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Lesson
Ensure that the project performance indicators are appropriate for the time frame. In most education projects, and the DEMP was no exception, the focus of project implementation is on the development of facilities, teacher training, and programs that are only completed near the end of the project. The final achievement measures, however, are generally framed in terms of the number of students intended to benefit from the program. Again, the DEMP was no exception.

Project Number: 33251-013
Project Name: Distance Education Modernization Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Ensure projects have a clear and achievable focus. Apart from its innovative nature, the DEMP was also very broad, with the project inputs spread very thinly. The project included the construction of a national broadband network; mobilization of non-traditional partners including private institutions; capacity building and institution strengthening within the OUSL; development of online courses, which is notoriously difficult and slow; and implementation of these courses with the expectation of rapid, high enrolments.

Project Number: 33251-013
Project Name: Distance Education Modernization Project
Report Date:
Lesson
A sound strategy for sustainability must be agreed. The experience of the DEMP provides a good lesson on the importance of developing and operationalizing sound sustainability strategies. The project paved the way for the establishment of an innovative national online learning system, but the lack of a clear long-term plan was one reason why the concept eventually failed.

Project Number: 33251-013
Project Name: Distance Education Modernization Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Ensure that the investment will be sustained. Fundamental change to education systems is complex and does not happen quickly. When an entirely new system is being created, as it was under the DEMP, it is critical that a commitment for sustained investment is made. Neither the government nor ADB had any interest in a follow-on project. Even a 1-year extension to allow enrolments to continue their upward trend at the end of the project was viewed unfavorably. Innovation and reform require more long-term commitment to be successful.

Project Number: 33251-013
Project Name: Distance Education Modernization Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Ensure adequate ADB support for project implementation. By definition, the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to guide and embed innovative change are likely to be scarce in both the borrowing countries and in ADB. It is evident that additional time and resources are required to support implementation, which did not happen in the case of the DEMP.

Project Number: 33251-013
Project Name: Distance Education Modernization Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Future potential of distance education. The DEMP failed to expand tertiary education opportunities and increase the employability of graduates to the extent intended. The question of how to achieve both of these objectives remains. A central issue in this regard is how to improve external degrees. One of the lessons of the DEMP is that Sri Lankan students may not yet be ready for fully online courses, at least for the longer degree courses.

Project Number: 33251-013
Project Name: Distance Education Modernization Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Require expanded risk matrixes for all innovative projects. Considerable time, effort, and emphasis must be placed on the development and monitoring of the risk matrix for innovative projects. This applies particularly to risk identification and potential risk mitigation strategies. A range of alternative strategies should be developed in detail for every identified risk. The risk matrix and mitigation strategies for innovative projects should be discussed extensively by ADB and the government to ensure a common understanding and commitment.

Project Number: 33251-013
Project Name: Distance Education Modernization Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Innovation needs champions. Effective champions are critical for the success of any new initiative. This is even more true for innovative projects, where strong commitment to the project on the part of both the government and ADB are critical to success. The failure to locate the DEMP within a government agency with strong ownership of the project was one of the factors that led ultimately to its failure.

Project Number: 33251-013
Project Name: Distance Education Modernization Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Requirement for financial intermediary transformation. For the Local Loans and Development Fund's (LLDF) professional operation, the project established systems, such as loan management software and operational manuals. However, the organization requires a full-time, qualified head to further drive its growth and sustainable expansion. The current part-time status of the chief executive officer will make it difficult for the organization to thrive.

Project Number: 35201-013
Project Name: Local Government Infrastructure Improvement Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Standardization. Since the project packages were numerous and relatively small, documents and processes should have been standardized as much as possible for efficiency and quality. For example, project-specific bidding document templates, as well as standard terms of references for all project committees, could have been drafted by the Project Coordination Unit (PCU) and approved by ADB at an earlier stage. Standard documents, reports, and monitoring forms to be used by the Subproject Coordination Units (SPCUs) were introduced on 20 June 2008.

Project Number: 35201-013
Project Name: Local Government Infrastructure Improvement Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Adequate support to local authorities. At the outset, it was clear a more robust support system to local authorities for design and supervision was required. Advisors at the provincial council level supported local authorities intermittently, but additional support for preparing feasibility studies, cost estimates, engineering designs, and bidding documents was required for smooth implementation. The project rectified this gap reallocating for additional design and supervision consultant (DSC) consultancy packages and increasing existing consultants' inputs.

Project Number: 35201-013
Project Name: Local Government Infrastructure Improvement Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Project leadership. The project had two nuclei for management-PCU and Project Management Unit (PMU). Although this arrangement was a risk-mitigating measure since LLDF had no project experience, future projects should have only one project director responsible for the project (e.g., PCU under the Ministry of Local Government and Provincial Councils or MLGPC was responsible for the overall project, and leadership was under the PMU director).

Project Number: 35201-013
Project Name: Local Government Infrastructure Improvement Project
Report Date:
Lesson
The need for adequate staff input and maintenance of project records. The project’s midterm review was undertaken 2 years late and almost at the end of the project period at appraisal. This absence of timely oversight and ADB’s poor curating of the project data and documents contributed to the project’s limited success. ADB’s business processes could be improved to retain key project financial and economic analyses records systematically in electronic format.

Project Number: 34023-013
Project Name: Plantation Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Need to understand the limitation of project modalities. The complexity of the PDP’s design was a weakness. As a general principle, projects should aim for simple, straightforward outputs and outcomes and involve uncomplicated implementation arrangements and a small number of implementing agencies if they hope to be successful. Projects must be designed in a way that makes it feasible for national staff (generally government officers) who often have limited resources and capabilities to manage and implement them.

Project Number: 34023-013
Project Name: Plantation Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Socioeconomic, institutional, and policy environment are important for project design. The failure of the project to achieve its intended impact, and limited achievement of expected outcomes shows that ADB needs to fully assess and understand all socioeconomic, institutional, and policy factors when it prepares and appraises projects. If these factors had been properly assessed in the case of the PDP, ADB could have lowered the outcome expectations. It could have adapted the design to match the capacity of the implementing agencies and stakeholders.

Project Number: 34023-013
Project Name: Plantation Development Project
Report Date: