A multicriteria satisfaction analysis approach in the assessment of operational programmes

Ex-post evaluation European Operational Programmes could provide useful information and knowledge that can be used as a guide in future planning.The different concerns of the operational programme stakeholders along with the operating constraints make programme evaluation a difficult and fuzzy task. This paper presents the application of concepts and methodologies of multicriteria data analysis to identify critical success and risk factors in achieving the strategic objectives of a programme. The MUSA (multicriteria satisfaction analysis) method was used for analyzing the satisfaction of project managers with respect to satisfaction criteria associated with four dimensions: the project’s results, the operations of the programme organization, the support of the project organization and the performance of the project team.The specific case study refers to a sample of projects in the Operational Programme for Education and Initial Training in Greece which was funded by the 3rd Common Support Framework. The results show that the proposed methodology can be a valuable tool for programme organizations, especially in the case of “soft” action projects where the deliverables are intangible and project management at beneficiary organizations is provided at an ad-hoc basis.