Inception Phase Checklist

By the end of the Inception Phase, the following needs to be in place:

Task  / Item	Responsibility	Planned completion date	In progress (check)	Partially done (check)	Completed (check)	
A Operational facilities and human resources in place	
Project Long-Term TA staff fielded						
Partner organization staff appointed and working; counterpart assigned to the TA						
One staff member in place with knowledge on local regulations and conditions (local tax laws, banking arrangements, other relevant requirements)						
Programme / project bank account opened, signatories agreed and professional accounting software in use (in line with local regulations)						
One staff member in place with expertise and responsibility to monitor HRBA compliance and implementation of the cross-cutting objectives as a delegated responsibility from CTA						
A local employer status organization identified (with respect to local professional and support staff), and necessary VAT exempt codes and other formalities with tax and other relevant authorities in the Partner Country						
Recruitment strategy and process agreed; recruitment process for the Programme’s support staff has been completed, contracts issued and insurances in place to all support staff members and all staff working.						
Recruitment process for the Programme’s National TA staff has been completed, contracts issued and insurances in place to all staff members and all staff working.						
Project Office established and connected with electricity, internet, phone connections secured, project web page open						
First outline of the procurement guide developed (final version be included in the PIM); agreement on which procurement methods to follow (Finnish or local)						
Equipment and furniture for Project Office and Project Staff procured, delivered and installed (including computers)						
Project Regional / District / Field Offices (where relevant) fully equipped and furnished						
Procurement of project vehicles completed and vehicles delivered and registered						
Supervisory Board (SB) and Steering Committee members identified; schedule for initial meetings defined						
B Project Management, Planning and Monitoring systems in place	
Work Plan and Budget for the Inception Phase developed and approved by SB.						
Home Office Coordinator support mission (1-2 weeks) in relation to support the establishment of the programme/ project administrative and management structures						
An initial Kick-off Workshop has been organised and attended by the main stakeholders (for initial information sharing about the Project / Programme)						
All levels of levels of project management and decision-making structures have been established (PMT, SC, SB) and are operational						
All decisions necessary for starting activities complete, e.g. field / district assessments, selection of target communities and other critical decisions presented and approved to the SC and/or SB as relevant						
Terms of Reference prepared for the Baseline Data Report (minimum requirement: data for impact, outcome and output indicator data in actual Programme villages on a sample basis), Service Provider / External Consultant approved by SB; Baseline data collection underway						
M&E plan in place and M&E responsibilities further developed and agreed based on the Result Chain and Results Framework of the PD						
Procurement plan prepared and presented to the SB for approval						
Project Implementation Manual (PIM) has been produced and presented to the SB for approval (in case of 2nd and 3rd phase projects: PIM reviewed and updated as necessary)						
The annual work plan and budget for the 1st operational year has been prepared and approved by the Supervisory Board (SB).						
Inception Report has been prepared and approved by the SB						
An Inception Workshop has been organised and attended by the main stakeholders to disseminate information about the PIM, Annual Work Plan and Budget, Baseline and planning, management and monitoring tools of the programme, and instructions for potential beneficiaries on support available (grant calls, application to training courses, etc.)						
C Project Approach finalised						
Results Chain reviewed and updated; Results Framework reviewed and finalized and submitted for the SC/SVB for approval						
Baseline Report available; Based on the Baseline report, annual and end-of-project indicator targets for all results presented to the SC and SB						
Risk matrix and analyses and mitigation measures reviewed and finalized						
Gender analysis is revisited (based on the initial analysis in the PD) and gender issues integrated in project approach, activities and M&E; priority areas and crosscutting objectives have been taken into account in resourcing.						
There has been broad and equal participation of women, and vulnerable groups in finalization of the project approach; participatory implementation is ensured