International development projects : peculiarità e metodologie di gestione

This work highlights the special characteristics of development work, like a part of project management research. Projects are typically large with abstract, complex goals and multiple stakeholders. In addition, they are carried out in an environment typified by significant instability and change. These projects, in fact, take place in difficult environments, characterized by: a wide array of stakeholders with different expectations, which must be involved for achieving the project's success, an environment with cultural values different from those in the Western Countries; an intangibility of project results; risk factors with strong impact on the initiative; interpersonal relationships, trust and communication that affect the project success. These characteristics potentially make some of the features inherent in the vertical logic of LFA, such as strict planning and goal congruency, unrealistic. This potentially limits its usefulness as a strategic management tool. The objective of this work is to identify specific standards management of ID Projects and, through a comparison, to highlight what were the tools and approaches used to address the peculiarities emerged in the literature. In the last decade, there has been an encouragement for development agencies to use strategic management in their project work. The Logical Framework Approach (LFA) is an objective- oriented approach that has become widely employed for the planning, implementation and evaluation of development projects. LFA is a management style which demands precisely ordered objectives. Its so called ‘vertical logic’, which the analysis of this paper is limited to, provides a plan of action, by predetermining which activities will lead to the accomplishment of a hierarchy of formally stated goals. The theoretical framework of this paper is based on theories and arguments raised for and against the LFA. In addition, the special features of the development sector are discussed in regard to this rational goal approach. Based on this framework and the empirical findings from interviews carried out with representatives of various development agencies, this paper attempts to analyze the applicability of LFA to development projects aiming to increase democracy and human rights. Projects are typically large with abstract, complex goals and multiple stakeholders. In addition, they are carried out in an environment typified by significant instability and change. These characteristics potentially make some of the assumptions inherent in the vertical logic of LFA unrealistic, and thereby potentially limit its usefulness as a strategic management tool. LFA has however, at the very least, proven to be a solid framework on which to build upon. As with all theories, LFA may evolve over time into more and more advanced adaptations.