Experiences
Organisation
'To work effectively, it's essential to make firm agreements about tasks, roles and responsibilities. The dynamic nature of a programme may mean that those agreements have to be reviewed at some point along the way.'
Organisational structure
The IRMA programme's organisational structure consisted of several different bodies. The programme was a joint effort by five Member States. The Netherlands headed the programme and bore final responsibility for its progress and conclusion. This task was delegated to the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment. The decision-making body was the Monitoring Committee, with each of the relevant Member States and the Commission having one vote each. The Steering Committee had the job of managing the practical side of the projects. The Joint Secretariat's task was to monitor the technical, financial and promotional progress of the programme and to prepare the meetings of the Monitoring Committee and the Steering Committee. The payment authority was the Investitions Bank in Düsseldorf. Each Member State was responsible for the progress of projects being carried out in its own territory, and each one set up advisory groups and national secretariats for this purpose.
Joint Secretariat
Although it had only a very small staff, the Joint Secretariat functioned like the well-oiled engine of the programme. Alongside its official tasks, it played a coordinating role when it came to joint studies and research. The Joint Secretariat made sure that project managers were aware at an early stage of the European Union's record-keeping and financing rules, and in this way became a source of information for project managers and a node in the IRMA network. Project managers very much appreciated the fact that the Joint Secretariat took such a broad view of its tasks.
Responsibilities
At the start, not everyone was entirely clear about the tasks, roles and responsibilities of the various parties listed in the organisation chart. The management bodies spent quite a bit of time discussing the various interpretations of responsibilities, leaving less time for discussion of practical goals. In future programmes, it would be advisable to clearly define the tasks, roles and responsibilities of the Monitoring Committee and Steering Committee in a set of rules and regulations.
Review
The IRMA programme ran for six years. During this period, there was a major change in the way we think about water and space, and the programme itself underwent various changes. For example, 'management' gradually came to mean 'monitoring'. It would be advisable at the start of a programme of a similar duration to identify a point in time to review the organisation and staffing of the various bodies. Doing so will make it more likely that effective, tailor-made action can be maintained.
Guidelines for new programmes
- Draw up a transparent organisation chart and ensure that the key players are familiar with it.
- Define the various tasks, roles and responsibilities in a set of rules and regulations.
- Identify a point in time to review the organisation and staffing.
- Ensure that the various bodies have an adequate level of staffing.
- Make sure that people never have more than one position within the programme.
- Take language differences into account and bring in interpreters and translators where necessary.
Experiences