Project Prioritization

Project Priority Setting Overview

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Project Priority Setting is the process of identifying research projects/activities that are most important for the organization 2

Key Reasons for Priority Setting To focus research on high priority areas / guide program planning and updating To promote effective use of scarce resources / guide resource allocation To avoid dependence on intuitive, researcher-driven selection of projects/activities 3

Key Reasons for Priority Setting (2) To build communication about projects / activities between researchers and among stakeholders To link research to policy and socioeconomic goals of government

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Other Important Considerations Donor / Government loss of confidence - perceptions of weak public sector performance & impact - effectiveness, efficiency and return to investments

Competition - for funding - for research-service areas

Globalization - more rapid response to change - frequent shifts in market opportunities 5

Other Important Considerations (2) Pressure for privatization of research Pressure for demand-driven, bottom up research planning Responsiveness to the needs of different types of producers / users New research partners 6

Planning the Process Priority setting must be adapted to: - institute characteristics and conditions - time constraints - information and data availability

Stakeholder participation is advisable - producers and industry - extension - research partners 7

Project Scoring Approach Strengths Simple and transparent Use of multiple categories of criteria (productivity, relevance, contribution to government goals, feasibility)

Ability to assign differential weights to criteria 8

Project Scoring Approach Strengths (2) Establishment of direct links to policy goals and development objectives of government Compatibility with the involvement of stakeholders Less data and preparation required 9

Project Scoring Approach Weaknesses Possible semantic and definition ambiguity Possible overlaps in objectives and criteria Based on a certain level of subjectivity Counterbalanced by use of multiple criteria and participation of other scientists & external stakeholders 10

Process and Methods

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Process Steps Prepare initial project portfolio (project list) Define priority setting criteria Assign weights to criteria Test scoring procedure Score projects to determine rank (w/ stakeholders) Examine results and, in exceptional cases, adjust rank if necessary Determine cut-off points for high, medium and low priority projects Use ranking to allocate resources (management and scientist follow through on priorities) 12

Development of Project Portfolio List of ongoing and proposed new projects. Ideally, each project on the list should specify: - objectives - outputs - duration - budget

Important exercise for any organization - Overall picture of projects/activities undertaken - Researcher/stakeholder awareness of projects/activities

Key reference for individuals scoring the projects

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Development of Criteria Criteria Categories

Criteria (examples)

Contribution to productivity

1. 2.

Production/income increases Reduction in cost of production

Relevance to clients

1. 2.

Adoption rate Basic knowledge

Contribution to policy & development goals

1. 2.

Employment generation Export earnings

Research feasibility

1. 2.

Research expertise Project cost 14

Weighting of Criteria (1) Criteria Categories

Relative Weights (examples)

Contribution to productivity

35%

Relevance to clients

30%

Contribution to policy & development goals

15%

Research feasibility

20%

Total:

100% 15

Weighting of Criteria (2) Criteria Categories Contribution to productivity 35%

Individual Criteria Weights (examples ) 1. Production/income increases 2. Reduction in cost of production 3. Value addition

0.15% 0.10% 0.10%

Total:

100%

Relevance to clients 30% Contribution to policy & development goals 15% Research feasibility 20%

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Scoring of projects Workshop participants are usually divided into groups of 8-10 Each group assesses and scores individual projects, based information provided in the project portfolio table and by group facilitators. Participants are also provided with a description of the criteria & a pre-defined scoring scale High = 5; Moderate = 3; Low or not applicable = 1; Uncertain = no score 17 Discussion among the participants is encouraged.

Priority setting procedure (1) Participant scores for each project are entered into a computer spreadsheet and averaged The average score for each project is automatically multiplied by the assigned weight for the criteria to yield a weighted average score

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Priority Setting Procedure (2) Weighted scores provide the ranks (order of priority from high to low) The results of each group are consolidated into a master spreadsheet The consolidated results are displayed, using a multimedia projector, and discussed in plenary 19

Conditions for Success Ensure follow-through on the priorities - focus research efforts on high priority projects - link priorities to program planning & review procedures - communicate priorities to stakeholders & donors

Link fund allocations to priorities Respond to producer needs/demands by - regular portfolio adjustments - periodic priority update 20