by WTO, UNCTAD and IMF. These projects show that the process of development could be managed properly and effectively through projects because the projects are the most organized and significant instrument that can work for the development management all over the world.
World Trade Organization is running the “Agricultural Research and Training Project” in Ethiopia. The main objective of the project is to make the agriculture research system of Ethiopia efficient and sustainable. In this regard the project works to build institutional capacity so that the whole system of agriculture research could be effectively managed in the country. Moreover through this project WTO also keep the policies, designs and priorities for the country within the economic criteria.
The project is initiated by WTO because the organization believe that the project can effectively work for improving the situation and the developmental objective of the organizations for the agriculture sector of this country will be achieved with the help of this project. (WTO, n.p.) Likewise United Nations is also working for the development at large scale and there are many well defined projects of United Nations that strives to bring development among the member countries of UN. For example the United Nation Environment Program runs a “Dam and Development Project” to manage the development work related with the water and energy resources.
In this regard the project encourages the planning and management to construct dams all over the world and also arrange for dialogues between concerned countries. This project has not only provided the country wide range of options for the water management but the overall participation of the concerned parties is also increased in the negotiation process that is an important step towards the resolution of issues. In this way one of the UN program (UNEP) works through project to achieve progress in development of certain sector (UNEP, n.p.)
UNCTAD – United National Conference for Trade and Development is also running many projects to assist the countries in the process of development. For example the “CDM Challenges and Opportunities in the Rubber Commodity Sector Project” was an 8 month project that was conducted by UNCTAD with the objective to promote the possibility of Clean Development Mechanism – CDM investment in the sector of rubber commodities.
The project was focused on the rubber industry of Malaysia and Indonesia and through this project the organization makes the analysis about the potential of CDM in the countries and then designs the strategy to the promotion of CDM in the light of the outcome of the project. In this way the project provide the comprehensive information about the challenges and opportunities related with the CDM in the rubber industry and enable UNCTAD to precede with the development measures in the rubber industry.
Moreover, UNCTAD is also working on many other development projects that assist the countries in attaining development through different measures. For example UNCTAD is conducting a project “Economic and Financial Management Project” to make possible the “Implementation of DMFAS 5.0 in the Ministry of Finance & Economic Planning” of Uganda with the aim of providing the country technical assistance.
Through this project UNCTAD not only installed the computerized system in different departments and Ministries of Ugandan government but also trained the staff so that they can use the system. In this way technical development occurred in Uganda, properly managed and organized through a project designed by UNCTAD. (UNCTAD, n.p.)
IMF also manages the development progress with the help of different projects. An important one is the “General Data Dissemination System (GDDS) projects” that works on the regional level to provide technical assistance to the member countries so that they can improve their statistical systems. To attain this object IMF not only provides funds to the countries through this project but also provide the professional support through the collaboration of local expertise and regional institutions. There are fourteen countries that are covered by this project of IMF and these countries belong to Africa and Pacific Island (IMF News, n.p.)
It is very crucial that to achieve development the projects must look at the variables that are connected with the main focal area of the project so that the success of the project can be assured (A Shepherd, p1). For example in “Mayayane” that is a rural village of the Africa, a project “The Mayayane Sewing Project” was initiated by “Mmabatho Department of Social Services” (Annah Sizakele Mzizi, n.p). The inhabitants of the village were living in very poor social and economic conditions and there were little education and health services available to the people.
The project was intended to achieve two objectives; one was to reduce unemployment and second was to combat poverty. The women of the village were provided by the sewing machines and the products prepared by these women were then sold to the local and neighboring inhabitants at low coast. In this way the people get clothing at low prices. Soon the project work for providing the uniforms to the children on low prices and in this way the children were encourages going to schools and the overall education level of the village was improved.
This project explains that when different variables of the society are studies and worked together only then the development can progress through projects. In Mayayane the women get money from the sale of the clothing and the employment conditions become better. The people get cloths at low cost so their livelihood is improved.
The children get uniforms to go to schools and the education level rose and the overall economic, educational and livelihood conditions of the village are improved by the Sewing Project (Annah Sizakele Mzizi, n.p). In this way the involvement of different social variables in the projects assured the success and the development took place in the areas with the help of a project. This example also shows the development projects have to emphasis on other aspects along with the economic conditions so that the developments can progress in the area.
In this way it is proved that different national, regional and international organizations are designing projects because they consider it an important instrument through which development can be managed and progressed. Along with the planning and execution it is also necessary that there should be proper evaluation of the projects.
The evaluation of the projects provide the evidences about the failure or success of the projects that’s why the international assistance organizations arrange different projects and then also evaluate these projects after their execution so that the weak points and mistakes of the project could be identified and removed, the projects for development management especially need evaluation. (Benita Ferrero Waldner, n.p)
In this regard the evaluation projects also work under different organizations so that the ended projects can be studied and the outcome could be used in the process of designing the up coming projects. The European Union, IMF and other bodies held the evaluation projects as well. At IMF the progress of development projects is evaluated with the help of the “Independent Evaluation Office for the Ongoing Projects” and through it IMF evaluates and analyzes its role in the development process and the performance through its development projects and policies. (IMF, n.p.)
The significance of projects in the process of development management is reflected by the fact that every year the World Bank lends around US$15-$20 billion for different projects that are running by the organization in 100 countries of the world. There are wide range of development issues that are covered by these projects including education, infrastructure building, health and economic growth etc. (World Bank, n.p.)
This above discussion clarifies that projects possess lot of significance and potential to be used as an instrument for the development management and all over the world development is in progress with the help of different projects that are introduced at different levels by different organizations however the use of projects as a tools of development management does not assure the success of the development measures and there are several limitations of the projects that have to be keep in consideration so that the project can manage the development process in best possible way and the strength of the projects could be utilized.
Work Cited
Annah Sizakele Mzizi, the Importance of Projects in Rural Development, Africa Institute of South Africa 2004.
A Shepherd, Sustainable Rural Development, New York: Macmillan Press Ltd., 1998, p 1.
Benita Ferrero Waldner, European Union Projects Evaluation Program.
Berkun, Scott (2005). Art of Project Management, Cambridge, MA: O’Reilly Media, p21, ISBN 0-596-00786-8.
Brooks, Fred (1995). The Mythical Man-Month, 20th Anniversary Edition, Adison Wesley. ISBN 0-201-83595-9.
Dr. Deborah Thomas, the Importance of Development Plans/Land Use Policy for Development Control, Land Use Planning Consultant, Development Control Authority, Prepared for the USAID/OAS Post-Georges Disaster Mitigation Project, Workshop for Building Inspectors, p3-4, 2001,
Dr Malcolm Wheatley, The Importance of Project Management: New research into the role of project management in a modern developed economy – like the UK.
IMF Webpage, 2007.
IMF News, 2007.
JP Gittinger, Economic Analysis of Agricultural Projects, 2nd ed., London: John Hopkins University Press, p17-19, 1982.
MP Todaro, Economics for a Developing World, Singapore: Longman, 1981, p 30.
MM Cernea, Putting People First: Sociological Variables in Rural Development, New York: Oxford University Press, 1989, p 5.
Meredith, Jack R. and Mantel, Samuel J. (2002) Project Management: A Managerial Approach, p5, 5th ed., Wiley. ISBN 0-471-07323-7.
NIPC homepage.
P. Finlay, Introducing Decision Support Systems, 1994, p. 152.
Rondenelli DA, Development Projects as Policy Experiment: an Adaptive Approach to Development Administration, 2nd ed., London: Routledge, 1993, p 307.
The World Bank, Agriculture Research and Training Project, 2007.
The World Bank Project Cycle, 2007.
UNDP Homepage, UNDP and Energy and Environment, 2007.
UNCTAD Project Proposal.
UNEP Webpage, Projects Dams and Development, 2007.
WTO Homepage – Projects Name.