Country Strategy Development and Planning Subhi Mehdi, AFR/SD June

The ADS Strategic Planning Process The Strategic Objective The Results Framework Performance Management Plan Lessons Learned from USAID/Uganda Outline

What is the ADS? The Automated Directives System (ADS) contains the standard operating procedures and policies for the Agency

ADS Chapter 200 Series ADS Introduction to Managing for Results ADS 201 – Planning ADS 202 – Achieving ADS Assessing and Learning

Whom to contact Please send any questions to: –Parrie Henderson-O’Keefe, PPC, , –Skip Waskin, , PPC, –Ruth Buckley, , AFR/DP, Web sites: – – –

USAID’s Strategic Planning Process: The Linear View Parameter Setting Technical Analyses Results Framework Strategic Plan Submission Issues Meeting Final Program Review Parameters Cable Management Agreement Concept Paper Virtual team and USAID/W consultation Local partner and stakeholder consultation

Results Level Activity Level Inputs Outputs Intermediate Results Strategic Objective Early in life of SOLater in life of SO Results level data may not be available for annual reporting purposes early in life of SO Activity level data is not usually appropriate for annual reporting later in life of SO Reaching results: the causal pathway

What is a strategic objective? Strategic Objective is the most ambitious result (measurable change) that a USAID operating unit along with its partners can materially affect and for which it is willing to be held accountable.

In other words ….. Heart of the strategy Mission’s judgment of the possible Where accountability rests Foundation for all Mission program actions Standard for judging performance

An SO Reflects Four Key Concepts: Significant development result Measurable change Manageable interest Accountability

Drafting the preliminary SO What are you trying to achieve, i.e.. Your objective? How will you achieve your objective? How will you know if you have reached your objective?

What is a Results Framework? Graphic and narrative representation of a strategy for achieving a specific objective –Includes the objective, necessary intermediate results (IR), and any critical assumptions –Conveys the implicit development hypothesis (cause-and-effect linkages) –Used as a planning, communication, and management tool

Three Common Pitfalls Definitional linkages –SO: Strengthened Institutions –IR 1: Improved institutional capacity for delivering goods and services Categorical linkages –SO: Increased use of Primary Health Care services –IR 1: Increased use of Maternal-Child Health services –IR 2: Increased use of Family Planning/Reproductive Health services –IR 3: Increased use of HIV/AIDS services Chronological linkages –SO: Sustainable policies and strategies in health adopted –IR1: Sustainable policies and strategies developed and tested –IR 2: Sustainable policies and strategies promoted

PHN Results Framework Model Improved Health Status and/or Decreased Fertility Higher-level Impact Improved Use of Health and Family Planning Services and/ or Appropriate Practices in a Sustainable Fashion Second-level Outcome Access/AvailabilitySustainabilityDemandQuality Commodities and Facilities Human Resources Equity Third-level Process Knowledge Attitude Community Support Provider Performance Sustainability of Systems Sustainability of Demand

Lesson Learned from USAID/Uganda - 1 Initiate the process as early as possible, including ADS training Work from an analytic agenda Develop a consultative agenda and approach, and document the consultative process Consult with local stakeholders Exchange views regionally with the other GHAI Missions and REDSO

Coordinate very closely with other USG entities, the Embassy, Peace Corps, CDC, and NIH Address integration and crosscutting issues such as conflict, food security, gender Pay attention to PMP and targets Develop a Transition Plan Hire a Production Editor Lesson Learned from USAID/Uganda - 2

 Send a carefully selected team to Washington  Ensure Washington buy-in early on  Submit document well in advance of review  Plan for team to spend three weeks in AID/W  Line up TA for post-approval design work Approval Processes Lessons Learned from USAID/Uganda - 3

Teamwork Identify the team and re-assess roles Foster a common vision both at the Mission and SO levels Be flexible enough to accommodate different personalities of the team members Re-affirm role of the program office/team Promote the involvement and participation of FSN staff across the entire Mission. Be prepared for “strategy” burnout Lessons Learned from USAID/Uganda - 3

“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” -- Mark Twain

Performance Monitoring Plan A Performance Monitoring Plan is a mandatory plan and record of the performance indicators which a Mission will use to track progress toward achievement of its strategic objective and intermediate results.

The PMP Is: Mission management tool Blueprint for collecting, analyzing and reporting performance data Basis for annual reporting Auditable by the Inspector General, GAO, OMB

PMP Requirements: Completed one year after the strategy approved Updated annually Not sent to Washington

3 Stages of PMP Development Stage 1: During strategy development Stage 2: Following strategic plan approval Stage 3: During strategy implementation

Stage 1: During Strategy Development The SO team should consider the following questions: How will we know if we’ve achieved our results? Will our activities actually lead to these results? How will we know if there are problems? Consider preparing a “preliminary” PMP

Elements of a PMP REQUIRED: Detailed description of indicators Source, method, schedule, and responsibility for data collection Known data limitations, significance, and actions to address Data quality assessment procedures RECOMMENDED: Justification for selecting indicators Plans for data analysis, reporting, review and use Evaluations and special studies Costs of collecting, analyzing and reporting data Activity level indicators Plans for monitoring development hypothesis, critical assumptions and context

Results Level Activity Level Inputs Outputs Intermediate Results Strategic Objective Early in life of SOLater in life of SO Results level data may not be available for annual reporting purposes early in life of SO Activity level data is not usually appropriate for annual reporting later in life of SO Reaching results: the causal pathway

“If you don’t know where you are going, that’s probably where you’ll end up—nowhere.”

The End