Program management: Program management involves

managing a group of related projects that, in total, have

the goal of providing value and supporting the

organization's mission. It is the role of the program

manager to ensure that component projects fit together

properly to create the intended strategic result. .

Project management: Include techniques for managing

a project’s scope, quality, time, cost, risk, human

resources, procurement, and communications. Project

Managers also use techniques to integrate all of these

elements of project management in each phase of the

project lifecycle.

This is the systematic planning, implementing,

monitoring, and revision of all the channels of

communication within an organization and

between organizations; it also includes the

organization and dissemination of new

communication directives connected with an

organization, network or communications

technology.

Resourcefulness: for every US$1 billion spent on projects, US$135 million is at risk — and a startling 56 percent of that amount — US$75 million — is at risk due to ineffective communications. (Project Management Institute, 2013)

Expectation: maintain control of the project and ensure all stakeholders receive the necessary information.

Productivity: team work, collaboration and effective performance.

Outcome: maintaining stakeholders/donor and recipient need

Developing communication strategies (communicating a concept or a process or a data that satisfy long term strategic goal of an organization through advance planning)

Designing internal (program newsletters, sharepoints, org websites) and external communications directives (webcast, podcast, Journals, documentary)

Managing the flow of information including online communication

What information needs to flow in and out of the program?

Who needs what information?

When is the information needed? frequecy

What is the format of the information? Print, Electronic, Social media and Mass media

Who will be responsible for transmitting and providing the information? Communication officers/ Website Administrator/Project /Program manager

Creating awareness of a concept or information is akin to a promotional or advertising task. In the area of complex communications, topics are generally quite in-depth, niche or technical.

Niche topics are generally of low interest to the ‘general public’ but of great interest to smaller well defined groups. Almost always these groups either ARE the people we want to communicate with or at least they can reach them.

This ‘community effect’ is amplified by the web, via emails, social networking, blogs & forums etc – this aids creating awareness.

Technical or niche topics are far less competitive online – which means that Search Engines are considerably easier.

Target audience: Segmentation or general. Identifying target groups to communicate with is generally easier

Timeframe: Its impact on the overall program objective- when do we start, when will it more impactful, will it affect the program negatively at any point

Donor specific or generic: Paradigm shift to a more development oriented reports- reach and impact, direct and indirect etc.

What do we want to achieve: Primary and secondary, key to our design and method

Workshop

Policy Dialogue

Partner’s Forum

Several Communication Medium: Print,

Electronic, Social and Mass media.

Objectives: To increase awareness on Aflatoxin and create market linkage.

Target audience: Stakeholders along the value chain- i.e Farmers, Private sector etc

Timeframe: 2 year

Methodology: workshops, innovation platform, policy dialogue

Outcome: current direct reach to 450 people

Challenges: ?????????????

a. development of overall communication strategy for the program- Planning stage and not Implementation.

b. development or leveraging on existing communication management tools that focus on both internal and external communication

c. Sustainable plan through relationship building and working through national institution ie. NAFDAC in Nigeria

d. Leveraging on existing platforms within the country, RECs and the region i.e PACA, VSO, Action-Aid etc.

If we knew what it was we were doing, it would

not be called research, would it?

Albert Eistein