Given Hapunda

35 good project phasing out includes stakeholders’ clear understanding of what the project intended impact is and how it is intended to be measured. This taps into the extent to which a project has a shared vision. Christenson & Walker (2004) argue that one of the most significant contributions that any leader can make to an organization or project, is that of creating and clearly communicating a shared vision. While there are many other factors that are at play in any project, such as developing a good theory or model of change, and diligently executing the planned strategies, communication and maintenance of a strong project vision many be key to creating successful project outcomes (Christenson & Walker, 2004). As indicated in the Focus Box 1, attaining dream requires passion, strength and patience because a dreams is just a dream until you actualise it. A shared vision is not easily attained because of different individual perceptions and aspirations of the future. Stakeholder “buy-in” is key to attain a shared vision. The means making the whole process of shared visioning participatory. At the point of conducting a stakeholder analysis, consideration should be devoted to address stakeholder influence on project vision. Therefore, to have an effective project vision, project leaders must understand culture and power dynamics of any stakeholder (see Figure 2 below). Figure 2: Project vision effective model – ( Source: Christenson & Walker, 2004) Focus Box 1: Importance of Vision in Projects Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach the stars to change the world – Harriet Tubman