Preliminary considerations in program design

There are a number of preliminary issues which need to be considered before getting too deep into the program planning process.

In some quarters, a distinction is made between a project and a program. Here are some common perceptions of the difference:

In the modules on literacy program planning these terms will be used interchangeably. However, you need to be aware that some practitioners in the fields of literacy, education, and development see a significant difference between the two and use them accordingly.

Before beginning the program design process, here are a number of questions you need to address:

• Who is involved or should be involved in the program design process?

  Include appropriate members of the communities, regions, or countries to be affected by a program in the process of designing the program. Their involvement will depend on the circumstances. History shows that programs are less likely to succeed if these parties are not involved in the planning.

  When other technical agencies are to be involved in the program, consult with representatives of such agencies to evaluate and establish an appropriate level of participation in the design phase.

  The extent to which administrative or political personnel should be involved will depend on such things as your mandate, status in the country, license to operate, level of official control, and your official prerogatives.

• What should be the review process as the design proceeds?

  Consult as broadly as possible to build consensus, support, and awareness of what you are doing. More review is better than less review.

• What persons or institutions need to approve the program design?

  This depends very much on the nature of your authorization to be carrying out the program. When in doubt, get advice from appropriate consultants or authorities.

• Will the program design include a funding proposal?

  Usually this will be obvious. When external funding is needed, you need to give maximum attention to careful planning and full program detail.

Program planning is not an exact science. Questions such as the following frequently arise in the planning process:

• How far ahead can one plan, when carrying out a program is dependent on so many uncontrollable variables? These can include local interest, weather conditions, decisions made by other agencies, local social events such as weddings, elections, or funerals, and sudden economic or political changes.
• How can you be sure that a given strategy will work?
• How do we make plans when we do not know whether or when the needed resources will become available?
• How do we know how long it will take to carry out a particular activity?
• What do we do if the program is too successful and grows beyond what we have funds to support?

Many of these questions are addressed directly or indirectly by the literacy tools and modules in the Literacy bookshelf.

It is better to make a plan and then change that plan when necessary, than to wait to make a plan until "all variables are under control." In all of the literacy and development world, it is assumed that plans will not unfold exactly as planned.

As far as possible, you should consult with those having more experience in order to test the appropriateness of your program design.

The funding issue always has a certain amount of uncertainty. If you do not develop a program plan, it is certain that needed resources will not be available. On the other hand, developing a program plan creates a reality or concreteness for your program that gives you a chance to "go after" needed resources. You need to be aware, however, that preparing and circulating a funding proposal does not guarantee that funding will become available.

In program planning, initial designs typically turn out to be sketchy. As the program begins to unfold, more and more activities surface which need to be carried out. This pattern is normal, not exceptional. Every program needs to be designed in such a way that new activities and even new program components can be added as the program evolves.

Unless one is highly experienced, it is recommended that a program design tend towards a modest and short program rather than an ambitious and long-term design. Usually it is more feasible and desirable to enlarge an established and working plan, rather than to "undo" a large program design which turns out to be ill-suited to the situation at hand.

• Planning a literacy program
• Funding a literacy program

• Fact module: Preliminary considerations in program design
• In overview module: Literacy programs, by Stephen L. Walter
• In modular book: Plan a literacy program, by Stephen L. Walter, Barbara K. Trudell (contributor), and Trudy K. Stewart (general editor)
• In bookshelf: Literacy

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 4.0, published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 1999. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 25 October 1999

© 1999 SIL International