Sometimes the least knowledgeable person is the one who makes the weightiest decision. Most project management structures especially those formed around consortia have three main levels of project management. At the bottom is the Project Implementation Unit comprising those who are actually doing the work like M&E Officers, Finance Officers, Extension Officers and the project manager. A level higher is the Project Management Unit made up of project leaders from the participating consortium partners. At the highest level is the Project steering committee. This committee is usually made-up of consortium partner directors or their designate. The paradox is that the people at the top of the hierarchy have the least level of effort on the project. This mean that their level of focus is not as good as those in the structures below them. However, they are the ones who have to make the weightiest decisions. To make this paradoxical structure work, there has to be an effective information sharing mechanism.
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