The success of a project implementation depends on whether the assumptions hold

true. And assumptions are pre-conditions out-side the control of the project
management. They are identified at each level of the project objectives i.e from the
activities-to-output, from outputs-to-project purpose (outcome) and finally from
project outcome to the project goal (impact).
What this means in the temporal logic sense is that if the activities are carried out
as intended and the assumptions hold true then you will arrive at the expected
results, if you have the expected output and your assumptions hold then you will
meet the specific objectives and contribute the overall objective.
These levels of assumptions are monitored differently by the different stakeholders
of the project. The goal and outcome levels are strategic while the activities level is
operational and there have different impact in relation to the type of objective level.
An assumption that is not valid at the outcome level has more impact than at the
activities level. This is because if the assumption at the outcome level does not hold
true the chain of the temporal logic will break and the positive impact of the project
will not be achieved hence total failure of the project. Additionally the whole project
budget and time would have been wasted compare to the lowest cost and time
associated with the activities levels. If assumptions do not hold true at the activities
level, only the deliverables will be affected ant level is operational and iterative so
different assumptions can be made and the process start over at minimum cost.

A baseline is an inventory of the situation or condition before a project intervention.

That is, it is a snapshot of the current situation of a project before the
commencement of the project and is use to compare with the situation or condition
or situation after the completion of the project to take an informed decision of the
impact of the project intervention.
This data is collected in relation to the specific indicators identified by the project
and will be used to monitor the progress of the project in areas such as quality,
schedule, budget, risk, stakeholders, etc.
Extending this to the project budget baseline, project budget is the sum total cost
estimates of the project activities and this establishes a cost performance baseline
for a project. And this will be used to track, monitor or measure the project cost
performance over time. Hence it is the total expected cost for the project.
The information to be collected in relation to budget baseline may include;
cash/funding requirement, cost/expenditure of various activities, rate of inflation,
exchange rates, the budget itself. These information or budget baseline will be
used for:
1. As a plan for allocating costs to project activities and this will help in cost
control of the project
2. Will promote accountability because it will provide a benchmark or reference
budget, any excess or over budget will have to be accounted for or justified.

3. Will help in future project cost establishment at the initiation stage or project
design where a preliminary estimate is require to take decision.
4. Help in the forecast of cash flow or disbursement over time. This is because
most projects may not get all the funds require at the beginning. Added to
this the budget baseline will help to ensure that sufficient but not excessive
cash is available.
5. It will also help in comparing budget or cost with the project achievement to
assess the cost effectiveness of the project.
6. It will play a key role in seeking approval for the project because for most
donors it is a requirement.
In light of the above submission I strongly recommend that the project needs a
budget baseline.

An indicator is unit of measuring the performance of project objectives either

qualitatively or quantitatively. It also means a variable whose value changes from
the baseline level to new value after program and its activities have made their
impact felt.
For an indicator to be good it must have the following characteristics:
1. It must be clear. That is, it should be precise and unambiguous; without confusion
or doubt,
2. It must be relevant- relate to the specific objective or appropriate to the issue at
hand
3. It must be economic-the indicator data require should be able to be used or
obtained at minimum cost. It should use easy-to use and less complex analytical
process.
4. Adequate-provide a sufficient basis to assess performance,
5. Monitor able- be able to measure without difficulty. Provide the same result to two
or more independent people.

Project monitoring is key to the successful implementation of a project. It is carried

out at every stage of the project management. It is the frequent assessment of the
project performance. Besides the baseline being used to provide basis for
comparison, group control is also an option to provide basis for comparing changes
resulting from the project. Control group is a group that is not directly related to the
project in question but have similar or identical characteristics as the group
beneficiaries of the project.
The use of a control group can benefit a project for the following two reasons;
1. It focuses well on the impact on the projects target group.
2. Can help explain the causal factors of the change.