Collaboration and co-ordination

Partnership projects in the Erasmus+ program typically develop or transfer innovative concepts or educational products, test and disseminate them in the educational (both formal and non-formal) community concerned and ensure they are used by the envisaged target group. These projects are performed by temporary partnerships of institutions which provide education or contribute to education in other ways.

A partnership Project consists of partner institutions from different countries participating in the project. The number of partners and countries required varies between different actions. Guidelines about the setup of the consortium are included in the program manual and funding rules.

One partner, the beneficiary or contractor, has the lead role in this centralised project concept. This institution acts on behalf of the whole partnership and concludes the Grant Agreement (often referred to as the contract) with the Executive Agency. The contractor is accountable for the achievement of the envisaged project results and for ensuring that the budget is spent according to the financial regulations.

The project co-ordinator, who is normally, but not necessarily, a member of staff of the contracting institution, is in charge of the implementation of the project by the partnership.

The level of funding of partnership Projects may vary according to the action and year but is fixed for all the projects selected under the same call. The project duration is normally between one and three years. Again, this may vary according to the action.

Non-performing or inactive partners can be a problem, especially in large partnership projects. This can cause delays or simply reduce the effectiveness of the project, especially if these partners fail to fulfil their obligations. The most effective solution is to create an atmosphere where all partners feel able to express dissatisfaction and internal problems. If problems continue, the lead partner may be forced to call on the programme or other external authorities and may even exclude the partner as a last resort.

Main tasks

Setting up the management system and procedures

The two essential elements of a management system of a partnership are the project co-ordination (team) and the European steering group. The latter consists of one or two representatives of each partner institution, and is mainly responsible for co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation, and further planning. Each national team has (at least) one representative in the steering group. For this the group normally meets two to three times a year. An internal evaluator or quality manager should also be part of the management system.

An optional element of a management system can be the establishment of an advisory board, this can also create added value in some projects. Such a board can give feedback, make recommendations, and play a role in dissemination. Another task is the definition of the decision-making process:

• What does the coordinator decide?
• What does the steering group decide?
• By majority or consensus?

It is not always clear if the members of the steering group have decision-making authority and can decide things in one of their meetings. Sometimes they have to report back to their institutions first. It is a common in European projects that the team members have very different status, ranging from post-graduate students to directors of large educational institutions.

To introduce and agree on a conflict resolution process is advisable. Clear prior regulations of What happens if…? are much better and often more adequate than trying to decide on a course of action when the conflict arises. In some large projects and networks, the appointment of a project ombudsman has also proved useful.

Project co-ordination as a multiple task

The project co-ordinator is normally, but not necessarily a member of staff of the contractor, the institution which signs the Grant Agreement with the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Co-ordination entails a high responsibility, since, at the end of day, the contractor is legally and financially accountable to EACEA for the overall project success and adherence to the administrative regulations.

As a consequence, a range of skills and competences are necessary to run a partnership successfully.

On the one hand co-ordination entails the technical management of the project, i.e. to plan, organise, administer and monitor it from the first idea until the end. For this, sound management competences, as well as a good knowledge of the rules of the funding programme, are indispensable. In a project, management tools like plans, tables and charts play an important role.

On the other hand, a project is executed by people, and not by plans, regulations and reports. Therefore, it is as important that a project co-ordinator has good communication, motivation and conflict solving skills, as well as an understanding how teams’ function and processes in organisations work. Perhaps most importantly, leading the project means to go in front, to develop a common vision and lead the project team towards that shared goal.

For successful project co-ordination both elements – management and leadership – are needed.

There are different approaches to project management as well as to leadership. They vary according to different cultures and different personalities. The co-ordinator of a partnership Project needs to make a choice of how to manage and how to lead the project.

A project is, above all, a human organism. This implies that if a project wants to succeed, all of its functional parts must work in harmony toward specific goals. This can only be done if the people involved work well together, not only the project co-ordinator who manages the project, but also the whole project team who will execute the project.

Guiding vision

The main task of project management is to create and communicate a guiding vision and keep it alive. More effective leadership is exerted through concentrating on the overall picture than by breaking down the strategic project aims into small portions or work packages which are then strictly monitored and supervised by project managers. Visionary leadership implies continuously monitoring, learning and adapting to the environment.

Teamwork and collaboration

All project actors must be recognised as intelligent, skilled professional workers and placing a high value on their autonomy is fundamental to all other practices. Teamwork and collaboration form the basis for rich interactions and co-operation between team members and sub-groups. Project managers should therefore grant a large degree of freedom to project actors in order to achieve their aims instead of over regulating activities and fragmenting tasks into meaningless packages.