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p. 8 of 30 BACK | NEXT Executive Summary I. The Setting II. Key Variables Affecting Project Quality A. The Approval Culture B. Ownership C. Quality of Macro and Sectoral Analyses D. Portfolio Management E. Institutional Capacity Assessment F. Beneficiary Involvement in Preparation and Implementation G. Evaluation of Risks/Sensitivity Analysis H. Clarity and Implementability of Project Design I. Role of the Bank in Project Administration J. Responsibility for Project Quality K. Major Themes in Project Quality Analysis III. Assessment of Current Bank Practices and Areas for Improvement IV. Findings, Recommendations and Action Plan V. Implications and Monitoring Arrangements

Report of the Task Force on Improving Project Quality : II. Key Variables Affecting Project Quality

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B. Ownership

20. The "ownership" of projects n the part of DMCs and beneficiaries -the sense that the projects belong to them, and not t the Bank, and their perception of their respective roles in programming, planning, preparing and implementing projects -has a major influence on project quality, impact and sustainability. Government ownership may be reflected in government initiatives to influence the direction of Bank investments; to link these to its own macroeconomic and social goals; and to actively support and supervise project design and implementation. Development of ownership, however, is complex. For every project, several parties are involved: the Finance and/or the Planning Ministry, with which the project's inclusion in the Country Program is agreed; the government and nongovernment agencies that are to be involved in project preparation, implementation, and operation and maintenance; the people who will ultimately benefit from the project; and the Bank itself. Each party may have a different perspective of the project with respect to s importance and priority, objectives, scope and implementation strategies, scheduling and management. Achieving consensus and ownership of the project's objectives and processes among these various parties is vital to its successful design, implementation and sustainability.

21. Current processes relating to the formulation of the Country Operational Strategy Study (COSS), the Country Operational Program Paper (COPP), subsequent project preparation steps and project implementation systems should be improved to enhance ownership on the part of the borrower and beneficiaries. The involvement of government agency staff in the economic and sector studies undertaken, as well as in project feasibility study preparation, should be intensified. Sometimes, there is a clear understanding of a project's objectives and priority only at the highest levels within government agencies concerned, while the actual “doers" lower down the ladder do not have the same understanding .The people who will benefit are not always adequately consulted because of a lack of either resources, skills or appreciation of the need.

22. Projects thus often have consider able slippage in start-up after approval as the government agency personnel concerned at implementation levels grapple with the details of the project concept and strategies, and with how to proceed with implementation. Inadequate or no budgetary provision may have been made by he executing agency (EA) for the necessary counterpart funds for project implementation, d spite formal commitments to do so. Agency personnel are often not completely familiar with the Bank's practices for consultant and contractor selection, procurement and disbursements. There have been cases in which over a year has elapsed after loan effectiveness without he project having an adequate counterpart staff complement to undertake implementation effectively.

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