further broken down into various steps and listed in
specific work plans later on.
5. Inputs
After listing the project activities, the aggregated
major resources required to implement the project
and achieve the stated outputs are listed as inputs.
Inputs can include consultation services, personnel,
civil engineering works, equipment, materials
and operating funds, and can be provided by the
TaiwanICDF, cooperating organizations, the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs or its overseas representative
offices, other collaborating institutions and project
beneficiaries.
6. Targets and Indicators
Targets and indicators include qualitative descriptions
and quantitative standards for the project’s expected
results.
To be effective in measuring project performance,
these tools must be able to show whether the goals
identified have been successfully met. Indicators
outline the objects to be measured and targets
confirm the relevant quantities and duration.
Stakeholders implementing the project should take
full responsibility for whether indicators are met.
7. Monitoring Mechanism
After specifying indicators and targets, we must
consider how to effectively monitor the progress of
these goals. It is therefore necessary to establish
a monitoring mechanism. A monitoring mechanism
specifies how the relevant information on various
indicators will be obtained, who will provide such
information, how it will be collected (e.g. through field
surveys) and how it will be organized and compiled.
8. Assumptions and Risks
The project framework is essentially complete after
the monitoring mechanism is established. However,
every project can be influenced by external factors,
including, for example, political, social, financial,
environmental, systemic and even climatic factors.
These are a project’s assumptions and risks.
Assumptions refer to the positive situations, events
and actions that we assume may occur, at any and
every level of a DMF, to help a project reach its goals.
Risks represent the negative situations, events and
actions that may undermine the expected results or
compromise the success of the project.
9. Work Plans
After determining assumptions and risks, the overall,
logical structure of the project is in place. The next
step is to draft the specific work plan. This is like
writing a script: A work plan must break the project
down, step-by-step, into its component actions, to
ensure that all of its important tasks are planned and
will be implemented to schedule.
By employing a DMF as part of the project planning
process, we hope to avoid the common problems that
can occur at each stage of the project cycle. By engaging
in comprehensive project planning and wide scale
analysis, project implementation and post-evaluation can
be achieved according to a consistent set of standards,
thereby ensuring maximum effectiveness.
13
Table 1 Project Design and DMF Format
Design Summary
6
Targets/Indicators
7
Monitoring Mechanism
8
Assumptions/Risks
2
Impact
1
Outcome
3
Outputs
4
Activities and Milestones
5
Inputs
Design
Alternative
Analysis
Target
Analysis
Stakeholder
Analysis
Problem
Analysis
