MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE

There will be a joint project management structure with a clear line of authority to guide and oversee the project. A four-person Steering Committee (SC) will serve as the highest responsible body, with the responsibility for providing overall guidance and approving general direction and major actions undertaken by the project.The Steering Committee holds ultimate responsibility for the quality of the project. A three-person Project Management Team (PMT) will serve as the operational body for EPIC. The Project Management Team will report to the Steering Committee and will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the project.

Steering Committee:
The four-person Steering Committee will be composed of one senior management person each from International IDEA, IFES, UN-EAD and UNDP. This is the highest level decision-making body of the project. Decisions made by this committee will be consensus-based and final. Once a decision is made, a consensus must be reached to rescind or modify that decision. Members of the Steering Committee will be responsible for making decisions based on recommendations provided to them by the Project Management Team. Each member of the Steering Committee will be responsible for undertaking substantive reviews of the project. Each review will include examining adherence to the project schedule; shared project costs and their fair distribution; quality of the information product being produced by the project; and work progress of the Project Management Team. Steering Committee meetings are expected to generate a calendar of planned actions and decide which organization is responsible to carry out each action. At the end of each phase, the Steering Committee will determine appropriate mechanisms for continued collaboration in relation to the product, including the division of responsibility for updating and disseminating the product, based on recommendations offered by the Project Management Team. A schedule of regular meetings of the Steering Committee will be outlined in the Project Plan. Additional Steering Committee meetings may be requested and scheduled by any of the cooperating organizations. These meetings could also be held by other means, including telephone, and other electronic means.

The Steering Committee reserves the right, at the recommendation of the Project Management Team, to appoint Principal Regional Resource Institutions, which are able to facilitate and assist in the gathering of information and data for the project.

Project Management Team:
Acting within the parameters established by the Steering Committee, as defined in the Project Plan, the Project Management Team will be comprised of three members: one each from International IDEA, IFES, and the United Nations. Other members may be deemed necessary by the Steering Committee, such as a Senior Project Manager and/or a Project Assistant. The Project Management Team is responsible for preparing an initial version of the Project Plan, and updating it as necessary, for approval by the Steering Committee. The team will work cooperatively according to the attached Project Plan, acting as primary custodians of the day-to-day operation of the project. Meetings of this body will take place regularly as outlined in the schedule of the Project Plan. Regular Team communication will also take place via telephone, facsimile, email and the World Wide Web. The Project Management Team will be provided with a support structure of assigned personnel or external consultants providing essential assistance in such areas as survey design, information management and web site design.

Allocation of Tasks:
The allocation of tasks is described in the Project Plan, which takes into consideration the abilities and interests of the respective cooperating organizations, and as determined by Steering Committee decision