Good Practice Recommendations			Printer Friendly
Sections within this page
	The project manager's perspective
	Advice to funders

The project manager's perspective

Based on the interviews conducted by DfES consultants,the project managers generally recommended the following:

• Recognise that the project is innovative
• Secure revenue funding in support of capital
• Follow the financial procedures of the 'accountable body'
• Be realistic in scaling ambitions and writing delivery plans
• Achieving equipment roll-out, training participants and developing a community portal is task enough

Good practice recommendations for 'new start' WuC projects were as follows:

• Clarify aims & objectives and services on offer before doing any publicity about the scheme
• Beware of inflating community expectations in the early stages of awareness raising/community engagement
• Be clear and consistent on charging policy
• Recruit staff with skills in:

- Project management
- ICT/technology
- Community development/networking
- Financial management

• Do not let the project become 'technology led' - concentrate on people
• The WuC can develop only at the pace of the 'accountable body' since the latter controls the purse-strings

Back to Top

Advice to funders

The advice that project managers would give to funders, in particular the DfES on meeting its programme objectives was:

• Do not provide funding profiled to financial years - if the programme over-runs, the project is under pressure to spend the funding allocated by a firm deadline (and not according to the its delivery plan)
• Provide an element of revenue funding in support of large capital funded projects - otherwise, the WuC project is delayed while revenue funding is sought, confirmed and drawn-down
• Recognise that the project impacts hard on the host organisation/accountable body in terms of staff time & resources
• Narrowband technology solutions limit the project from the outset:
  • reduced scope for the delivery of rich media content
  • less incentive for community content development
  • higher online costs to the end user
• DfES 'moving targets' - employment & training, social inclusion, community regeneration hinder planning
• DfES needs to adopt a wider vision and use a WuC not for local 'synergy links' but 'joined-up government'

Back to Top