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Ray, division chief of Research, Development and Evaluation Department of Taiwan ICDF
Ray Cheng, the division chief of the Research, Development and Evaluation Department at Taiwan ICDF, has been with the organization for more than ten years. Taiwan ICDF is a government agency that leverages Taiwan's strengths and uses various tools to build relationships with other countries. They currently have around 80 ongoing projects worldwide. With a background in public health, Ray initially dedicated his efforts to the Humanitarian Assistance Department, working on public health projects in developing countries. He later transitioned to the Research, Development and Evaluation Department, where he helps the organization formulate policies, set key performance indicators (KPIs), and evaluate results.
What is a project? What is project management? Ray defined a project as an endeavor requiring effort and project management as using tools and knowledge to achieve goals. At Taiwan ICDF, the project cycle is used, consisting of seven stages: identification, preparation, appraisal, approval, implementation, completion, and post-evaluation. Ray emphasized the identification stage, where the real problem is pinpointed using tools like the "problem tree" and "objective tree."
Stakeholder relationship management is also crucial, as it involves building and nurturing relationships with key stakeholders such as government officials, local NGOs, and business owners. Ray provided the example of the maternal and infant health care project in Eswatini to illustrate the project cycle's application. During the identification stage, on-site investigations were conducted to identify issues. In the preparation and appraisal stages, stakeholder meetings were held. In the approval stage, the plan was reviewed and approved. The implementation stage ensured the steps followed the plan. The completion stage involved video documentation to showcase the work. In the post-evaluation stage, Ray discussed the rice development project in Haiti, where they assessed the long-term impact, collected data through questionnaires and volunteers, visited rice mills, and shared results at a conference and in a journal.
These examples help students understand how to apply the project cycle in their projects, ensuring thorough planning, execution, and evaluation. The integration of stakeholder relationship management further enhances the project's success and sustainability.
