The 6th Proposal Writing Workshop

Date and time: October 9^th (Wed), 2024, 13:00-15:30

Participants: 5 persons (Modon and Shoma from DASCOH, Bangladesh

                                     Adel from YVO, Afghanistan、Laksiri and Thadsa from NAFSO, Sri Lanka)

Today’s Contents:

1. Review the previous sessions and share the findings and challenges identified through the exercise
2. How to conduct “Alternative Analysis”
3. How to fill out the LogFrame based on the analysis results

Key Points Discussed:

　Ⅰ.Review the previous sessions and share the findings and challenges identified through the exercise

Before participating in this session, participants were tasked with conducting stakeholder analysis, problem analysis, and objective analysis, involving community members or colleagues. Out of five participants, only Modon was able to facilitate a three-hour discussion with 13 community stakeholders regarding issues related to education and its stakeholders. Based on his report, the group discussed key tips for effectively conducting these three types of analyses as follows:

I-i. Stakeholder Analysis:

• It is advisable to break down beneficiaries into smaller groups when their situations differ. For instance, while “1-10 grade students” was identified as a beneficiary group, the circumstances of primary school students (grades 1-5) and secondary school students (grades 6-10) are distinct. Similarly, if the situations of schooling girls and boys vary, they should be classified as separate beneficiary groups. This differentiation will help us in addressing the specific challenges faced by each group in subsequent discussions.
• In subsequent discussion, by cataloging the “Basic Information,” “Interests,” “Resources and Mandates,” and “Problems” of each beneficiary group, we can determine which group has the greatest need for interventions through project implementation to address their challenges.
• Once the target group is identified, it is essential to revisit the problems they face and select the core issue among those identified. The scope of the Problem Analysis, which will be conducted in the next step, will depend on the selection of this core problem. If we encounter challenges in decision-making, we can select a broader issue to ensure a wider range of concerns is addressed during the next step of the Problem Analysis.

I-ii. Problem analysis (“But-Why?” analysis):

• When conducting a “But-Why?” analysis, we avoid jumping to conclusions and instead examine the direct causes step by step, starting from the core problem. This approach allows us to develop a logical and coherent cause-and-effect relationship diagram. The quality of this problem analysis directly affects the quality of the subsequent step, “Objective Analysis.”

I-iii. Objective Analysis

• In this phase, we begin by restating the negative problem statement in a positive form, describing the desired situation after the problem has been addressed. There may be multiple options for this positive statement, and we may not immediately determine which is the most appropriate. In such cases, we can retain all options. After restating all the problem statements, we will check whether the means-ends logic is properly established. This process will help us identify the most suitable statement as the objective.
• If possible, when restating the deeper causes of the core problem as objectives, include quantitative information, such as “Farmers harvest 20 tons of rice” and “90% of arable land is planted with rice annually.” This helps participants of analysis workshop create a shared vision of the change we want to achieve through the project.

　Ⅱ. How to conduct “Alternative Analysis”

Purpose of “Alternative Analysis”

• To identify project components, possible alternative options.
• To assess the comparative and competitive advantages of them and agree with specific strategies

How To Do

1. Identify several project components in the Objective Analysis diagram and circle them.

2. Clarify the overall objective and strategies of each circled-alternative option, and exclude unachievable and/or unrealistic ones considering the capacities of the implementing and supporting agencies, the interests of the funding agencies, time constraints, budget limits, and other relevant factors.

3. Agree upon selection criteria comparing options and compare options based on them.

Note:

・   One of the challenges we face when writing a project proposal is “narrowing down the target group or activities for a 　　low-budget proposal”. This process helps us logically identify the target group and activities.

・  The donor agency requires high-level assessment results regarding the achievability of the objectives. If we determine 　　that this likelihood is not high for a particular option but still wish to select that option, we need to identify potential 　　risks and develop mitigation plans.

4.  Agree upon one option to be developed into a project.

Ⅲ.   How to fill out the LogFrame based on the analysis results

The following 4×4 table is a template for the logical framework.

Other challenges we face when writing a project proposal include:

–  Setting achievable objectives, and

–  Ensuring that the objectives, outcomes, and outputs are properly aligned with each other.

The descriptions, except for activities, can be copied and pasted from the results of the alternative analysis. In contrast, the activities will require further discussion based on these results.

As a conclusion to the project proposal writing workshop, we can say that addressing our challenges will be manageable if we conduct a series of analyses properly. To enhance the quality of our analysis, it is essential to involve community stakeholders, who possess more detailed information about community issues and offer different perspectives than NGO staff. While taking a participatory approach to analysis may require more time, it provides a valuable opportunity to increase community stakeholders’ ownership of the project. This, in turn, contributes to the project’s success and enhances the sustainability of its impact.