I think it can be difficult to fully plan your project without having some idea of the funding landscape, but I would definitely develop a robust plan with some prior research of funding. 

This part of the course is really interesting because it goes down to all specific details which we normally don't do and don't value it as much as they need credit for. In my opinion, most projects fail because they skip many phases and or jump around their order that is what normally. I was in a project that the plan and prepare phases were not done properly and by the end of the project during the closure that's when the director realized we needed to focus more on the plan and prepare and also during the implementation phase when it is time to assign work people struggle to have specific people doing specific tasks only. So it was very interesting to go through each phase and have a guideline to follow. Thank you. 

Having project Ideas are always good but then, the biggest becomes the funding part. Sorting for funds becomes a huge challenge especially when you don't have any ideas on how to do that.

è um trabalho difícil em cumprir, todas fases. Mas acabo de sair de um projecto, e felizmente seguiu se todas as fases do projecto, desde o desenho do plano do projecto até o fecho, e neste momento apenas o director e que ficou a fechar o projecto, o resto da equipe do projeto já foi desmobilizado. Acredito que este aprendizado ira me ajudar bastante no meu próximo trabalho ou projecto em que estiver inserido.

All the phases are so critical to any project such that taking chances and not addressing any of the phases properly will have a huge negative impact on the whole project.

After learning about the PMWC phases, I would make several changes to how I manage projects. First, I would place stronger emphasis on the Initiation and Planning phases to ensure we have a clear purpose, stakeholder input, and defined roles before starting. also skipping or rushing these steps leads to confusion later. I’d also introduce more structured Monitoring and Evaluation, using clear indicators to track progress and adjust when needed. Finally, I would give more attention to the Closing phase, documenting lessons learned and ensuring proper handover or sustainability plans. am sure these changes will ensure projects to be more strategic, inclusive, and effective from start to finish.

Would you like help applying this to a specific project you’ve worked on?

4o

 " If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend the first six hours sharpening my axe."  Abraham Lincoln

The changes I would make to projects after this exercise would be to spend more time in the preparation phase to ensure everyone is on the same page with the tasks and the outcomes that we are all looking forward to, not forgetting to bare in mind the principles as well.

I understand funds is the baseline of every step in projects.

After learning about the PMWC phases, I see how critical the Planning stage is. I once worked on a project with no clear plan or assigned roles, and during implementation people struggled to know their tasks. By closure, it was clear we had skipped important steps. Going forward, I’d prioritize proper planning, structured monitoring, and documenting lessons learned to make projects more effective.