Program Design and Inception
Investing time and effort on the front end of programs helps us deliver a lasting impact for our clients. Our approach to program design is research based and takes into account local contextual considerations, building on our team’s regional and technical expertise. In keeping with our mission to promote meaningful and lasting change, we design sustainability strategies into all our programs, focusing on local ownership and private sector buy-in when appropriate.
We provide our clients with a range of research, analysis and planning services that help them to continue building on strengths while creating new initiatives aligned to their values and vision. Our team designs programs and projects with clear goals and outcomes that can be easily measured, designed to align with the mission, organisational capacity, funding sources and core competencies of our clients. Ultimately, we provide our clients with meaningful support during program design and inception, helping to clarify desired outcomes, reinforce a shared vision among project partners and providing a roadmap for implementation.
Program Design and Logic
We ensure all of our design and program logic work include outcome models that identify key inputs, activities, outputs and outcomes across a wide timeline. Our program logic sets out what a project will do and how it will do it. In other words, it represents a project’s theory of change. Developing a program logic in design requires ‘backward mapping’. That is, we start with the intended outcomes and map backwards to think through what would be the essential preconditions needed to achieve these outcomes. Eventually we map down to consider strategies or theories of action for interventions. Utilising participatory approaches when developing program logic and design models often helps stakeholders reach consensus about realistic ways of achieving valued outcomes.
Business Process Analysis
Organisations today face myriad challenges of a changing environment. In support of this changing environment we apply a process targeted at defining initiatives and projects that will assist in the transformation process. Our functional competencies include incorporating business analysis and business process improvement services, facilitation and decision support services, and defining what needs to be built or developed before it is implemented.
Procurement Support
Our specialists and experts provide a full range of procurement support for clients, including navigating complex aid and development finance architecture. Our team provides support on a myriad of procurement activities, including preparation of tender documents, development of technical and financial evaluation criteria, comparative analysis of local procurement regulations and practices, and ultimately recommendations on how to best move forward while meeting partner preferences and funding conditionality.
Feasibility Study and Needs Assessment
Our team undertakes needs assessments and feasibility studies that inform our clients’ critical programmatic decisions from an independent, analytical, and data-driven perspective. Depending on the client and project being assessed, our team normally provides a market, technical and financial analysis to advise our clients on the best course of action. Our reports and assessments are proportion to the scale and complexity of the project, and can lead to a more detailed business case or plan where required.
Stakeholder Analysis and Engagement
Effective stakeholder engagement and consultation are critical to all areas of our work. We work with our clients to identify key stakeholder groups and establish appropriate engagement and consultation strategies to implement throughout the life of a project. Our team employs our deep network of local contacts, coupled with extensive experience facilitating high-level consultations, key informant interviews (KII), focus group discussions and validation workshops and meetings regionally to deliver meaningful results.