That's a good question.
If funding is not available, you want to start out with a project that will allow for future upgrades.
For example, if funding is not available to put your wharf at a certain elevation, you want to at least make sure the structural members to support it are strong enough that it can be raised in the future.
If funding is not available for a big enough breakwater, you want to make sure it is wide enough and you have enough clearance in front, so you can augment it later as funding becomes available, and that has to be incorporated in a long-term plan.