Understand
Initial assessment, context analysis, real needs, stakeholder mapping.
VIVALDI18 Progetta
Project design
An idea becomes useful when it can become a project.
Sometimes the objective is clear, but the path to reach it is not yet. VIVALDI18 STUDIO helps focus what you want to achieve, turn it into a concrete structure, verify that it can really work and — when needed — support its implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation.
ANTONIO AI is VIVALDI18 STUDIO's orientation AI: it helps frame the question, it doesn't design the project for us.
In summary
When it's useful
The objective is clear in intent but not yet in structure: scope, activities, responsibilities and checks are still missing.
What you get
- Objectives, audiences and constraints brought into focus
- An activity plan with responsibilities and timelines
- A project document usable in multiple contexts
First step
A Project CHECK: initial structure, objectives, users, constraints, risks and next steps.
Declared limits. Project design is proportionate to the problem: it does not replace the organisation's decisions nor the technical expertise of the relevant field.
You don't need to already have a project.
- I have an idea, but it's still poorly structured.
- We know what we want to change, but not where to start.
- We have many priorities and need to choose.
- Several people or offices need to work in the same direction.
- We have a stalled project that needs to be rethought.
- We need to present an initiative to decision-makers, partners or stakeholders.
We can start from a question, a problem or an intuition. The first part of the work is understanding what is really worth building.
From intentions to project
A project is not born from a document: it is born from a series of decisions taken in the right order. This is the progression we follow, adapting it each time to the specific case.
Step 1
Idea or problem
The starting point, even if still imprecise.
Step 2
Objective
What we really want to achieve, and for whom.
Step 3
Priorities
What comes first and what can wait.
Step 4
Activities
The concrete things that need to be done.
Step 5
People and resources
Who does what and with what means.
Step 6
Timeline
A sustainable sequence, not just a list of deadlines.
Step 7
Results
What changes once the work has been done.
Step 8
Actionable project
A direction the organisation can actually follow.
The document is a possible outcome of the work. The project is born first.
The VIVALDI18 model
Six stages of work, with a different weight depending on the project. They are not bureaucratic steps: they exist to stop the idea from remaining just an intention.
- We listen
- We understand the problem, context, expectations, people and constraints.
- We focus
- We define objectives, priorities, audiences and the scope of the work.
- We structure
- We build activities, phases, responsibilities, resources and timelines.
- We verify
- We test feasibility, sustainability, risks and organisational capacity.
- We design
- We turn the structure into a project that can really be used.
- We make it actionable
- When needed, we support the move from design to implementation.
Designing also means questioning the first solution.
During the work, something that was not visible at the start can emerge. That is normal, and it is useful for it to emerge sooner rather than later.
- The objective is too broad for the resources available.
- Different priorities are needed from those imagined at the start.
- Resources are not sufficient for the planned scope.
- It's better to proceed in phases rather than all at once.
- The solution imagined at the start doesn't really solve the problem.
- It's not yet the right moment to proceed.
Narrowing the scope, changing direction or deciding not to proceed can be a useful professional outcome.
Our job is to help you make an informed decision, not to confirm the initial idea.
What we can build together
Not all of these activities are always needed. The content of the work depends on the actual need and is defined together.
Define
Objectives, priorities, audiences and expected results, made explicit and shared.
Organise
Activities, timelines, responsibilities, resources and decision-making and coordination methods.
Verify
Feasibility, risks, sustainability and constraints, before they become problems.
Make usable
Roadmap, action plan, project document, presentation, monitoring model.
A project needs to leave something usable behind.
These are possible outcomes, not a mandatory package: they are chosen based on who will use them and what they will be needed for.
- Project concept
- Project brief
- Roadmap
- Action plan
- Timeline
- Governance model
- Stakeholder map
- Objectives / activities / results matrix
- Risk register
- Indicator framework
- Document for decision-makers or partners
- Presentation
- Basis for a future funding application
- Operational implementation plan
- Coordination model and checkpoints
- Monitoring and reporting system
- Final project evaluation
Project design and funding are not the same thing.
Project design
What do we want to achieve and how can it work?
Funding opportunities
Are there consistent opportunities to fund it?
The two can work together, follow one another, or remain entirely separate. A frequent sequence is: idea → project design → possible search for funding. It is not, however, a mandatory path: many projects are carried out using an organisation's own resources.
Illustrative scenarios
The following examples only serve to illustrate how the work might unfold. They are not completed assignments, clients or real results.
Illustrative example
Municipality
Wants to reclaim a space, but still needs to define its functions, audiences, governance and long-term sustainability.
Illustrative example
SME
Wants to develop a new service and needs to turn the idea into activities, resources and an operational path.
Illustrative example
Non-profit
Has a strong social idea and needs to build understandable objectives, audiences, activities and indicators.
Illustrative example
Complex organisation
Several offices share the same objective, but there is no shared project direction.
From design to implementation
A project is not exhausted by the document describing it. When the organisation requires it, VIVALDI18 STUDIO also supports the following phases: implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation. The extent of the support is defined within each individual assignment.
Implementation
- Operational start-up of planned activities
- Translating the plan into tasks, timelines and responsibilities
- Overseeing deadlines and commitments made
- Managing deviations from the plan
Coordination
- Steering between internal functions, suppliers and partners
- Governance of decisions and checkpoints
- Internal project communication
- Managing emerging risks and issues
Monitoring
- Indicators, data sources and frequency
- Progress status and proportionate reporting
- Traceability of evidence
- Timely reporting of delays and blockages
Evaluation
- Verifying results against stated objectives
- Analysis of what worked and what needs correcting
- Lessons learned for future projects
- Sustainability of the project after completion
The support does not replace the organisation's responsibilities and decisions, nor the services of qualified professionals when required.
Thinking about what happens next, too.
A project can work in the first year and stall in the second. That's why, when needed, we also evaluate it against:
- Resources
- People
- Skills
- Continuity
- Maintenance
- Internal ownership
- Ability to evolve
For funded projects, the most important question is often a single one: what happens when the funding ends?
You don't need a hundred pages for every project.
A small intervention doesn't require disproportionate methodology. A complex project, however, cannot be reduced to a title, a budget and a timeline.
The complexity of the method must be proportionate to the complexity of the problem.
Who we work with
- Public Administrations
- Companies and startups
- Non-profits, associations and cooperatives
- Foundations and cultural organisations
- Universities, research and training
- Professionals, networks and other organisations
Find out how the work changes based on the type of organisation
Frequently asked questions
What is the idea you would like to bring to life?
It can already be structured or still be confused. Tell us where you'd like to get to: the first piece of work can be exactly that — understanding which project is worth building.
Every engagement is built and followed together with the client, with shared objectives, activities and progress.