Projects sustainability
Long-term achievements
According to the report under the title “Development programs sustainability” of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), the concept of sustainability can be applied on three levels:
a. sustainability on a global level
b. sustainability on an organizational level, and
c. sustainability on a program/project level.
 Defining project level sustainability
In accordance with the DAC criteria for projects evaluation (Paris, 1988), a project can be considered to be sustainable when it can generate an appropriate level of benefit/achievement during a longer process after finishing the main financial, administrative and technical support by the external donator.
The focus here is achievements sustainability, because projects are considered to be specific activities of donators and they support the countries in development in achieving permanent achievements, as general goals.
Steps for providing project level sustainability
The organization that implements the project is responsible for providing sustainability of the project. It is to have an organizational and managerial capacity that can provide:
- Continuation of the project’s service for the target group, a longer time-period after withdrawal of donator’s help, using local resources and/or
- Continuation of the service with mobilization of new external funds.
There are few steps that are to be followed when determining if the organization that implements the project can provide its sustainability:
Firstly, an answer should be found to the question which organization is to achieve and sustain a certain goal. A great number of goals are to be achieved, but not sustained (there is a difference between road building and maintaining). Therefore, more organizations might need to be involved in achieving and sustaining certain goal.
Secondly, after the organization decides, there is an issue of the quality of its managerial and organisational capacities (human, material and financial resources, planning capacities, project management and control). It is important for achieving, as well as sustaining the project’s objectives.
Thirdly, if the check leaves an impression that the organization does not have enough managerial assets and capacities, an additional testing needs to be done. This time, the issue is to be focused on whether the project produces enough assets for the chosen organization (or organization unit) to be able to be strengthened in terms of its managerial and organizational capacities.
The fourth and the last question is related to the activities, which the organization is to take in relation to project’s sustainability. It is a kind of a control question and it is most often questioned to determine the motivation for the project’s continuation.
Factors that affect sustainability
Apart from making sure that the organization is capable and motivated to carry out activities after the donator’s support, sustainability on a project level is related to the influence of various factors.
The following factors may affect projects’ sustainability:
- The policy of the host-government: The development projects are carried out in accordance with the country’s national policy. Dedication and policy of the governments which support the project’s objectives are key for sustainability of development activities.
- Management, organization and participation on a local level: Local management is key for preparation of sustainable programs and projects. Management involves responsibility for policy-creating, technological application, setting goals and getting support by the local political leaders, related organisations and beneficiaries, as well as responsibility for internal administrative rules and procedures management. Sustainability improves when project’s objectives match the administrative capacity on a local level. Often, for programs and projects whose usefulness is directly related to the local population, participation is key for sustainability. Local participation is an integral part of the series of achievements which are received after termination of the donor’s activities.
- Financial factors: Sustainability requires a flow of funds in order to cover operations, maintenance and decreasing the investments necessary for continuation of the project’s achievements.
- Technological factors: The chosen technology for the activity needs to be appropriate to the financial and institutional capacities of the country and the objectives of the project or the program.
- Socio-cultural factors: Integration of the program in the social and cultural climate of beneficiaries and operational conditions is especially important if you want the activity not to be discarded after the supports ends.
- Environmental and ecological factors: In big number of cases, unplanned development enhances the lack of natural resources and threatens the capacity of the environment for its renewal, thus threatening sustainability of projects and programs.
- Factors that cannot be projected in advance: Development programs and projects, except in the above mentioned frames, are carried out in conditions of the existing political, economic, institutional and cultural conditions which are out of their control and influence. However, they can be deeply affected by an eventual negative development of these circumstances, for example, political or economic instability or natural catastrophes.
The relative importance of the sum of effects and activities of each of these seven points which refer to sustainability of development projects and programs cannot be determined unless each situation is examined.
The above presented factors should be seen neither as a sum of strictly determined conditions upon which the projects should be based, nor as conditions which are obligatory to be met while preparing the project. They are a kind of a “an early warning system” in relation to the factors which can affect the sustainability of achievements which are to be achieved with the development activities.
How to plan a sustainable project:
- Results and activities which are to be continued after termination of the external help are defined.
- Relevant issues are formulated in relation to each of the factors of sustainability (questions and answers are different for each phase of the project cycle).
- The goal, results, activities and assumptions related to the project are analysed through these questions.
- On the basis of the answers:
· Results, assumptions or pre-conditions are changed or added;
· Additional analyses are started;
· Implementation references are formulated.
Prepared by Valentina Chicheva
Based on the manual "Sustainability workshop," by MDF, Holland.
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