# Objective

The period between receiving an award notice and receiving funds should be treated as a Project Readiness Phase rather than a waiting period. Its primary purpose is to ensure that projects can commence immediately once funds are available.

By the time funding is received:

- Hiring processes should already be underway.
- Implementation plans should be finalized.
- Project management systems should be operational.
- Procurement plans should be approved.
- Compliance requirements should be substantially complete.
- Partnerships should be formalized.
- Reporting structures should be established.
- Teams should understand their roles and responsibilities.

The goal is to eliminate avoidable delays and achieve implementation readiness before project launch.

### Overview

<div align="left" dir="ltr" id="bkmrk-phase-typical-timing"><table style="width: 70.4762%; height: 531.157px;"><colgroup><col style="width: 30.9645%;" width="64"></col><col style="width: 31.3029%;" width="156"></col><col style="width: 37.7327%;" width="265"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 53.7969px;"><td style="height: 53.7969px;"><p class="callout info">Phase</p>

</td><td style="height: 53.7969px;"><p class="callout info">Typical Timing</p>

</td><td style="height: 53.7969px;"><p class="callout info">Focus</p>

</td></tr><tr style="height: 70.5938px;"><td style="height: 70.5938px;"><p class="callout info">Phase 1</p>

</td><td style="height: 70.5938px;"><p class="callout info">Days 0–7</p>

</td><td style="height: 70.5938px;"><p class="callout info">Immediate Response and Award Acceptance</p>

</td></tr><tr style="height: 70.5938px;"><td style="height: 70.5938px;"><p class="callout info">Phase 2</p>

</td><td style="height: 70.5938px;"><p class="callout info">Weeks 1–4</p>

</td><td style="height: 70.5938px;"><p class="callout info">Administrative and Financial Setup</p>

</td></tr><tr style="height: 70.5938px;"><td style="height: 70.5938px;"><p class="callout info">Phase 3</p>

</td><td style="height: 70.5938px;"><p class="callout info">Weeks 2–8</p>

</td><td style="height: 70.5938px;"><p class="callout info">Team and Resource Planning</p>

</td></tr><tr style="height: 70.5938px;"><td style="height: 70.5938px;"><p class="callout info">Phase 4</p>

</td><td style="height: 70.5938px;"><p class="callout info">Weeks 2–6</p>

</td><td style="height: 70.5938px;"><p class="callout info">Project Infrastructure Development</p>

</td></tr><tr style="height: 70.5938px;"><td style="height: 70.5938px;"><p class="callout info">Phase 5</p>

</td><td style="height: 70.5938px;"><p class="callout info">Weeks 4–8</p>

</td><td style="height: 70.5938px;"><p class="callout info">Compliance and Reporting Setup</p>

</td></tr><tr style="height: 53.7969px;"><td style="height: 53.7969px;"><p class="callout info">Phase 6</p>

</td><td style="height: 53.7969px;"><p class="callout info">Final 1–2 Weeks</p>

</td><td style="height: 53.7969px;"><p class="callout info">Pre-Launch Activities</p>

</td></tr><tr style="height: 70.5938px;"><td style="height: 70.5938px;"><p class="callout info">Phase 7</p>

</td><td style="height: 70.5938px;"><p class="callout info">Months 1–3</p>

</td><td style="height: 70.5938px;"><p class="callout info">First 90 Days of Project Execution</p>

</td></tr></tbody></table>

</div>> Note: Timelines may vary depending on the funder. Some grants release funds immediately after award notification, while others may require contract negotiations or compliance approvals that take several months. The activities outlined below should therefore be adapted to the requirements of individual funders.