Case Study in Project Management · 2017-11-30 · Enlisting Stakeholder Engagement for Successful Project Delivery - The Case of Jalswarajya Project Case B - Capacity Building and

Enlisting Stakeholder Engagement for Successful Project Delivery - The Case of Jalswarajya Project

Case B - Capacity Building and Innovation Initiativesby Stakeholders in Jalswarajya

Authored by Dr. Mona. N. Shah,

National Institute of Construction Management and Research, Pune

& co-authored by Dr. Gangadhar Mahesh,

National Institute of Technology, Karnataka, Surathkal

Case Study in Project Management

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Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

The Institutional Framework ......................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Identification of Training and Capacity Building Needs ....................................................................................................................... 3

Capacity Building Implementation Mechanism ...................................................................................................................................... 3

Empanelment Procedure ................................................................................................................................................................................ 4

Capacity Building Process Implementation Strategy for Villages ..................................................................................................... 5

Meeting the Challenge of Scaling up ......................................................................................................................................................... 5

Setting up Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanism for the Capacity Building Program ............................................................. 5

The Community Manual ................................................................................................................................................................................. 6

Use of Media in Capacity Building of Women at Village Level ........................................................................................................... 6

Training and Information Dissemination Media ..................................................................................................................................... 6

Innovations in Project Delivery .................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Innovations at Program Level ....................................................................................................................................................................... 7

Innovations at the Village Selection and Implementation Stages ..................................................................................................... 7

Stabilizing the Project over Widespread Geographies ........................................................................................................................... 7

Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 9

Model for other States/Countries ............................................................................................................................................................... 9

Understanding the Functioning of the Water Supply System Before and After Training (Nashik District) ........................10

Understanding the Functioning of the Water Supply System Before and After Training (Latur District) ............................10

Most Preferred Medium of Capacity Building (Nashik District) ......................................................................................................10

Most Preferred Medium of Capacity Building (Latur District) ..........................................................................................................11

Sample Log Detailing Training Activity ....................................................................................................................................................11

Preparing Training Aid for Role Play ..........................................................................................................................................................11

Jalmitra Asha Dhenge Guiding on Water Quality .................................................................................................................................11

Jalmitra Executing Role Play .......................................................................................................................................................................11

Women Jalmitra on World Water Day ....................................................................................................................................................11

Identification of Stakeholders’ Capacity Building Requirements.....................................................................................................12

Operationalizing the Training Manual ......................................................................................................................................................13

CONTENTS

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CASE B – Capacity Building and Innovation Initiatives by

Stakeholders in Jalswarajya

B.1 Introduction

Adequate capacity building of the stakeholders was a prerequisite for the launch of the Jalswarajya project in a village.

Inclusiveness, participatory decision-making, effectiveness, responsiveness, transparency, accountability, and strong

institutional strengthening among the stakeholders were the mainstay of the project. Given its ‘lifecycle nature’ i.e.

concept and proposal design, project implementation, and finally, operations and maintenance by the villagers themselves

made it important to focus on these capabilities. This had never been done before in any government initiated projects

in the state. It posed a unique challenge before all. Of the total budget allocated for institutional strengthening, 24.4

percent was for capacity building (Rs. 580.61 million) and was considered a key performance indicator of the project.

At the ZP level, the pilot incentive fund was to be initiated in nine ZPs over a three-year period. This was to serve as an

example for other VPs to follow. The project sought involvement of the beneficiary communities. NGOs and SOs played

an active role in the last mile delivery, ensuring village community’s buy in, motivating them to form the committee,

and guiding them to initiate the process up to the ZP. Capacity building and innovative approaches to problem solving

became necessary ingredients for the project’s success.

B.2 The Institutional Framework

To implement the capacity building exercise, a framework was established. It began with identifying project participants

at the village, ZP, and state level. The participants identified were assigned roles and responsibilities to carry out the

capacity building campaign. The teams got down to planning the delivery at all the three levels.

B.3 Identification of the Training and Capacity Building Needs

Stakeholders from both the supply and demand sides were charged with the identification of capacity building activities

and to undertake the responsibility of carrying out the program. The objective of the training was to ensure that all

the parties would be able to effectively carry out the activities related to the Jalswarajya project. Appendix 1 contains

salient training needs of stakeholders. All the stakeholders received training based on these needs, corresponding to the

level and purpose identified.

B.4 Capacity Building Implementation Mechanism

The nodal point of all activities was at the district level. The Capacity Building Consortium (CBC) was initiated as an

external support to the OMT and district teams at the district and village level. At the district level, the CBC conducted

activities directly, while at the village level, they played the role of monitoring and guiding the village committees and

communities.

Enlisting Stakeholder Engagement for Successful Project Delivery – The Case of Jalswarajya Project

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B.5 Empanelment Procedure

The OMT invited expressions of interest from individuals and institutes willing to get empanelled to carry out capacity

building activities. After thorough scrutiny, the OMT empaneled a set of consortia at the state level. Empanelment

was open to existing NGOs, consultants, and private and public sector organizations. . The consortia identified a

capacity building plan for district level stakeholders. They assessed and developed capacity building curricula, training

modules, and materials at the district and village level as well as the appropriate methodology to conduct construction

activities directly. It also engaged in the identification, empanelment, and certification of SOs. The consortium was

tasked with assisting the SOs in delivering capacity building plans for villages. They provided resource support and

identified para-professionals, other CBOs, and federations of VWSCs, mahila mandals, SHGs, and others who could

provide support services to villages. Finally, the consortium monitored and evaluated capacity building activities of SOs,

para-professionals, other service providers, and CBOs by developing an output-based performance evaluation. Service

providers identified for carrying out capacity building by the consortium were drawn from a pool of professionals with

prior experience in

There were a series of process innovations. Process innovation deals with the small actions and problem-solving by

persons directly involved with the job that enable the successful completion of a job. While the big ‘I’ of innovation

happens once, the long-term success of any project is the result of continuous, incremental innovation characterized by

the small ‘i’. The Jalswarajya project demonstrated these in ample measure. The success of the project can be attributed

to the thorough capacity building exercise which played an integral part in all aspects of the project’s stakeholder and

project management.

1) Engaging the community- which included village men and women who knew the trades of repairing, boring,

plumbing, masonry, pump operations etc. They also identified youth and women who were interested in promoting

sanitation and appropriate technologies and water quality monitoring. It enabled the creation of a skill base in

the village for which significant investment was allocated.

2) Public service providers- The project stipulated capacity building from the demand side. The team put in place

training modules with the help of the Groundwater Surveys Development Agency (GSDA) that was oriented

towards the demand side. The training aimed at increased accountability of service providers towards the

community who was paying for the services directly.

3) Private service providers- In the initial vision document, private sector contribution was envisaged not to be

limited to supplying materials but also to encourage them to get involved in rural water supply provision. It also

entailed large corporations to provide support to Jalswarajya under their corporate social responsibility initiatives.

4) SOs, including NGOs- This was to be extended in the form of social mobilization and community organization. SOs

moved from village to village playing the role of catalysts. SOs had technical expertise, including O&M and

distribution and topical appraisals involving choice of options. Investing in a technical course for SOs was also

undertaken as part of the training of trainers.

5) Engineering colleges and polytechnics- It involved students and teachers in the preparation of technical plans and

estimates for communities who approached them for their expertise. This helped in keeping costs to a minimum

for the beneficiary villages, while encouraging problem solving among technical students in rural areas.

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B.6 Capacity Building Process Implementation Strategy for Villages

There was need for grassroot level awareness and skills building. At first, an enabling environment at the village level

had to be created, considering the backwardness of village society and the subtle socio-economic dynamics. Supporting

mechanisms for various groups, committees, and VPs were developed to form strong partnerships. Thus the phase-wise

program aimed at achieving the following in order of priority.

1. Strengthening VPs

2. Strengthening local groups (mahila mandal, youth groups, other groups, para professionals)

3. Strengthening VWSC

4. Strengthening gram sabha

Notwithstanding the above, the program was customized to suit the needs of villages. An interesting challenge that

NGOs in the 12 villages in Nashik sistrict encountered was the community’s lack of belief and confidence in the level of

transparency in decision-making in the villages’ existing governance system. This resulted in a great deal of reluctance to

attend decision-making sessions at gram sabhas and ward meetings, and the scheduled trainings. Villagers’ participation

improved only after a series of counselling sessions. The NGO built trust also by regularly sharing the expenses incurred

on the project with villagers. This approach towards transparency won them over. Refer Fig B.1 (a) and Fig B.1 (b) for the

overall impact of the capacity building program on the villages in Nashik and Latur district.

B.7 Meeting the Challenge of Scaling Up

Scaling up the project to include more villages was the biggest challenge at the district level. It meant building the

capacity of various teams involved in the project. These included:

1. The district teams for handholding VPs to launch the Jalswarajya project in their villages

2. SOs who were engaged during the pilot phase

3. Additional SOs who were accredited and empanelled to work for Jalswarajya

4. Para-professionals and other CBOs that were identified and developed for project implementation

5. A sufficient cadre of service providers for other responsibilities

B.8 Setting up the Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanism for the Capacity Building Program

The capacity building program also had a monitoring and evaluation mechanism built into the vision plan. The District

Facilitation Team (DFT) was given the responsibility to carry out evaluations based on parameters such as content,

delivery, and timing of training and outcomes achieved and identified as per the target segment’s needs. The DFT carried

out periodic reviews and evaluations, especially during the pilot phase, to capture learning to be used in the scaled up

activities. Quarterly reviews were planned for this purpose. Apart from the review and monitoring mechanism, the

Jalswarajya project envisaged quick dissemination of project learning to other potential villages. Best practices data

were gathered from empanelled consortia, SOs, para professionals, CBOs, and institutes and made available to the

rest of the planned 225 villages. Documentation and learning forums were recommended for knowledge management

activities.

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B.9 The Community Manual

This manual was localized for use at the village and community level, produced in Marathi (the local language) and

circulated to VWSC members, VP members, and other stakeholders in the village. The responsibility to operationalize

the manual in the districts was with the District Community Manual Teams (DCMT). Team members included DFMT

representatives, para professionals, and select NGO staff. The DFMT and NGOs selected para professionals who were VP

and VWSC members, teachers, artists, and performers. Refer Appendix 2 for activities as part of this process. The cross

learning and experience sharing made training delivery highly dynamic.

B.10 Use of Media in Capacity Building of Women at Village Level

Jalmitras (friends of water) from each village participated in the training program to increase their confidence to

undertake capacity building of village panchayats. These were primarily women who took up roles such as training the

trainers for O&M activities, trainers for SHGs, and communicating project benefits to beneficiaries. Refer Exhibits B.2

(a), B.2 (b), B.2 (c), B.2 (d) for the experience in Nagpur district.

B.11 Training and Information Dissemination Media

In Latur and Nashik districts where the project was successfully implemented, a variety of communication channels

was used to spread awareness among villagers. There were informal meetings at settlements, posters, street plays, wall

paintings, pamphlets, and films, besides visits to other places in Latur district. Refer Fig B.2 (a) and Fig B.2(b).

In one village in Nashik, puppet shows were organized. The team also used ‘bhajani mandals’ (prayer groups) to spread

the word about water management, hygiene, and sanitation. Jalswarajya success stories from villages were filmed and

disseminated in the participating villages for motivation and initial acceptance. The popular Hindi film ‘Swades’ was also

widely used as a source of motivation, especially in the first batch of villages under the project. A few state transport

buses that operated in rural areas were painted with project promotional messages. IEC) vans that moved from village

to village with information material were also used regularly for this purpose. Women’s groups held regular meetings at

the taluka and district level. Follow-up meetings helped in information dissemination, especially in the implementation

phase.

In some villages, the growing popularity of Jalswarajya meant the power of the village heads was to some extent

transferred to the village communities. At times it was found that they would resort to delaying tactics or create

hurdles. On the other hand, the success of Jalswarajya led political representatives of some districts to put pressure to

launch the project in their village. This, however, went against the core objective of a demand driven, transparent, and

participatory project. It threatened to become a typical ‘top-down’ government scheme. An official who served on the

DMT at Nimgaon village in Malegaon district narrated that the zilla parishad chairman’s continuous interference led to

the project being left incomplete. Such instances jeopardized the smooth running of the project.

B.12 Innovations in Project Delivery

At the program level, Jalswarjya was touted as a first of its kind venture and innovative in its very conception. Small

incremental innovations were envisaged throughout the project life cycle to render the project acceptable to all

stakeholders. These innovations were aimed at making the community learn to ‘own’ the project through participation and

contribution through project technical training, taking total responsibility of O&M, training community representatives

to play their role as initiators and facilitators between state and zilla parishad officials, and teaching the community to

manage water resources for long-term sustainability.

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B.13 Innovations at Program Level

When implementing the program, the first challenge was to arrive at the ideal selection of beneficiaries for a village.

Beneficiary VPs were selected through a self-selection process in line with the demand driven nature of the project. A

thorough system of selection and elimination was established. If in any batch, the number of VPs applying was more

than the project support available in that batch, the VPs were selected based on a predetermined prioritization criteria

and weightage. This was a deviation from traditional infrastructure delivery that was based on a top-down approach.

The other innovation was the weight based criteria adopted in village selection that covered its track record in the

implementation of other projects. , It was a move towards rewarding beneficiaries for using resources efficiently and

effectively. However, a small number of officers, felt that the selection process was not useful as the focus was only on

socio-economic indicators as opposed to the intrinsic technical feasibility of the project.

In order to overcome the capacity constraints at the program level, changes in the processes of program implementation

and significant cultural changes were expected from the constituent members engaged in the project at all levels.

The engagement exercise stressed on the involvement of marginalized sections of the village society such as women

and tribals. Contrary to the initial skepticism of officers in charge of the project, the marginalized sections showed

significant interest in the engagement exercise and contributed richly to the project’s success. For example, as per

the project guidelines, the Women Development Committee (WDC) required a minimum reservation of 75 percent of

women. Most villages achieved 100 percent participation and their meetings recorded higher attendance as compared

to other committees. Much of the credit for this goes to jalmitras who trained community representatives. In another

instance, a village was required to promote the use of toilets and discourage people from defecating in the open.

Villagers were provided kits during training to test seepage of organisms from human excreta into drinking water wells.

They enthusiastically tried out the kits at home and were convinced to use toilets.

B.14 Innovations at the Village Selection and Implementation Stages

Beneficiaries felt this project was different from all the earlier water schemes that had been introduced in their village

because project administration was transparent in this case. Details related to the cost structure, execution process, level

of involvement, roles, and duties were explained to all. This novel approach enhanced the community’s willingness to

take a financial stake in the project. Transparency continued throughout the project with activity expenditure displayed

on notice boards outside gram sabhas. In another first, the compulsory stipulation of maintaining the accounts of the

project improved accounting standards in the gram sabha. Some glitches did arise such as overdrawing of funds from

the village administration due to the beneficiaries’ lack of book keeping skills. There were also some reports of misuse

of funds. These problems were solved over time with increased skill development and collective vigilance.

The zilla parishad was short of hand pump technicians and villagers could not get their pumps repaired. The Jalswarajya

project district team trained women SHGs from Jalswarajya villages on hand pump repairing and thus created a skill

base in the village. Village demonstration visits proved effective as people became aware of the O&M costs that other

villages under the project were experiencing. They also became aware about water source strengthening activities and

its importance with regards to sustainability of the source over the years.

B.15 Stabilizing the Project over Widespread Geographies

Projects under the program were more in number and geographically widespread. The three tier organizational

structure, (state, district, and village level) had to work seamlessly to deliver at the village level. Villagers, who had no

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prior experience in determining project outcome, found it a major challenge to operationalize the project. Capacity

constraints of the beneficiary population and the need for the implementing team to adapt to a significantly different

implementation structure were major challenges encountered. Training in technical areas with the help of experts

and support organizations was conducted. There were exposure visits to villages that had successfully completed the

project. . The gram sabha was the final authority in decision making. This project gave rise to subtle role changes within

the gram sabha’s functioning. Decentralization and stakeholder engagement changed the traditional role played by the

sarpanch (elected representative) and gram sevak in the decision-making process which sometimes led to problems

such as the sarpanch feeling sidelined. However, through problem solving and active communication and dialogue, such

situations were resolved.

For the first time, the de rigueur of project management that was rarely seen in state sponsored projects was introduced

in the Jalswarajya project. It took the innovative approach of performance linked release of funds to the village. The

a priori clause regarding improvement of sanitation in a village before the release of funds kindled grass root level

innovations, like in village Bhandane, a poor tribal village in Kalwan block in district Ahmednagar. The village recorded

outstanding participation, with beneficiaries quickly completing all the preconditions. Thus the village became 100

percent open defecation free to obtain the last block of funds. People built toilets for all the households, including BPL

families. Though BPL families could not afford it, the community got involved and came up with low cost, home-grown

options. In this innovative variant of the toilet, the basic structure of pot and soak pit was made ‘pucca’ in cement and

the upper shelter was constructed using locally available material like gunny bags, wood, mud, and grass. This reduced

the cost of toilet construction from Rs. 8000-9000 to Rs. 2000. The soak pits also acted as a water recharging tool. The

village level innovation was taken to other beneficiary villages.

In terms of selection of the appropriate option for water supply, the village community had the first say. Initially, many

villages went for expensive and easy to use choices. However, during the stakeholder engagement exercise, as they

became aware that the community would have to contribute a minimum of 10 percent of the capital cost as a sign of

its commitment and would have to take care of the O&M costs, they realized the need for balancing initial capital costs

with recurring O&M costs. Eventually villagers became competent to calculate distance from source (like well) to the

storage tank how it is directly proportionate to O&M costs. An example of this was village Hismabad in Latur district

where villagers took the decision to opt for a water supply scheme based on gravity power, thus eliminating the need

to pay for power.

Jalswarajya villages had to be made water independent but they did not have sufficient number of O&M technicians

at the village and taluka level among the community. This situation would jeopardize the sustainable operation and

effectiveness of the project. To address this, jalmitras were trained as O&M technicians at the taluka level. They would

visit villages that required maintenance, thus providing a permanent solution for a sustainable, assured and uninterrupted

water supply in these village.

Women empowerment was achieved in an innovative manner. Women got priority in hand pump repair training who then

extended this service at a reasonable price to villages. Hitherto unknown entrepreneurial qualities emerged among village

women who took up simple repair and maintenance. This led to a sustained, low cost, and instant solution to persistent

problems. In fact, empowerment of women could be considered one of the key attributes in the success of the scheme.

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Questions for Discussion

1) Assess the success of the Jalswarajya project in light of the innovative problem solving at all levels. To what extent

incremental innovation contributes to the overall success of a project?

Exhibit B.1: Sample Log Detailing Training Activity

Program Title Topics Target Groups

No. of Persons

Location Dates Costs

(Capacity Building activities include training, visits to good models, workshops etc. Topics refer to the kind of knowledge

or skills that will be gained – e.g checking work measurement, undertaking maintenance activities etc.)

B.16 Conclusions

The Jalswarajya project was an innovative project. Never before had a project been conceived by the government with

the active and continuous involvement of the community in village development and in the running of the project. It

was a complete bottom-up approach that transferred responsibility to run the scheme to the community on a demand

basis.

There were a series of process innovations. Process innovation deals with the small actions and problem-solving by

persons directly involved with the job that enable the successful completion of a job. While the big ‘I’ of innovation

happens once, the long-term success of any project is the result of continuous, incremental innovation characterized by

the small ‘i’. The Jalswarajya project demonstrated these in ample measure. The success of the project can be attributed

to the thorough capacity building exercise which played an integral part in all aspects of the project’s stakeholder and

project management.

B.17 Model for other States/Countries

Following the success of the Jalswarajya project in Maharashtra, other states in the country like Himachal Pradesh, Goa,

Uttaranchal, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have studied the model. Countries such as Bangladesh, the Philippines and

South Africa have also begun the study of Jalswarajya for indigenous adaptation.

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Fig B.1(a): Understanding the Functioning of the Water Supply System Before and After Training (Nashik District)

Fig B.1(b) : Understanding the Functioning of the Water Supply System Before and After Training (Latur District)

Fig B.2(a): Most Preferred Medium of Capacity Building (Nashik District)

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Extremely High Very HighH ighA verage Below Average

0

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4

6

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Extremely High Very HighH ighA verage Below Average

0

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Exposure VisitsA udio / Visual Tools

PostersR eadingMaterials

Neutral

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Fig B.2(b): Most Preferred Medium of Capacity Building (Latur District)

Exhibit B.2(a): Women’s Team Preparing Play Guiding on Water

Quality in Nagpur

District

Exhibit B.2(a): Jalmitra Asha Dhenge Training Aid For Role

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Exposure VisitsA udio / Visual Tools

PostersR eadingMaterials

Neutral

Exhibit B.2(c): Jalmitra Executing Role

Exhibit B.2(d): Women Jalmitras Play on World Water Day

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APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Identification of Stakeholders’ Capacity Building Requirements

Stakeholder Group Capacity building activities Responsibility

A. Developing and Strengthening Supply Side

1. OMT level Orientation workshops, cross visits, specialized

training in functional areas; national and

international level networking

HRD specialist in the team

2.Elected representatives and

senior officials

Orientation workshops and cross visits HRD specialist

3. District teams Assessment of capacity needs, organizing

workshops and visits, specialized training in

functional areas, strengthening partnerships and

linkages with ZP, VWSC, and VP

Capacity building consortium

4.Elected representatives and

district level officials

Orientation workshops on project approaches

and philosophy and cross visits

DFT and capacity building

consortium

5.SOs, para-professionals, civil

society orgainizations and

other service providers

Identifications, empanelment, certification,

assessment of capacity needs, roles and

responsibilities, facilitation and partnering

training, functional training

DFT and capacity building

consortium

B. Developing and Strengthening Demand Side

1. Village panchayat Orientation workshops on project approaches

and philosophy; cross visits, roles and

responsibilities, programs on partnership and

linkages with CBOs, GS, women GS, VWSC,

MVWSSC, BLSC etc.; good governance

Capacity building fund, SOs

2. Gram sabha Programs on constitutional importance of GS,

calling and conducting meetings, relevance of

attendance, information sharing, developing

partnerships, decision-making, programs on

participatory techniques, probing and appraisal,

consultation process, documentation process,

programs on inclusion, equity, transparency

Capacity building fund, SOs

3. CBOs, mahila mandal,

youth groups, SHGs

Orientation workshop on project approaches and

philosophy, roles and responsibilities, programs in

developing partnerships with VP, VWSC etc.

Capacity building fund, SOs

4. VWSC, SAC, BLSC Orientation workshop on project approaches

and philosophy, roles and responsibilities,

programs in developing partnerships with VP,

ZP etc. programs on mobilization, facilitation,

planning, financial management, record keeping

and documentation, monitoring and evaluation,

programs on inclusion, equity, transparency etc.

SOs, capacity building

consortium

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Appendix 2: Operationalizing The Training Manual

Levels Activities Party Responsible

State • PublishcommunitymanualvolumeIanddisseminate to all districts

• Orientationofdistrictteams

• Manualconsultantstopreparevolume2booklets

Reform support and management unit

District • DistrictorientationworkshopforconsortiumSOsand service providers

• OrientationworkshopforallselectedVPsonJalswarjya manual – rules, benefits, project process, roles and responsibilities, support organizations and capacity building plans

District teams District teams + consortiums

Taluka/Cluster/VP Module I- steps in planning SO

Module II – procurement and implementation SO + community trainers

Module III- Operation and Maintenance SO

District Half-yearly workshop with VPs and others for cross learning, to share experiences and take in revisions

District teams

State Conduct annual workshop to obtain feedback, revise and update manual

RSMU