was the idea. . . In the first of three articles on developing and managing projects, Malcolm Payne describes daw ideas progress through stages to become viable projects fimes seems artificial to separate particular ew activities in this way. Doing s0 can cut rejects off from the streams of activity going on all she project (he services of an area; it can make them hard to {nvograte. New projects can seem elitist ~ better, more ‘WMciting, somehow than the ordinary run of things. In apite of the disadvantages, the reasons why many new dbvelopments are managed as ‘projects’ is to do with The hature of the development process. It might be ne umed that new developments grow rationally from an asSusement of need, the implementation of a policy Sésponse to need and an orderly series of stages, as ideas resPovade conerete and are turned into staff, equipment ore bricks and mortar. This is not so, because usually @ arviety of human factors, political, economic and social Tectary and sheer luck (good or bad) influences which sacerare selected and how they are turned into actuali ‘ew developments in the social services are Gen created in the form of ‘projects. It some Social Services Insight, Morch 27, 1987 Project development is increasingly a negotiated pro- cosa, and this exacerbates the tendency towards irra- CESur decision making. At one time, social services Gepartments had long-term development plans, and capi- {ePllocations. Staffing implications of policy changes ‘xturally followed planned decisions. Development pro~ {rammes were largely ‘in-house’ in response to needs As Famed by the department's staff and carried through by local architects departments. Recently, however, tightening capital allocations mean that’ developing new activities relies. on special Yovernment funding, and on finance from joint funding govether health initiatives. Alternatively, existing oF sourees must be redeployed. All this means an increas {ng reliance on negotiated schemes which meet the objec: tase of other agencies — the MSC’s employment ENtiatives, for example, or health service priorities sanetjepartments are forced to channel resources Shrough housing associations or voluntary bodies to take 1»PROJECTS ‘advantage of financial incentives, such as the residential care allowance, payable in private and voluntary resi- dential care but notin social services departments. Pulling together a package involving complex funding from different sources and several agencies with a varic ety of interests means much less certainty and a wider range of pressures. Changing stream from one set of priorities to another means negotiating changes in the ‘use of buildings and in the role of staff. Overall, then, the development process has become more complex. ‘Projects’ make it, easier to understand and cope with the uncertainty. Tt enables a group of disparate interests to be recruited in loyalty to a clear concept that they can all understand. The range of invol- vement can be limited, so that the different agencies do not all need to be committed to the same strategy, provided they ean agree on individual projects, This series of articles examines the management of project development in this environment. The first art le considers how the development process can be under- stood. Such understanding makes it easier to control and ‘manipulate events to achieve results, and to manage the paychological stresses of development work. ‘The second and third articles examine the design of projects and the implementation of them. Since, gener- ally, wider involvement in the nature of projects leads to negotiated solutions, being clear about the content of projects and responsibility for various aspects of them becomes more important, Equally, when development of activities is undertaken in separate project packages, it is necessary to work hard to integrate them with a department's other work, to co-ordinate the involvement and interests of other agencies which take part in the project with the department's existing work, and also to ensure that the project is co-ordinated into a network of, other services and agencies. In addition, the interests of existing staff must be sorted out, and other effeets on the department of changes in priority must be managed. First stage ‘Just as life developed out of a primeval group of mole- cules in the early stages of earth’s life, so.a project idea ‘must emerge from the primeval soup of ideas slopping around a department. This is the first stage of project development, How does it arise? It is often by no means obvious which projects a department. might pursue. Everywhere, there will be needs presenting themselves to the department, ideas generated by staff, problems apparent in daily operation, demands exerted by other agencies or opportunities offered by other potential vice providers in the locality. All these might tum into a project. Why is it that some of these begin to progress through the system and others fall away or hang around. for years as a fervent wish never to be achieved? ‘There are a variety of factors, butthe crucial elementis the potential availablity of resources. Resources must be understood here in the broadest. sense. They might include interest from a committed individual or likely support from a relevant agency. The offer or opportunity of finance or expertise might be a factor. The second factor is whether an idea is defined as an ‘entity. Obviously, ah idea has to be understood asa possi- ble way of seeing or dealing with a problem before it can be taken up at all ‘The third factors that. idea must be seen as needing SSeARRIERS SS RESOURCE \ COMMITMENT Tesources. Again, resources must be understood broadly. ‘An idea to resolve difficulties between a local GP's sur- gery and an area team might only require a team mem- ber to allocate time to do liaison work. Nonetheless, this, is a reallocation of resources (time) from one activity or priority to another. For it to lead to a project, however, the second factor is relevant. People must see it as in some way special, as an entity in the work of the team which is to be marked out. It would not be a project if it was just felt to be a process of fitting an activity into a schedule which was new but fundamentally not different from the existing aspects of the team member's work. So itis important to see that the idea of a project has an entrepreneurial promotional aspect to it. Projects are identified where a new understanding and extra resources must be organised. A fourth factor is then that an idea is seen to need a special effort to achieve results with it, Diagram 1 summarises the progress of an idea from the primeval soup of ideas to its definition as a potential project. One final requirement of this process is the existence of collection mechanism for identifying, defining and pro- ‘moting potential project ideas in the department. This is one of the important roles of management at all levels - to pick up ideas, define them and set them on a path for consideration. Often, particular individuals are identi- fied (either formally or informally) in the department as the collectors or facilitators of ideas and their processing into projects. At different levels, this may be done for ideas of different complexity. Clearly, an idea for a new day and residential care centre for an new client group will require definition at the highest level. An idea for a new liaison system might be retained within a local team, Once an idea has emerged into a defined possibility and there are some resources which might back it, it becomes available to the department as an option which might be taken up. Diagram 2 shows the process through which Sociat Services Ieight, March 37,1087PROJECTS Project recruits resources. ‘The initial range of resources to be recruited are ‘motivating factors. A project will not get far unless there are motivating forces pushing it. Generally projects are motivated by one or more of four factors: 1 Need or demand — where a need is established or accepted or there is consumer demand, 1m Policy ~ where government or political poliey is pushing for a particular project, or for action which the projet might meet, i Commitment ~ where an individual or group is personally committed to the idea, ° 1m Resources where resources (such as an organisa- tion with expertise, or specific funding) are or might be available to this project. ‘The more ofthese factors that exist for any one project, ‘the more likely itis to make progress. Oten, therefore, it is important to reeruit these factors to push a project, along, and to get it chosen from among possible options. ‘The next stage is to ereate resource concepts. Although there must be some general understanding that resources might be available, it is important to con- ceptualise what human, physical and financial resources right be needed, and then to identify as many potential sources of these resources as possible. Then promoters of ‘project will be in a position to have its practicability accepted by any dissenters. ‘The size of potential resources and the likelihood of their delivery will be crucial to the strength of the project when it starts to ‘meet barriers to implementation ~WEAS™ Changing from one set of priorities to another means negotiating changes in the role of staff ‘The next stage includes two processes. Links and alliances must be built up with potential resource providers. t they are not already partof the projec, they heed tobe identified and interested in the projet. What they can offer should be defined, and committed. Usually the commitment will depend on other commitments. For example, in setting up a new hostel for the com- munity eare of mentally ill people, a health authority, social nervice department, housing association and per- hhaps one ar more voluntary organisations may be ‘Social Services Inigh, March 27,1067 @ Just as life developed out of a primeval group of ‘molecules in the early stage of earth's life, so a project idea must emerge from the primeval soup of ideas sloping around ag department ——————— Mealeotm Payne involved. The health authority or social services depart- ment may have to guarantee a contribution to residents! fees, and a part capital contribution, before the housing association can gain housing corporation allocation, ‘which itself will be needed before the health and social services contribution can be usod. The process of lining Up all these organisations and not losing some commit- ‘ments before others are achieved is often complex. "The second process at this stage is to combine these alliances into resource acquisition strategy which, when tied together will completely fund both expected recur- rent and capital costa of the project. Once this strategy has been arrived at the next stage is the barrier stage. ‘The fact that resources are committed in principle per- nits development managers to move on to the detailed planning which will achieve the commitment of Ze ee ee characteristics of the project. In a hostel project, for example, a suitable area for the building must be found, a suitable building for acquisi- tion, planning and design considerations for that particu- lar ‘building must be ironed out and legal and bureaucratic requirements for committing resources to that building must be completed. Only when the actual details (this house to that design) are accepted by all parties, can the in-principle acceptance of a project (some sort of house to some sort of design) be turned into a resource commitment. This process is actually like climb- ing over a series of barriers in the way of getting all parties to agree to a particular project. ‘Another example, on less complex scale. A scheme for providing assistance with shopping and practical tasks for elderly people is required, and a social services department decides it is a good thing. Extra supervision from the home help service would be available if the costs of paying part-time workers’ wages and expenses could ‘be met. A volunteer service paid for by Opportunities for Volunteering or MSC community programme schemes are options for paying for this. This is the resource acquisition strategy. The barrier stage involves making applications and satisfying the MSC’s and trade union's, requirements and finding office space. Once this is achieved the commitment to extra supervision from the hhome help service comes into play and resources commit- ‘ment is achieved. ‘At this point the detailed design and management of, the scheme must be considered and this is the subject of the next two articles 7 ‘Maleolim Payne is assistant director for development atthe Richmond Fellowship a