DESIGNING PROJECTS IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD

4.1 OVERVIEW
RAPTA PROCESS
1. Scoping
2. Engagement &
Governance
3. Theory of
Change
4. System
Description
5. System
Assessment
6. Options &
Pathways
7. Learning
Figure 20 Diagram representing a RAPTA pass, showing the RAPTA components, the iterative nature of interactions
between components, and the embracing nature of the Engagement and Governance and Learning component
The GEF project cycle has three distinct phases:
project identification, project design, and project
implementation. As explained in previous sections,
RAPTA processes are iterative and cyclical. We refer
to a “RAPTA pass” as one iteration through the
RAPTA process (Figure 20).
RAPTA can be applied at different phases in a project,
with each RAPTA pass tailored to meet the needs
of that phase. Successive RAPTA passes can have
differing levels of detail and stakeholder involvement
and produce different outputs according to different
project phases. An overview of the use of the RAPTA
process in these project phases is given in Figure
21. The size of the RAPTA “symbol” in each phase
indicates the level of detail (e.g. desktop exercise in
Phase 1 versus full multi-stakeholder engagement
process in phases 2, 3, and 4). The stakeholders
included in each stage vary, and this is represented in
the lower panel of Figure 21. For example, at the very
early phase of project identification, a pass through
RAPTA could be a desktop exercise coordinated by
one person in a couple of weeks, involving only a
narrow subset of stakeholders. The outputs of the
RAPTA process are different in each phase, again
reflecting the needs of the project phase.
A goal of IAP projects is to build capacity for systemic
change. We use the word “capacity” to mean
human capital (i.e. knowledge and skills) and social
capital (i.e. leadership, trust, partnerships and social
networks) of stakeholders, plus the Learning processes
and supporting institutional architecture (e.g.
committees, governance structures) necessary to
build these capitals and catalyse innovation and collective
action. These attributes are recognized in the
scientific literature on resilience and transformation
as being critical to understanding a complex system
(like food security), and to tackle issues at different
scales of that system in order to proactively generate
change. Very often, the issues requiring action are
the underlying systemic “roots” of a problem, rather
than the superficial “symptoms”. Recognizing and
tackling the roots of a complex problem requires the
RAPTA in the GEF project cycle 85