![]() This can be done through a survey or by collecting other quantitative data. It’s also very important to verify that the problems in your problem tree actually exist. I often find that people can have very different opinions about the causes and effects of a problem. When you’re doing the problem tree analysis it’s best to involve all the members of the team, as well as some representatives from the beneficiaries you’re trying to help. The result will look something like the example below. Then go back to the core problem and ask: What are the effects of this problem? And what are the effects of those effects? List them up the page to become the branches of the tree. Then ask yourself: What is the cause of this problem? And what is the cause of that cause? Keep listing causes down the page so they become the roots of the tree, until you think you’ve reached the very bottom root cause. Start by writing the core problem in the middle of the board or flip chart paper. ![]() Once you think you’ve identified the problem it can be helpful to do a Problem Tree Analysis to investigate the causes and effects. This normally involves some type of “needs assessment”, where you conduct a survey, interviews, focus groups and/or meetings with beneficiaries to find out what problems they are facing, the size of the problem, and how important they think the problem is. The first step is to understand what problem it is that you want to solve. The steps can be done in a different order to the one presented here, or even in parallel if it suits your situation. This guide describes the minimum steps that you should follow when designing a new program. The problem is that while most of the manuals are suitable for large scale programs, they can be “over-kill” for smaller programs or situations where you have limited time and resources. There are plenty of manuals on how to design programs, like these ones from the IFRC and UNDP. Rewarding if your program ends up working (or discouraging if it ends up not working!). Challenging because it’s difficult to know if you’ve designed it the right way. Designing a new program can be both challenging and rewarding.
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