Making it happen: Issues of implementation

Pitfalls

Safeguards/ Response

Partners are reluctant to commit to action.

• Identify levers / incentives, e.g. evidence of public concern, costs, benefits available resources.

• Review steps needed to seek/reinforce senior management commitment within key agencies, and to keep all those within agencies with an interest informed of relevant developments.

Responsibility for implementation is unclear

• Assign responsibilities to a named individual.

• Review/clarify roles and responsibilities of partnership/individual agencies and other stakeholders.

The programme drifts and is underachieving

• Review reporting systems.

• Set clear milestones for performance of key tasks.

• Review commitment of partner agencies. Strengthen agreement between agencies if necessary. Look at ways of increasing project ‘ownership’.

Project leadership is weak

• Ensure the project leader has the time, commitment and skills to do the job, and identify training/development needs.

• As well as project management skills, project leaders need the ability to work across traditional agency boundaries and operate in unknown/unpredictable areas.

The project leader moves job

• Ensure key decisions and action points are documented.

• Spread the work to guard against becoming too reliant on one person.

A key partner fails to deliver

Challenge non-delivery. Strengthen agreement between agencies if necessary

Results don’t come through

• Review analysis of problems and causes.

• Check option appraisal and that the right conditions are in place for the project to work as intended.

• Check the action plan is appropriate and well-founded.

There is low community participation

• Check community perceptions of the initiative.

• Identify aspects of the project with greatest community appeal.

• Review communications plans

Partners lose interest

• Review approaches used (e.g. networking between meetings/teambuilding) to keep partners enthused and motivated.

• Ensure the project integrates with other local activities.

Conflicts develop in the partnership

Use techniques e.g. soft systems analysis to identify sources of conflict and areas of agreement.

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