Local self-government, as a form of civil society organization, is one of the key components of the public administration system. The main functions of local governments include implementing clearly defined local tasks, fostering favorable conditions for community development, and optimizing the living environment.¹ In this regard, modern local authorities, focusing on meeting stakeholder expectations and operating under public and political scrutiny, must respond to complex and dynamic contemporary requirements. Consequently, strategic planning serves as an essential mechanism for the effective functioning of local self-government, as it ensures the sustainability and development of territorial communities. This issue is particularly relevant for Ukraine.²

At present, Ukraine is undergoing decentralization and reform of its local government system. In this context, effective project planning and management are becoming critical components of sustainable local development. Local authorities must maintain a comprehensive vision of long-term development goals and strategies, while also skillfully managing projects implemented at the level of territorial communities. The development of a community strategy therefore involves not only the identification of general directions and priorities but also the implementation of specific projects aimed at optimizing infrastructure and improving the quality of public services.

The main research problem addressed in this article is the insufficient level of strategic planning and project management at the local level in Ukraine. This shortcoming constitutes a significant obstacle to the sustainable development of territorial communities. Accordingly, the research task of identifying effective mechanisms of strategic planning and project management that can contribute to the systemic achievement of economic, social, and infrastructural goals at the community level becomes especially urgent. Thus, the focus of this paper is a systematic analysis of the principal practices and mechanisms of strategic planning and project management in local governments in Ukraine. Close attention is given to thoroughly reviewing project management experience, such as mobilizing local resources, using budget funds efficiently, and incorporating innovative methods into the execution of current community initiatives. Developing a community development strategy involves not only identifying general development priorities but also analyzing projects aimed at improving infrastructure and enhancing the quality of public services. Effective project management must therefore encompass planning, implementation, and the monitoring of results, all of which directly influence the overall management process. For this reason, it is essential to assess the current state of strategic planning model implementation at the local government level and to identify the key challenges local authorities encounter in executing various strategic initiatives.

The primary purpose of this study is to examine the specific features of strategic planning and project management within the local self-government system of Ukraine in order to identify the main opportunities and challenges that influence the effectiveness of these processes. To achieve this goal, the following research questions have been formulated:

Modern scholars have paid attention to the analysis of various aspects of ensuring an effective system of local self-government in Ukraine. Scientific studies have identified support for decentralization and local government reform as key priorities of Ukraine’s strategy. Recent research shows that Ukraine, along with other nations, is incorporating and advancing a strategic approach to sustainable territorial development planning. This is due to the main advantages of this approach for all key participants in the management process (government, territorial communities, enterprises).^3,4

Kostetska⁵ also conducted a comparative analysis of the implementation of strategic management of territorial communities based on the case of Ukraine and other EU countries. This research pointed out the importance of implementing a strategic approach to management. Unlike Kostecka’s study, which focused on a comparative analysis of strategic management of territorial communities in Ukraine and EU countries, our study focuses on practical mechanisms for increasing the effectiveness of strategic planning and project management in conditions of decentralization and martial law.

Other works indicate that this strategic approach can significantly improve the scientific and practical basis of social, economic, and organizational aspects, optimize the process of management decisions, and help to expand the participants in the planning process.⁶ In particular, studies indicate that the strategic approach allows for a fuller consideration of the interests and needs of the population.^6,7 Moreover, the works of other modern scholars indicate that the introduction of strategic approaches to local governance makes the planning mechanism much more transparent for all business entities, for example, it creates various opportunities for the realization of common goals, and the pooling of material and financial resources of entities.^4,8 It is worth recognizing that some studies also point to certain opportunities for local authorities and local self-government bodies to direct efforts to address urgent and critical economic, social, or environmental problems. This, in turn, affects the stabilization of the situation in the socio-political and economic spheres. The study by Boldyriev et al.⁹ defines the role of local self-government in the process of monitoring compliance with environmental legislation. The authors described several difficulties in implementing effective measures at the local level. They identified such problems as imperfect financing, lack of environmental awareness, and lack of effective administrative and procedural solutions. Through the prism of legal analysis, Bordeniuk and Tkachenko¹⁰ describe the main legal aspects of national support for local self-government. Several recent studies indicate that implementing modern governance methods can utilize local resources for economic change and community development.⁶ Bobro et al. highlighted the significance of adopting digital management tools.¹¹ The authors drew attention to a number of advantages of using innovative technologies in the system of management processes. The study by Kruhlov et al.¹² identifies the importance of public-private partnerships as an important mechanism for the restoration of urban infrastructure and urban development. Lysenko et al.¹³ pointed out that the lack of an effective sustainable development policy and its ineffective implementation on a local basis due to insufficient funding for local governments is an important problem for Ukraine. Therefore, despite the fact that some plans have been formulated, development programs for individual territorial communities are not fully implemented due to the lack of effective mechanisms for their implementation and financing.¹⁴ Other works also point to this problem and determine that in order to implement effective self-government programs, it is necessary to use various innovative technologies and project management methods.¹⁵ Thus, the current scientific literature highlights various aspects of ensuring an effective self-governance process in Ukraine and emphasizes that, in order to implement community development programs similar to those used in other European countries, it is particularly important to strengthen local self-government, promote greater decentralization of governance, improve the administration of district development programs, and foster a more consolidated civil society. However, it is insufficient to merely identify the main barriers; it is also necessary to formulate effective strategies and propose solutions for their development and implementation. This study addresses these tasks by analyzing the current challenges in supporting local government and by offering recommendations for optimizing the core processes of strategic planning and project management, with consideration of the ongoing decentralization processes in Ukraine.

In modern conditions, local self-government is a complex process regulated by both the World Declaration and the European Charter of Local Self-Government, as well as the Constitution of Ukraine and the provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On Local Self-Government in Ukraine”.¹⁶ In this process, it is important to consider social transformations, new economic challenges, digitalization, and other challenges. Difficulties with the regulatory framework are no less relevant challenges.¹⁷ Even considering the current state of the legal framework, the lack of clarity in using such standards between different levels of government leads to differences in approaches to creating local self-government bodies, assessing their effectiveness, and their implementation capabilities. Lack of finance is an important component that impedes the implementation of long-term strategic plans (for example, this challenge limits the ability to modernize infrastructure or implement other ambitious projects).¹⁸ Also, modern strategic planning requires local government managers to have appropriate qualifications, including in developing and implementing strategies. The shortage of experienced personnel significantly impacts the level of planning and capacity. To address this situation, it is essential to enhance intergovernmental coordination by aligning the strategies of public authorities at both local and national levels. Leveraging the potential of civil society—including NGOs and democratic procedures – promoting accountability in personnel policy through appropriate training for local government employees, advancing decentralization by clearly defining the division of powers, and implementing robust anti-corruption and transparency measures are all critical factors in strengthening the credibility of local authorities. Collectively, these efforts facilitate improved strategic planning within territorial communities.

Moreover, there are significant differences between strategic and long-term planning. The creation of a strategy should precede the definition of long-term plans since it is the strategy that shapes the direction of development.¹⁹ Instead, long-term plans are created at lower levels of management. Researchers interpret strategic planning in diverse ways. However, it should include several stages: creation, formation of organizational powers, understanding of goals and values, analysis of the environment, study of the internal environment (capabilities of self-government managers), definition of strategic goals, creation of the actual strategy for achieving the goal; organizational features of the vision of the future.

To coordinate all search procedures, the time frame was clarified. The main search was conducted in March–April 2024. Given the emergence of new relevant publications (especially during the war period), an additional refined search was performed on July 24–26, 2024 using the same methodology and search strings. It was at this stage that some of the sources from 2024–2025 were identified. The search window has been officially expanded, and the update has been documented in PRISMA-ScR. Further pre-registration of the protocol on OSF is planned.

Strategy development generally follows certain principles and methods typically from an administrative perspective. These strategies typically use comparable methods, frequently incorporating ideas from other communities, scientific reasoning, and step-by-step procedures during their execution. Thus, most strategies have a similar structure (see Figure 2).

Strategic plans, plans for individual activities, and predefined sectoral plans are based on a response to changing conditions with maximum consideration of the interests of all existing and interested players. For this reason, the process of planning, setting goals, and conducting a separate analysis is organized in such a way as to involve as many individuals and civil society organizations as possible in the implementation process.²⁰ Local governments act as leaders and coordinators as they recognize the possibility of using certain approaches in management and planning. For this purpose, they implement separate projects that promote the development of territorial communities and urban centers, which require special attention. Using projects within the framework of local self-government is an important tool for achieving the strategic goals of further evolution of territorial communities. First, it allows the addition of useful resources (funds from the state budget allocated for community development, grants that can be received from other financial institutions, international donors, or investors) and the implementation of certain strategic initiatives. However, the project work of local governments is still not effective enough and does not fully meet the current requirements. Researchers note that the level of project competencies in the administration of territorial communities does not allow for producing relevant project ideas and their implementation with the appropriate effect.²¹ For example, within the framework of a pilot project in one of the territorial communities of Lviv (Sykhiv), an energy efficiency strategy was developed and implemented, combining the participation of local authorities, civil society organizations and international donors.²² Thanks to the application of a project approach and modern strategic planning tools, it was possible to attract additional resources, reduce energy consumption in municipal institutions by 15% and form a practice of open monitoring of results. This example demonstrates how proper coordination, transparency and community participation increase the efficiency of management and contribute to the sustainable development of the territory.

Due to difficulties in the methodological support of local governments’ project activities, Ukrainian government agencies and international partners often receive low-quality competitive projects for consideration. The concept of project management maturity emerged in the early 21st century. Researchers note that more than 25 organizational maturity models exist, and new models continue to be developed, including highly complex ones.²¹ Although such models may differ in their coefficients, they generally share a considerable set of common features that deserve attention. In European countries, international and national management standards serve as the foundation for building project management systems. In Ukraine, the standard for managing innovative projects and programs developed by the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine is applied (see Figure 3).

The maturity structure illustrated in Figure 3 should be understood as a conceptual framework designed to support the gradual professionalization of strategic planning and project management in Ukrainian local governments. It does not represent an empirically validated model yet, but it builds upon recognized international standards — IPMA ICB 4.0, PMI PMBOK 7th Edition, ISO 21502:2020 / 21500, and Axelos MSP (5th Edition).

The framework distinguishes five maturity levels, reflecting the evolution from administrative task execution to adaptive, evidence-based strategic leadership:

For future validation, this framework will be operationalized through a Maturity Assessment Instrument for municipalities. Four measurement domains will be applied:

Each domain will be scored on a five-point scale corresponding to the maturity levels above. Pilot testing is planned with selected Ukrainian municipalities once wartime conditions permit.

The integration of Agile principles (flexibility, result orientation, rapid feedback) with the MSP methodology (structure, strategic alignment, programmatic benefits management) provides a dynamic balance between stability and adaptability. The proposed framework allows Ukrainian local governments to gradually increase their level of maturity - from administrative task performance to strategic leadership based on data, collaboration and innovation. Thus, Figure 3 visualizes this integrated development logic: the vertical axis reflects the levels of maturity, and the horizontal axis - the gradual integration of Agile and MSP approaches, forming a holistic, multi-level model of the evolution of local governance in Ukraine.

The concept of management maturity requires continuous improvement of the project management organization. In particular, it also refers to the ability to use best practices to develop staff focused on optimizing management processes in project management. In addition, it refers to the continuity of the improvement process, which indicates the introduction of important lifelong learning practices. The Agile model, based on empirical theories in process management, is popular internationally. It involves iterative project planning and implementation, which provides greater predictability and risk control. The Agile model is based on three main aspects: observation, adaptation, and transparency. Transparency in this system requires that every participant has a clear understanding of all parts of the project, since everyone shares equal responsibility for the outcome. Observation is a permanent supervision of each employee’s duties.^22,23 If problems are identified, measures are taken to eliminate them. Adaptation involves monitoring project progress and responding to challenges, such as whether the team can cope with assigned tasks and whether it performs the appropriate supporting activities. The MSP model is based on insights gained from effective programs. This methodology incorporates several aspects regarded as key, including transformativeness, expertise in the management field, and adherence to management principles. In practice, the model leads to the development of a distinct vision, a description of the future state of project implementation, the application of leadership, consideration of stakeholder interests, benefit management, and the systematic handling of challenges and problems.

In the context of local self-government, it is also essential to take into account the specific characteristics of local communities, which create additional challenges for managers. Therefore, each project management model should include some broadly applicable principles (refer to Table 2).

To ensure transparency of the evidence base, a map of the relationship between project management principles, identified barriers, facilitators and recommendations was created in accordance with PRISMA-ScR requirements (Table 3). Each principle in Table 2 is linked to specific evaluated sources that support the corresponding conclusions.

Adherence to the principles listed in the table ensures the formation of a holistic project management system at the local government level. The principle of community orientation emphasizes the priority of the social significance of projects over administrative interests, which allows building public trust in the authorities and enhances public participation in the planning process. Complexity guarantees the coherence of social, economic, and environmental aspects of development, thanks to which communities receive not fragmentary, but systemic results.

Following these principles will lead to noticeable improvements in project management within local governments. Besides, the research literature has identified several recommendations that can provide an important basis for improving strategic planning and project management within the decentralization process. First, it is about the further evolution of the legal framework, particularly in developing appropriate planning and management tools and simplifying bureaucratic procedures while maintaining appropriate control over implementation. Community integration into national processes will require the active involvement of local government representatives in adopting national development strategies and other similar documents. A separate consequence of such interaction may be the formation of appropriate educational programs for the population (at least for local managers), which would teach the relevance of strategic planning and the possibilities of involving the community in the performance of management functions.^24,25 The educational component is also important for the relevant process of staff development, ensuring the capacity of local governments to implement projects. The innovativeness of modern project management models (including Agile and MSP) will allow for flexibility and adaptation of plans to the unstable conditions of the present. On this basis, it is possible to ensure the effectiveness of project management at the local level. It has also been found that monitoring and evaluation of project performance is also an important tool that can significantly improve performance.²⁶ Under these circumstances, improving project management processes at the local government level in Ukraine will require comprehensive solutions that combine changes in the regulatory framework, civil society activity, improved human resources policy, and the application of up-to-date project management methods.

To better understand the effectiveness of Ukrainian approaches to strategic planning, it is advisable to compare them with the practices of the European Union countries, in particular Poland and the Visegrad Group countries. The Polish experience is indicative due to the successful implementation of a model of decentralized strategic management, which combines high autonomy of communities with effective state supervision and multi-level financing. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the emphasis is on developing the institutional capacity of local authorities, a system of continuous training of employees and the introduction of digital management tools (See Table 4).

Comparisons with Poland and the Visegrad Group countries serve as illustrative benchmarking, rather than a separate structured mini-review. They are included only to the extent that they help interpret the Ukrainian results, and are not based on a full systematic selection of sources. The analysis is presented according to agreed criteria (legal support, human resources capacity, digitalization, financial autonomy, community participation), which allows for comparison of contexts without going beyond the scope of the scoping review.

In Poland, local self-government reform was consolidated through the laws, which ensured both administrative and financial decentralization. A multi-tiered financing system and the use of EU structural funds enabled municipalities to co-finance strategic development programs effectively. In the Czech Republic, reform efforts focused on strengthening institutional capacity and professionalizing local administration. Slovakia followed a similar path, emphasizing participatory governance and integrated local development strategies. Comparative analysis (Table 4) shows that while Poland and the Czech Republic achieved higher institutional maturity, Ukraine continues to face fragmentation of the regulatory framework and limited financial autonomy. Nevertheless, Ukraine’s post-2014 decentralization reform has created the foundation for enhanced community participation, the development of local competencies, and gradual digitalization of municipal management systems.

The full-scale war in Ukraine has significantly changed the conditions for the functioning of local self-government, which directly affected the processes of strategic planning. During times of war, local authorities must reevaluate their priorities for developing local communities. Their main focus shifts to security, maintaining essential services for residents, rebuilding crucial infrastructure, and assisting internally displaced people. In these situations, conventional strategic planning methods are enhanced with aspects of both crisis and anti-crisis management. The speed of decision-making, flexibility of management procedures, as well as the ability to quickly adapt strategies to changes in the external environment become important. The integration of military and civil security issues into local development strategies requires special attention.

The practical implications of the study are the possibility of increasing the effectiveness of strategic planning and project management in local governments of Ukraine. The implementation of the proposed approaches – improving the regulatory framework, developing human resources, involving the public, applying modern management models (Agile, MSP) – will contribute to increasing transparency, accountability and effectiveness of community activities. The use of the principles of orientation to the needs of the local population, comprehensiveness, budget balance, monitoring and consistency with national policy will allow creating sustainable management models adapted to the modern challenges of decentralization and digitalization.

Although formal quality assessment is not mandatory for scoping reviews, the overall analysis showed that most of the included sources have clearly defined methods, relevant context and sufficient transparency in the description of the data. At the same time, a number of works have limitations: incomplete methodological descriptions, conceptual nature without empirical verification or lack of standardized indicators, which reduces the level of comparability. These features mean that the results of the synthesis should be interpreted as an overview of descriptive trends, rather than evidence of causal relationships. Overall, the available sources provide sufficient confidence in the identified barriers, mechanisms and development directions, but require further empirical verification in future studies.

Strategic planning and project management are an essential element of modern management decisions. The purpose of the proposed study is to examine the peculiarities of strategic planning and project management within the local self-government of Ukraine to identify the main opportunities and challenges that affect the effectiveness of these processes. This goal involves finding answers to the problems associated with the current state of implementation of strategic planning and project management in local governments of Ukraine, identifying difficulties in implementing such initiatives, and proposing recommendations for optimizing the main processes of strategic planning and project management.

The proposed results note that the experience of implementing projects at the local government level depends on the experience of the implementers and the activity of local communities. It also emphasizes the difficulties that may be encountered during project implementation. These include challenges with the regulatory framework, lack of financial resources, and lack of relevant qualifications of the implementers. This confirms the thesis of other researchers about the importance of the ability to plan projects, taking into account the weaknesses of this process, with these factors being listed first and foremost.²⁷ Sometimes, in Ukrainian realities, one can encounter a situation where the relevant state of affairs is quite satisfactory to local governments, which justifies the existing difficulties by the lack of funding and the inability to quickly and efficiently eliminate them.²⁸

This type of behavior was characteristic of the post-Soviet era, when certain patronizing expectations from state institutions discouraged initiative on the part of local communities and local governments. However, we agree with other researchers who argue that this situation has gradually become a thing of the past and is no longer typical today.²⁹ What we now observe is greater civil society activity and the emergence of a new category of public officials who think in different categories and are prepared to cooperate with active citizens in formulating project applications and mechanisms for their future implementation. These adjustments are entirely aligned with the present requirements for legislative regulation, which is evolving as Ukraine progresses toward European integration. To address the challenges, the article proposes strengthening intergovernmental coordination, utilizing the potential of civil society, adopting a responsible approach to personnel policy, combating corruption, and ensuring transparency in management processes. Such recommendations are in line with the findings of other scholars who point to the importance of further comprehensive transformations with a special emphasis on the legislative aspect.³⁰ In particular, the researchers emphasized the more efficient use of local resources in those communities that implement inter-municipal cooperation, further use of the principle of transparency, etc. It is worth noting that the Law of Ukraine “On Associations of Local Governments” also provides for the formation of platforms for the interaction of local governments, while the implementation of the principles of transparency still requires additional attention.^16,17,31 Insufficient qualification of specialists, difficulties in financial support, and low level of cooperation with the public and business structures are also identified as obstacles.^32,33,34 The Law of Ukraine “On Local Self-Government in Ukraine” does not contain precise mechanisms to overcome such barriers as, for example, financial dependence on the state budget.¹⁶ There are also no norms to stimulate cooperation with business. Such scientific interpretations, together with the results obtained, confirm the question that reforms aimed at decentralization and changes in budget financing of local authorities have and will have an impact on optimizing strategic planning, provided that constructive governance mechanisms are improved. The results of the proposed study show that the use of projects within local self-government is an important tool for achieving the strategic goals of further evolution of territorial communities. As a result, models have been developed—primarily concerning project maturity—to help assess how prepared local governments are to carry out project solutions. An important model is Agile, which uses empirical theories in process management. Also, in the Ukrainian realities, the MSP model is important - considering the experience of successful programs and their reproduction for development.

This confirms the conclusions of other scholars who consider the possibilities of such management models to be quite relevant in the Ukrainian reality.³⁵ The use of such approaches, combined with the consideration of local specifics, supports another research question: the absence of a precise mechanism for integrating local resources and the low level of public involvement in planning, development, and subsequent project management reduces the effectiveness of modern territorial initiatives. It’s important to note that simply using project management models isn’t enough; thorough and well-developed solutions are needed.^36,37,38 This will allow the use of other project management models in local government. The results show that there are important tools to improve project implementation. In particular, the article refers to the use of the principles of focusing on the needs of local communities, comprehensiveness, considering budgetary capacities, monitoring, and compliance with local and national legislation. These views align with the findings of other researchers who also suggest introducing new training programs to improve the skills of specialists, transparency in the budget process, etc.^39,40 Similar trends are also evident when analyzing Ukrainian legislation. For example, the Law of Ukraine “On Local Self-Government” provides for the formation of community development strategies, although no specific control and monitoring tools are mentioned.^16,41 Another Law of Ukraine forms the basis for community amalgamation,⁴² which significantly facilitates strategic planning in larger areas, but the problem of staffing remains open.

It is worth noting that the methodology used in this study has certain limitations that should be considered when working with the results obtained. First and foremost, it is a sample of scientific sources that cover the latest relevant research. However, the implementation of projects at the local government level has its history, so although recent practices are more relevant to the Ukrainian experience, this does not negate the importance of analyzing all viable options for interaction, even if they are made in older publications. Although this does not affect the quality of the results, this approach creates opportunities for further research on this issue.

Furthermore, there is some language bias in the choice of literature; most sources are in English and Ukrainian, which may restrict access to significant studies published in other languages. This may affect the completeness of the comparative analysis with the European experience. Another factor is the war conditions in which the local government system of Ukraine operates. War significantly changes the context of strategic planning, in particular community priorities, resource constraints and management approaches. Because of this, some conclusions may have limited generalizability in post-war or peacetime conditions.

This study does not include a comparative analysis of local government systems in other countries, nor does it include an empirical test of the effectiveness of individual management models (Agile, MSP) at the level of specific communities. Such aspects go beyond the purpose of the work, which was to theoretically and methodologically generalize the principles of strategic planning and project management in the context of Ukrainian decentralization.

It is worth noting that the methodology used in this study has several limitations that should be considered when interpreting the results. First, the research was based on a sample of academic and legal sources published mainly between 2018 and 2024, which ensures relevance but may exclude valuable earlier studies that discuss the historical development of local governance in Ukraine. Second, language bias is an important limitation. Most of the included publications were in English and Ukrainian, while materials in Polish, German, and French-languages relevant to comparative European governance – were not systematically reviewed. This linguistic constraint may have limited the diversity of perspectives and reduced the completeness of cross-national comparisons.

Third, grey literature (such as non-indexed reports, working papers, policy briefs, and municipal documents) was only partially analyzed. While these sources often contain valuable empirical insights into local self-government practices, they were excluded when they lacked formal peer review or sufficient methodological transparency. Future studies could incorporate grey literature to balance the academic–policy evidence base.

Fourth, the study did not include a formal critical appraisal of the methodological quality of each included source, as this step is optional for scoping reviews according to the PRISMA-ScR framework. Nevertheless, the absence of such assessment may limit the ability to differentiate the strength or reliability of findings across studies. Finally, the scope of this study did not include comparative statistical analysis across EU countries or empirical testing of management models (e.g., Agile, MSP) within specific local communities. These directions remain open for further research aimed at evaluating the practical effectiveness of governance frameworks and developing context-adaptive project management tools for Ukrainian local governments.

Given these limitations, the findings of the study should be interpreted as reflecting the picture revealed in the selected sources, and not as a definitive assessment of the effectiveness of specific governance models or the proposed maturity framework. The results of the scoping review outline possible directions for the development of strategic planning and project management in local governments in Ukraine, but require further empirical confirmation at the level of real communities, policy sectors, and specific management practices.

Thus, in the current environment, project implementation is an important component of the activities of local governments. These activities, regulated by Ukrainian legislation and international agreements, require overcoming existing challenges such as further reform of the legislative system, regulation of the financial situation, and the availability of appropriate qualifications among local government employees at the managerial level. Addressing these issues necessitates improved intergovernmental coordination, the use of civil society’s organizational potential, effective personnel policies, a clear division of powers, and measures to combat corruption.

The use of projects within the framework of local self-government is a key tool for achieving the strategic goals of the further development of territorial communities. This approach makes it possible to mobilize useful resources and implement specific strategic initiatives. The management maturity model is particularly significant, as it requires continuous improvement of project management practices. The Agile model, grounded in empirical theories of process management, has gained popularity. The MSP model, in turn, is based on the experience of successful programs and involves the creation of a clear vision of the future state of implementation, the use of leadership, consideration of stakeholder interests, benefit management, and the systematic handling of challenges and problems.

Further improvement of strategic planning and project management within the decentralization process requires updates to the regulatory framework, active participation of local government representatives in the development of national strategies and similar documents, the use of targeted educational programs, professional staff development, and the implementation of tools for monitoring and evaluating project performance.