How can you design projects that promote stakeholder value and impact?

1 Define your project scope and purpose

Before you start planning the details of your project, you need to have a clear and shared understanding of what you are trying to achieve, why it matters, and who is involved. This will help you set the boundaries and parameters of your project, as well as identify the key stakeholders and their roles and responsibilities. A useful tool to define your project scope and purpose is the project charter, which is a document that summarizes the main elements of your project, such as the vision, mission, objectives, deliverables, timeline, budget, risks, assumptions, and success criteria. A project charter can also help you communicate your project to your stakeholders and get their buy-in and support.

2 Identify and engage your stakeholders

Stakeholders are the people or groups who have an interest or influence in your project, or who are affected by its outcomes. They can include your participants, clients, sponsors, partners, beneficiaries, staff, suppliers, competitors, regulators, and media. Identifying and engaging your stakeholders is crucial for ensuring that your project meets their needs and expectations, as well as for building trust and collaboration. A useful tool to identify and engage your stakeholders is the stakeholder map, which is a visual representation of the different stakeholder groups, their level of interest and power, their expectations and concerns, and their preferred communication channels. A stakeholder map can help you prioritize and tailor your engagement strategies and activities, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, workshops, feedback sessions, and reports.

3 Design your project activities and methods

Once you have defined your project scope and purpose, and identified and engaged your stakeholders, you can start designing your project activities and methods. These are the steps and processes that you will use to implement your project and achieve your objectives. Depending on the nature and complexity of your project, you may need to use different types of activities and methods, such as brainstorming, problem-solving, decision-making, action planning, prototyping, testing, and evaluation. A useful tool to design your project activities and methods is the project plan, which is a document that outlines the sequence and timing of your activities and methods, the resources and materials required, the roles and tasks assigned, the risks and contingencies anticipated, and the indicators and milestones tracked. A project plan can help you organize and manage your project execution and monitor your progress and performance.

4 Assess your project value and impact

The ultimate goal of your project is to create value and impact for your stakeholders and the wider society. Value is the perceived benefit or worth that your project provides to your stakeholders, such as increased satisfaction, engagement, learning, or productivity. Impact is the change or difference that your project makes in the social, economic, or environmental conditions of your beneficiaries, such as improved health, income, or well-being. Assessing your project value and impact is essential for demonstrating your project effectiveness and accountability, as well as for learning and improving your project practices. A useful tool to assess your project value and impact is the project evaluation, which is a systematic and objective process of collecting, analyzing, and reporting data and information about your project outcomes and outputs, as well as the inputs and processes that led to them. A project evaluation can help you measure and communicate your project value and impact to different audiences and contexts, such as reports, presentations, case studies, or stories.

5 Adapt and refine your project design

Your project design is not a fixed or final product, but a dynamic and iterative process that requires constant adaptation and refinement. As you implement your project activities and methods, and assess your project value and impact, you may encounter new challenges and opportunities, as well as feedback and insights from your stakeholders and the environment. These may require you to adjust and improve your project scope and purpose, your stakeholder identification and engagement, your project activities and methods, or your project value and impact assessment. A useful tool to adapt and refine your project design is the project review, which is a regular and structured reflection and discussion of your project strengths and weaknesses, your achievements and challenges, your lessons learned and best practices, and your recommendations and actions for improvement. A project review can help you enhance and optimize your project design and delivery, as well as your stakeholder value and impact.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?