DESIGNING PROJECTS IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD

Scoping is a standard component of project development
that summarises the purpose and character
of the project. The RAPTA guidelines include it for
completeness, and to highlight the aspects of scoping
that are unique to RAPTA. The RAPTA approach
encourages a deep understanding of the system, the
challenges faced and how to address them effectively.
Application of RAPTA in the project conceptualisation
stage (Phase 1, Identification, Figure 2) will involve a
“light pass” through all seven process components,
after which Scoping should be revisited and revised
where necessary. The insights gained through RAPTA
may lead to a significant change in scope (See example
in section 2.10). The “systems view” encouraged
by RAPTA means that different interventions and
stakeholder partnerships may be proposed than
were originally envisaged. Some of the problems, key
points and types of intervention identified through
RAPTA might be out of scope for the initially-envisaged
source of funding. For example, a different set
of projects and funders may be identified if a funding
program is limited to working only on interventions
by small-scale farmers, yet the most critical adaptive
pathway for the system to attain its goal requires intervention
in health, transport or education. Applying the
RAPTA process may result in project resources being
allocated differently, emphasizing components (such
as learning) that are often under-resourced.
3.1.2 Use in phases of the project cycle
Scoping is particularly important in the project identification
phase of project cycle. It may not need to be
repeated in the project design and implementation
phases if all the key stakeholders are present in the
initial pass (during project identification), and if the
subsequent steps for design and implementation
remain focused on the original scope. If key factors
such as the context or scale change, then Scoping
will need to be revisited in subsequent phases.
Users are encouraged to consider that other funding
and implementing partners, or types of projects, may
need to be brought in to complement the original
envisaged project.
3.1.3 Steps to conduct Scoping
Step 1 Explore context, problems and aspirations
of the stakeholders, and define project goal
Discuss key questions, for example:
• The SDGs and other high level goals have explicit
aspirations for resilience, adaptation, transformation
and sustainability. How do these apply to this
project, at this scale? Whose aspirations do they
represent? Are the aspirations shared by existing
and potential stakeholders? Are they a priority of
those who stand to gain or lose benefits?
• Often the aspiration is reasonably easy to agree on;
it is harder to gain agreement on the problem and
how best to address it. What are the different understandings
of the system, the nature of the problem
and the ways of addressing it among current
and potential stakeholders?
• Define the goals of the project on the basis of the
above. Some programs of funding such as the GEF
Food Security IAP, have “given” goals e.g. delivery
of global environmental benefits, that need to be
achieved at program level from the aggregate impact
of individual projects (See Box D).
Step 2 Define provisional scope, scale and location
of the project
In addition to determining the broad scope and location
of the proposed project, it is important to:
• Ensure that the spatial and temporal scales for assessing
the project are aimed at household, community,
region or national scales, as appropriate.
These can be defined in geographic or governance
terms. The project may also define its success over
1, 5 or 20 year time-frames, for example.
• See System Description for more detail.
Step 3 Review relevant work that has been done
in the past, and consider how the project will build
from this
It is standard practice to collate and review previous
relevant work and use the lessons from it to assess
what is known and identify knowledge gaps to be
addressed in the current project. RAPTA encourages
users to do this. To fully incorporate resilience
approaches it is important to:
• Counter the tendency to adopt approaches which are
reductionist or “close down risk” instead of acknowledging
uncertainty and responding accordingly
40 RAPTA guidelines for project design