Sub-optimal project impact
Sub-optimal project portfolio management
Lessons not fully learned from pilot projects (31,89)
Scaling up pilot approach before completion of original pilot (31,89)
Pilot project unrepresentative
Insufficient technical backstopping capacity (114)
Imperfect Project Design
Inappropriate Intervention strategy (109,112)
Inappropriate capacity development strategy
Lack of knowledge on existing needs and capacities (125)
Lack of adequate needs / capacity assessment (30,107)
Lack of available information / data (2)
Inappropriate emphasis on regional / national capacity needs (4,125)
Poor choice of language for training materials (4)
Insufficient funds
Inappropriate allocation of resources / efforts (115)
Lack of involvement of non-governmental interest groups / civil society (109,111)
Lack of relevant technical expertise in project design team (110)
Inappropriate relative emphasis on regional / country-level activities and approaches (85)
Unclear project objectives (112)
Unclear linkages between, outputs, outcomes and objectives (112, 125)
Poor strategy for sustainability
no 'exit' strategy (17,76)
lack of incentives / regulations for long-term resource management (118)
Overambitious project objectives (12, 31,125)
Donor expectations for funding
Resources allocated across too many activities (93)
Time and effort required underestimated
Money required underestimated
Development of methods a pre-requisite for further implementation (124)
Unclear project objectives (13, 19, 20,112)
Lack of credibility of outputs / outcomes
Inappropriate partner selection (35)
Failure to recognize key players / 'champions' (40,129)
Lack of understanding of country capacities (107)
Poor project activity selection methodology(35)
Lack of comprehensive coverage of project activities at multiple scales (25)
Lack of ownership and shared vision for project (41)
Insufficient Stakeholder involvement (23, 32,125,126)
Inadequate stakeholder consultation processes (10, 21, 32, 39, 41,110)
consultation too late in the design process (39)
Stakeholder 'fatigue'
Too many competing projects
Raised and unrealised expectations (10)
Lack of government commitment (22)
'Top down' approach to project design (10, 11, 46)
Lack of willingness to consult
Lack of time / resources for project development (10,11)
Lack of technical capacity for project design
Differing stakeholder priorities and perspectives (95)
Lack of mechanisms to capture regional and or local perspectives (96, 99)
Poor budgeting
Planned activities based on unsecured funding
Workplan activities do not have corresponding budget lines (105)
Inadequate Monitoring and Evaluation
M&E requirements not standardised across project partners
Lack of guidelines on reporting requirements
Inadequate M&E Planning (31)
Inadequate identification of performance indicators (72)
Workplan activities do not have corresponding budget lines (105)
M&E not fully costed and budgeted (105)
Insufficient time for project design
Funding deadlines
Lack of access to information (43, 106)
Inadequate stakeholder consultation processes
Lack of agreement or policy on data among project partners (106)
Inappropriate institutional arrangements
Unclear roles among partners (29, 108)
Lack of understanding of administrative procedures across partners (29)
Unclear partnership purposes
Too many executing / implementing partners (24,61)
Uneven distribution of work loads
Inappropriate partner selection (24,60)
Inadequate capacity assessment of potential partner institutions (24, 49)
Failure to recognize key players / 'champions'
Conflicts of interest (29, 61)
Inadequate outreach and dissemination Strategy (1)
Inadequate identification of key target audiences (80)
Inadequate consultation or recognition of stakeholder needs
Inappropriate choice of communication Media / tools (1,79,101)
Posters / pictures (79)
Radio
Television
Talent shows / theatre
e-consultations (83)
Cultural preferences
In appropriate choice of Language (1)
Lack of consideration of norms and taboos
Lack of recognition of the need for sustained outreach and dissemination efforts (100)
Inadequate allocation of project resources
Time and effort required underestimated
Money required underestimated
Inappropriate Country selection (18)
Logistical practicalities poorly considered (18)
poor stakeholder consultation
Political / economic / environmental situation poorly considered (18)
Poor model / example for scaling up
lack of willingness to share information (18)
lack of capacity to implement project
Lack of political will for project objectives (18)
Lack of clear criteria for country selection
Sub-optimal / inefficient project management
Inadequate outreach & dissemination
Insufficient allocation of project resources
Poor use of available dissemination methods (L 81,83,101,130)
Poor use of high profile (political) personalities (130)
Regional / local project personnel / partners sub-optimally utilized (98)
Lack of recognition of the need for sustained outreach and dissemination efforts (100)
Poor fund management
Slow disbursement of funding
Lack of resources
Co-financing not monitored
Poor budgeting
Planned activities based on unsecured funding (67)
lack of coordination in budget formats / requirements across executing agencies (66)
lack of flexibility in financial management (88)
Poor tracking & coordination of project expenditure (63, 105)
Lack of compliance with financial reporting requirements
Different financial management and administrative procedures for donors / co-executing agencies (66,91)
Lack of Project management Capacity
Lack of available technical capacity (55)
Lack of training (2)
Training does not match local / national needs (4,50)
Poor selection of project activities (20, 30)
Government staff have competing commitments (53,55)
Lack of financial resources
Co-financing not secured
lack of diverse funding sources
Lack of consideration / pursuit of other funding sources (92)
Inadequate project team (58)
High staff turnover
Slow recruitment of project team /consultants (54)
Lack of leadership (58)
Lack of UNEP capacity for technical backstopping (114)
Delays in project implementation
Late project approval (27)
Delays in formal approvals by partners (27)
lack of understanding of partner / donor approval procedures (27)
Stakeholder consultation processes (47)
Country level approvals
Delay in approvals of MOUs / workplans
Too many project activities (7)
Late disbursement of funds
Late request / approval for funds
Delay in submission, receipt and review of progress reports
Late fund transfers
Differing rates of progress across countries and regions (37,103))
Variation in country and regional capacities (103)
Overambitious planned time-frames for work plan (27, 36,89,124)
Development of methods a pre-requisite for implementation (124)
Lengthy procurement procedures
Over-reliance on volunteers (86)
Slow recruitment of project team /consultants (53, 54,89, 122,128)
Project revision or extension procedures
High staff turnover (18,56,122)
Over-reliance on volunteers
high competing demands for in-country experts
Slow or inadequate data sharing (106)
Lack of agreement or policy on data among project partners (106)
Non-compliance and poor understanding and execution of M&E (71,73)
Lack availability of evaluators and key personnel
Poor timing of evaluations (70)
Inadequate use of Logframe in project management (24)
Lack of guidelines on reporting and documentation requirements (68)
Poor documentation of management decisions (31)
Insufficient linkage between actual activity progress and financial expenditure (105)
Poor project co-ordination
Lack of co-operation among project partners / sub-components
Lack sharing of equipment / information experiences (6, 28)
Lack of provision for exchange visits (6)
Poor complementarity between sub-components (7)
Lack of transparency in management decision-making (82)
Centralised or decentralised management structure (58,59, 61)
Poor sequencing & timing of project activities (2)
Lack of standard formats for workplans / management information (38)
Unclear roles among partners (57,108)
Lack of understanding of administrative procedures across partners (61,91,108)
Ineffective partnership identification and maintenance (60)
'Free-rider' problem in partnerships (97)
Inadequate / ineffective communication between partners (24, 27,51,82)
Poor project management structure (24)
Inappropriate institutional arrangements (57,104)
Unclear roles among partners (108)
Lack of understanding of administrative procedures across partners (108)
Lack of integration of sub-projects (6)
Lack of recognition of regional needs (96)
Unresponsive management approach
Lack of adaptive project management skills / processes (72,73)
Inadequate use of Mid Term Evaluation / Review (71)
Lack of flexibility in financial management (88)
Lack of stakeholder consultation (39)
Entrenched / institutionalized procedures
High transactions costs
Complex institutional framework
Unclear / complex objectives
Over-ambitious objectives
Project design - funding pressures
Too many project partners
Insufficient use of local experts (62,94,116)
Unclear roles among partners (61)
Environmental Benefits generated fall short of potential maximum
lack of sustainability of outcomes
Inadequate financial resources for continuation / follow up of activities (76,88)
lack of appropriate institutional arrangements for transboundary management (120,127)
lack of regular information sharing and joint planning (121,127)
lack of engagement with ongoing long-term international, regional or national initiatives (78)
Lack of public participation
lack of user-based organisations (118)
lack of high-level political ownership (119)
Lack of consensus based approach (119)
Controversial issues avoided (90)
consensus based approach (20, 21,90)
Lack of credibility of outputs / outcomes
Insufficient promotion / consultation (48,117)
Insufficient peer review / quality control (48)
Lack of capacity / expertise to generate quality outputs (107)
self-selection mechanism for project collaborators (123)
Insufficient use of credible external experts (131)
Lack of ownership / legitimacy for outputs / outcomes
Lack of adequate representation / participation (42, 45,80,102)
Poor identification of target groups (81)
geographic (48)
private sector
public sector (80)
gender
civil society
media
academia
NGO
Lack of ownership of project approach (32)
Insufficient promotion / consultation (3, 21,39,80)
Lack of appropriate community based organisations
Lack of public knowledge and awareness
Lack of relevance of outputs / outcomes
Lack of adequate geographical representation /participation
Inadequate understanding of local contexts)
Insufficient use of local experts (28,94)
Lack of local capacity (55)
Poor project design
Controversial issues avoided
consensus based approach
Lack of "critical mass" of effort (5)
Too many project activities in limited time (5, 7,93)
Lack of adequate capacity
Over-ambitious objectives
Project design - funding pressures