The initial diagnosis is key to successful development actions and political reforms
The extent to which development actions achieve their desired outcomes and impacts largely depends on the quality of their design. The reason some interventions fail is not because they were poorly implemented, but because the initial diagnosis was flawed, partial or incomplete and the issues were not properly analysed. The quality of the initial analysis directly affects the ability of the actors concerned to set relevant objectives and identify appropriate activities to achieve them.
Other key elements in the initial diagnosis and feasibility study are stakeholder participation and consultation, along with careful consideration of the technical and financial feasibility of the actions, ex-ante evaluation of their impacts, and assessments of their social and political acceptability.