Objective: Translating the SMART objectives into strategic options.

Strategic options are concrete programmes and projects, through: identifying umbrella organizations over groups of related project; or coordinating a number of related projects over time to deliver benefits to the organization. Programs are used to categorize huge work efforts into smaller set of related projects, some of which are executed sequentially, while others are executed in parallel.

PHASE: 3 | How are we going to get there? Strategy formulation

SUB-PHASE: 3.1 | Develop strategic options and prioritisation

Total time spent on this tool

According to the number of projects, to develop project programming sheets for all SMART objectives might take 1-2 days.

Under which circumstances to use the tool

  1. When identifying strategic options for the implementation of the SMART objectives.
  2. When identifying projects that address the problems/development needs identified in the situation analysis.
  3. When coordinating thematically and spatially the list of projects that have been identified.

Main actor(s) responsible

Members of the planning team, supported by members of municipal departments, and technical experts whose expertise is considered useful for specific projects.

Target / beneficiary

  1. Municipal departments – responsible with project implementation
  2. Project beneficiaries – community residents, other stakeholders’ groups, etc.

Description of tool

To develop a project programming sheet, the planning team should go through the following steps:

Step 1: Review the long list of projects

The team will go through the list of projects identified/collected from the community and stakeholders’ groups. This step is important for checking if the projects respond to the actual needs, if there are needs that have not been addressed (and additional projects are needed), or if redundant projects need to be eliminated from the list.

Step 2: Coordinate projects

The team will coordinate the projects with the SMART objectives, and among themselves, according to their theme and to their spatial location. A certain number of project categories will result for each SMART objective. These categories are the development programs.

Step 3: Fill in the project programming sheet

The team will fill in the sheet attached (see worksheet), where under each SMART objective, will write down the name of the programs, and the list of projects that belong to each program. For each project some basic information is needed, such as: a project code (to be easily fund in the project list), title, location, brief description of project components.

Advantages and disadvantages of this tool

Advantages

  1. The project programming sheet is a useful tool for organising projects and ensuring the logic sequence vision – objectives – programs and project.
  2. It is also an instrument that provides a basis for further prioritization of projects.

Disadvantages

  1. It is time consuming, and it requires professional expertise and consultation. It is difficult sometimes to differentiate between a big project and a small program, and clarity about the content of projects might be lacking at this stage.

References and further resources

Generally accessible documents:

Racoviceanu, S. Constanta; C., and Marius; C., et al. (2016) The integrated urban development strategy for the Ploiesti growth pole : 2014-2020. Washington, World Bank.

 

Academic documents (access may be limited):

Pennink, C. and Racoviceanu, S. (eds.) (2013) Integrated Planning and Urban strategies (IPUS) : participants handbook, Rotterdam, Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS).