1. New Zealand Partnerships for International Development
Tips for a successful Activity Design Document (ADD)

2. Round 9 Activity Designs
Presentation outline
ADD processes & tools
Lessons learned
Sections 2-4 of the ADD
Tips for a successful ADD
Explain this is a session providing an overview of the ADD template, which will delve into a couple of key sections. However more detail on health and safety, results, finance and cross cutting issues will be detailed during specific sessions today.

3. Moving from concept to design
Round 9 Activity Designs
Moving from concept to design
Your ADD must convince MFAT (appraisal) that the proposed Activity is likely to successfully and cost effectively achieve a sustainable change. Content guidance is available throughout the ADD template. Guidance as to how MFAT assesses the likely effectiveness of the design is available in the appraisal template & the Activity Quality policy.
The ADD must convince MFAT, through the design appraisal process that the proposed Activity is likely to successfully and cost effectively achieve a sustainable change.
The ADD must also address any conditions or considerations of design, which were messaged in your Round 9 outcome letter. Contact your design lead if you have any queries about this.
Content guidance is available throughout the ADD template (in purple text). Guidance as to how MFAT assesses the likely effectiveness of the design is available in the appraisal template & the Activity Quality policy.

4. ADD (design) timeframes
Round 9 Activity Designs
ADD (design) timeframes
Timeframes:
Draft ADD due 21 April 2017
Final ADD due 30 June 2017
MFAT appraisals will take place over July
Approved ADDs progressed to contracts from August 2016
Process:
ADD appraisal
CTE payment
Contract drafting, sign off
Implementation
Roles:
Design lead
Activity manager
Sector Specialist
Bilateral/Post
Timeframes:
The first draft of the Activity Design Document should be submitted to your Design Contact by 28 September The deadline for the final Activity Design Document is 11 November 2016, MFAT appraisals will take place over Nov-Dec with a decision on the design being made in early December 2016.
Process:
Once the ADD is submitted, MFAT will appraise the document. Appraisals follow the appraisal templates (which can be found on the MFAT website), & dependent on the value of the activity, may require an appraisal meeting which is conducted internally
Once the ADD is approved organisations will be asked to submit their invoice to action the CTE payment
The next step is to move into Contract drafting and sign off
Then the design moves into implementation
Roles:
You will each have an assigned Design lead who is your main point of contact during the design stage.
Once the design is approved and you move into implementation, you will have an assigned MFAT Activity Manager who is your main point of contact during implementation. They receive reporting, field queries you have and liaise with other parts of MFAT in regards to the Activity, including Post.
Sector Specialist/Bilateral/Post– Your design contact will also give you a steer as to whether it is necessary to meet with bilateral and sector expertise at MFAT throughout the design stage.
Note that we have invited Development Managers from our bilateral country teams to join us for lunch today. This will be a good opportunity for you to meet them, particularly if you need to engage with them at a later date.

5. Lessons Learned Lessons Learned Local ownership is critical
Governance structures
Use data and evidence
Realistic timeframes
Stretch on recipient communities
Local ownership is critical…make sure you have 100% commitment from in-country partners & stakeholders. This may include relevant government organisations and you may be asked to provide written approval for the activity from the relevant in- country government departments.
Governance structures need to be simple, fit for purpose and crystal.
With matched funding it is important to clearly outline who is contributing what.
Use data and evidence in the needs assessment/scoping.
Make sure timeframes are realistic, remembering that recipient communities can only be involved in so many projects
Other interventions and lessons learned

6. Lessons Learned continued:
In-country partner capacity/capability
Think carefully about coordination
Sustainability and exit planning
Avoid increasing budget from the IDSP approved Concept Note
Risk assessment
In-country partner capacity/capability may be less than you expect – again, this links into thinking about realistic timeframes and deliverables.
Think carefully about coordination – what other actors/donors are working in this space. How can you coordinate/collaborate with, and complement the current work in the sector.
Explain sustainability issues and exit plan e.g. are there ongoing financial commitments required of stakeholders?
Avoid increasing budget from the IDASP approved Concept Note – increases to the amount approved by IDASP may have to go back to the panel for additional approval.
Include risk assessment of significant changes to political/social/environmental context (outside control of partners).

7. Section 2: Context Analysis
Development need
Check for assumptions and draw on your local partners’ knowledge
Social, economic, political context
What is the capacity of the community/ partner/sector to take on more development initiatives?
How will duplication be avoided/coordination be ensured?
Lessons learned
Back up the ‘development need’ with evidence
Check for assumptions and draw on your local partners’ knowledge
What is the capacity of the community/ partner/sector to take on more development initiatives?
Provide an overview of the social, economic and political context.
How will duplication be avoided/coordination be ensured?
Lessons learned: Highlight any existing or previous similar Activities undertaken by MFAT, other relevant activities are being undertaken by the partner government or other donors, and the principal lessons learned through these and similar thematic activities elsewhere.

8. Section 3: Activity Description
What will the activity do?
Results diagram
Activity and Inputs
Working with partner government systems
Consistency with New Zealand development objectives
Budget outline – breakdown between outputs
Who is the activity intended to benefit?
Who are the key activity stakeholders?
What will the activity do?
The Activity Description needs to clearly explain what it is that the Activity will do, with what resources, over what timeframe.
It is important that the Activity Description is consistently articulated throughout the ADD and that there is a clear rationale as to how the inputs relate to the outputs and outcomes which the activity aims to deliver.
It should include a results diagram It should explain and justify the forms of aid proposed; detail the individual programme components and provide budget estimates and information of the suggested timing of the aid activity.
The Activity Description should also explain how the activity will work within partner government systems. If the activity will not work within partner government systems then this should also be explained.
Consistency with New Zealand development objectives – there is a lot of useful information on the MFAT website, including links to the New Zealand Aid Programme Strategic Plan and Investment Priorities and various countries joint commitments for development. Your design contact will also give you a steer as to whether it is necessary to meet with bilateral and sector expertise at MFAT throughout the design stage.
Who is the activity intended to benefit?
Ensure you understand who the beneficiaries are and what their particular needs and priorities are.
Think about how you will ensure that the interests of people who may be marginalised through age, gender, disability, ethnicity, social-economic status etc are being met.
Planning must be based on sound data. Think about beneficiary numbers, locations and demographic features including gender.
Ensure your data is as accurate as possible - it may impact whether targets are achievable (and whether value for money can be achieved).
Who are the key activity stakeholders?
Outside of partners, stakeholders are the individuals and organisations whose interests may be positively or negatively affected by the activity.
Identify key stakeholders’ interests in the Activity. Are they supportive, or does the Activity threaten their own interests?
Identify how key stakeholders will be involved/managed or otherwise, identify management to date
Involve, or consult with stakeholders during design process
Note that a summary of the Activity Description will be inserted into the funding arrangement once the ADD is approved.

9. Implementation Arrangements
Section 4: Implementation Arrangements
Partners
Governance arrangements
Management Arrangements
Partners
Who are your Activity partners? What is their interest and expertise? What will they contribute? How is your relationship governed?
Are all partners fully aware and signed up to the financial and opportunity cost of their participation?
In many situations the design should include evidence of endorsement for the activity from relevant local government agencies or government departments. This show us that they are aware of the activity and in some cases, agree to engage/be involved with the activity. Again, best to discuss this with your design lead if you have any queries.
Governance arrangements
Explain how the activity is intended to be governed and managed. It should set out in detail the envisaged relationship between NZ, partners, contractors (if relevant), other donors and the partner government. The roles and responsibilities of the active partners in the activity should be outlined.
In this section think about questions like who ‘owns’ the activity? What is the governance structure? How is the direction set? Who is responsible for managing risk and having oversight of implementation? And are key stakeholders included in activity governance structures?
The governance arrangements are something that are likely to evolve over the lifetime of the activity as the capacity of in-country partner is developed – this is also about keeping sustainability at front of mind.
Management Arrangements
These are the day to day arrangements – and it is suggested that a dynamic approach is taken – performing, responding and changing as needed.
In this section describe the management arrangements for the activity including specific roles, responsibilities and accountabilities, in addition to considering the in-country organisations capacity and capability.

10. Impact and Sustainability
Section 4: Implementation Arrangements
Is the Activity expected to continue beyond the end of the period of funding?
Ownership of the activity
Ongoing funding/resource commitments
Integration of Activity exit plan into the design
How will long term impact be sustained?
Is the Activity expected to continue beyond the end of the period of funding?
Who will take ultimate ownership of the activity?
What funding/resource commitments will be required on an ongoing basis? What commitment has been secured that these will be provided?
How has the activity exit plan been integrated into the design?
How will long term impact be sustained?

11. Round 9 Activity Designs
Tips for ADDs
Clarity
Ensure content flows logically
Peer review
Follow the guidance notes in templates, apply the quality rating scale & appraisal criteria
Avoid repetition
Tables, diagrams and maps
Clarity - be explicit (avoid assumptions)
Ensure content flows logically (consistency of Activity Description & the rationale that links inputs, outputs & outcomes)
Use peer review (ask someone not connected with the design to read through it)
Follow the guidance notes in templates, apply the quality rating scale & appraisal criteria
Try to avoid repetition throughout the document
Tables, diagrams and maps cab be useful aids to express information that does not easily fit into a narrative.
Contact your design lead if you have any queries or require information pertaining to our bilateral or sector engagement.

12. Partnerships Fund: Tools
Partnerships Fund Guidelines
ADD template, Appraisal Template
Activity Quality Policy
New Zealand Aid Programme Strategic Plan
New Zealand Aid Programme Investment Priorities
Joint Commitments for Development (Pacific)
Results framework guidance (for design)
Cross-cutting analysis guidance
Your Activity Design Contact