NGO Project Management & Programme Planning Training Workshop
5 Days3 sessions available Certificate on completion
The NGO Project Management & Programme Planning Training Workshop equips NGO professionals, programme managers and development practitioners with practical skills to design, plan, implement, monitor and close development and humanitarian projects. The course covers the complete project cycle, from community needs assessment and programme design to results-based management, budgeting, implementation, risk management, monitoring, evaluation, reporting and project sustainability.
Participants learn to apply modern project management methodologies, logical frameworks, theories of change, results-based management (RBM), stakeholder engagement and data-driven decision-making to improve programme effectiveness and accountability. The workshop also integrates AI-enabled planning, digital collaboration, project monitoring dashboards and data analytics to support evidence-based decisions, strengthen donor confidence and demonstrate measurable development impact.
Course objectives
Apply the project and programme management cycle to design, plan, implement, monitor and close NGO and donor-funded projects.
Apply risk management, resource mobilisation, donor compliance, adaptive management and sustainability strategies to improve project performance and development outcomes.
Establish effective monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) systems using indicators, data collection tools and performance dashboards.
Develop project proposals, theories of change, logical frameworks, results frameworks, work plans, budgets and implementation schedules
Conduct needs assessments, stakeholder analyses, problem analysis and participatory programme planning. .
Who should attend
NGO project managers, programme coordinators, programme officers, project officers, grants and partnerships officers, monitoring and evaluation officers, MEAL specialists, field coordinators, community development practitioners, humanitarian programme staff, NGO directors, donor-funded project teams, development consultants, CBO managers, civil society organisation staff, project implementation teams.
Course content
Module 1: Foundations of NGO Project Management and Programme Planning NGO project and programme management principles, distinctions between projects and programmes, the development project life cycle, project management methodologies, adaptive and agile
Module 2: Community Needs Assessment and Development Problem Analysis Participatory needs assessment methods, community consultations and focus group discussions, household surveys and key informant interviews, stakeholder mapping and power analysis, pro
Module 3: Programme Design, Theory of Change and Results-Based Management Programme design principles, results-based management frameworks, theory of change development, assumptions and causal pathways, inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and impacts,
Module 4: Logical Framework Approach and Project Proposal Development Logical framework analysis, logframe matrices, project goal and objective formulation, output and outcome definition, SMART indicators, means of verification, assumptions and risks, in
Module 5: Project Work Planning, Scheduling and Resource Allocation Project work breakdown structures, activity sequencing and dependencies, work plans and implementation schedules, Gantt charts, milestone planning, critical path analysis, resource alloc
Module 6: NGO Project Budgeting, Costing and Resource Planning Activity-based budgeting, results-based budgeting, direct and indirect costs, personnel and operational cost estimation, budget narratives and justifications, cost allocation, unit costing, c
Module 7: Project Implementation, Team Leadership and Coordination Mobilisation and project start-up, implementation plans, team roles and responsibilities, RACI matrices, project team leadership, performance management, field office coordination, partne
Module 8: Stakeholder Engagement, Community Participation and Partnerships Stakeholder identification and analysis, community participation strategies, participatory planning, beneficiary engagement, local government coordination, donor relationship mana
Module 9: Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) MEAL system design, monitoring plans, evaluation types and methods, baseline, midline and endline assessments, indicator reference sheets, performance measurement frameworks, routine mo
Module 10: Project Risk Management, Safeguarding and Operational Compliance Project risk identification, risk registers and risk scoring, financial and operational risks, political and security risks, fraud and corruption prevention, safeguarding and pro
Module 11: Donor Relations, Grants Management and Reporting Understanding donor priorities and funding requirements, grant agreements and award conditions, donor compliance obligations, grant start-up and close-out, deliverable tracking, narrative report
Module 12: Procurement, Logistics and Resource Management for NGO Projects Procurement planning, procurement requisitions, sourcing and supplier evaluation, competitive bidding, procurement thresholds and approvals, contract management, inventory and ass
Module 13: Data Management, Digital Tools and AI for Project Management Digital project management platforms, electronic work plans and activity trackers, collaborative document management, digital field data collection, mobile surveys, cloud-based proje
Module 14: Project Performance, Adaptive Management and Sustainability Project performance reviews, results measurement, implementation bottleneck analysis, budget and schedule variance analysis, adaptive management techniques, managing scope changes, co
Module 15: Project Closure, Evaluation and Practical Capstone Project closure procedures, completion reports, final donor reporting, final financial reconciliation, asset and inventory handover, contract close-out, beneficiary and stakeholder feedback, f
General notes
Practical Exercises and Case Studies Conduct a simulated community needs assessment and prepare a problem tree and stakeholder analysis. Develop a theory of change and logical framework for a livelihoods, health, education, climate resilience or humanitarian project. Prepare a donor-ready project concept note and implementation plan. Build a project work plan, Gantt chart, activity tracker and responsibility matrix. Develop an activity-based budget and perform budget variance analysis. Design a MEAL plan with indicators, baselines, targets, data sources and reporting frequencies. Create a project risk register covering operational, financial, safeguarding and implementation risks. Prepare a donor narrative report using sample project performance data. Build a project performance dashboard using Excel or Power BI. Use AI tools to support work planning, risk analysis and reporting, with human verification and appropriate data protection. Complete a project closure checklist and sustainability plan.
Expected Practical Outputs Participants will develop or practise producing a community needs assessment report, stakeholder analysis matrix, problem tree and objective tree, theory of change diagram, logical framework matrix, project concept note, project proposal outline, results framework, detailed project implementation plan, work breakdown structure, Gantt chart, RACI matrix, activity-based budget, budget narrative, cash-flow forecast, procurement plan, project risk register, safeguarding risk checklist, MEAL plan, indicator reference sheets, data collection tools, project performance dashboard, donor narrative reporting template, project review meeting template, corrective action plan, sustainability and exit strategy, project closure checklist and lessons-learned report.
Frequently asked questions
The workshop is designed for NGO project and programme managers, project officers, programme coordinators, MEAL specialists, grants officers, field coordinators, development practitioners, NGO directors and staff responsible for implementing donor-funded projects.
Participants will gain practical skills in needs assessment, programme design, theory of change, logical frameworks, project proposals, work planning, budgeting, implementation, risk management, MEAL, donor reporting and project closure.
Yes. The course covers grant agreements, donor compliance, proposal development, budget narratives, results reporting, audit readiness, grant monitoring and project close-out. Specific donor requirements can be incorporated into a customised programme.
Yes. Participants explore project management platforms, digital data collection, dashboards and responsible AI applications for planning, document drafting, risk identification and reporting. The course emphasises human verification, confidentiality and responsible data handling.