The identification phase gathers information on the current situation of the beneficiaries, while the formulation phase requires information on potential technical solutions.
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[tab title=”What major difficulties commonly arise during the identification phase?”]
One of the difficulties lies in identifying the relevant beneficiaries and involving them in the planning process. Beneficiaries may be afraid to express their opinion in front of local authorities, for example, and lack of knowledge of previous interventions, or disappointment with the results may prevent them from attending a workshop. An additional major difficulty is that implementing agencies devise solutions that do not address the real problems experienced by beneficiaries.
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[tab title=”What is meant by relevance of a project?”]
The relevance of a project means the extent to which the project objectives address the real concerns and serious problems experienced by the beneficiaries.
The relevance of the project to other groups in society, whether regional or national, can be assessed by checking if the problems addressed by the overall objectives are of any importance from their standpoint.
The project’s relevance to society in general can help justify investment of public funds.
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[tab title=”What expertise is best suited for the identification of projects or programmes?”]
To identify projects successfully, it is essential to get the problems of the beneficiaries out in the open in a non-biased environment. A workshop guided by an external moderator is frequently a preferred option. The moderator basically listens, helps people understand the problems that exist and guides them towards possible solutions.
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[tab title=”What are main characteristics of the identification phase?”]
During this phase, the relevance of the project is determined by analysing the problems of the beneficiaries and formulating the corresponding objectives. The beneficiaries and stakeholders can be brought together in workshops conducted by an independent moderator and problems and objectives are identified, discussed and prioritised. An elementary Logical Framework matrix is the result of this phase. All questions raised during this phase feed into the terms of reference of the feasibility study. Such workshops have the additional benefit of increasing the commitment of implementing agencies and beneficiaries by involving them in the initial planning process.
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