Redesigning an MEL Framework to Improve Adaptive Management - A Case Study

-























Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Use Theory of Change for Adaptive Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

-
In my previous post on designing and implementing adaptive MEL frameworks , I discussed the importance of a program’s Theory of Change (TOC) in facilitating understanding among your team and your stakeholders on what change looks like. The biggest challenge facing most programs, however, is that TOC is often mistaken for another form or version of a results chain/log frame/results framework. While they are not mutually exclusive, they are not the same. The important distinction is that the TOC needs to iterate the theory behind the change you are seeking to enable, not just the process. The process is iterated in a results chain that specifies the tangible results you are pursuing driven by the theory. In an adaptive program, your results chain (i.e.: activities and outputs) can change depending on the initial results you are observing and the reflections that are being undertaken about what should happen next. The ‘what comes next’ reflections need to be based on something, and...
Read more

Striking a Balance: Payment by Results and Adaptive Management

-
A few months ago, my colleagues and I invested significant amount of time to design a project that championed local ownership, accountability to beneficiaries and adaptive management. We were explicit about our methodologies and about how the results would be defined by the beneficiaries during the inception phase of the project: our philosophy was that success would be more likely to be achieved if the beneficiaries could decide what success looked like – for them. Beyond the jargon, the proposal was good. Good enough to be approved by the donor and for us to get excited about a project with a truly adaptive management approach. But when it came time to sign the contract, the dreaded ‘payment by results’ phrase magically appeared. Out of nowhere, we were told we needed to have ‘pre-defined results’ before the project could move ahead.
Read more

Presentation on Accelerated Development at the Pacific Local Government Forum 2014 in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuZ3nIAfLXc Denika Blacklock  Synopsis of Presentation This presentation discusses critical issues pertaining to the theory behind accelerated development. Policies espousing accelerated development process are driven by good intentions and a desire to ensure that no group or community is ‘left behind.’ However, accelerated development policies and programmes often result in the beneficiaries becoming targets rather than drivers of development in their own communities, and makes a number of concessions which call into question whether or not ‘accelerated development‘ programmes align with the principles of aid effectiveness and accountability.
Read more