Action Plan to Institutionalize PPM

1
Action Plan to Institutionalize PPME in the
Agricultural Research System of Amhara Region,
Ethiopia

• 27th of February 2004,
• IAC, Wageningen.

2
Prelude

• ARARI has planning, monitoring and evaluation and
  impact assessment (PPME - IA) system.
• Less systematic and poorly organized.
• Interested to institutionalize PPME-IA in the
  regional research system.
• Needed changes in the mentality of the
  management.
• So, four senior staff of ARARI came to IAC.

3
Key lessons learnt

• Setting PPME in place
• Importance
• Key procedures
• Situation analysis
• Establishing the purpose and scope
• Identifying performance questions, information
  needs and indicators,
• Planning information gathering and organization,
• Planning critical reflection processes and
  events,
• Planning for quality communication and reporting,
  and
• putting in place the necessary capacities and
  conditions.
• Change Management

4
Objective

• Institutionalizing participatory planning,
  monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment in
  the agricultural research system of the Amhara
  region.
• Or, borrowing the words of the course, setting up
  PPME in Amhara Regional Agricultural Research
  System.

5
Situation Analysis - Briefly

• Current status of PME (IA)
• Good planning
• Poor monitoring and evaluation
• Poorly staffed
• Less attention
• No clear purpose and scope
• No evaluation questions
• Poor critical reflection mechanisms, etc
• Very poor impact assessment.

6
Current data/information journey and decision
making process in the regional research system

• The following picture shows the existing
  process.E\IAC\Maps of processes and events.doc

7
Current critical reflection events

• The following picture indicates the current
  status of critical reflection events.E\IAC\Maps
  of processes and events.doc

8
The PPME system ARARI aspires to setup

• Comprehensive
• Participatory
• Strengthened linkages
• New linkages
• Critical reflections ensured
• Nurtures organizational learning
• Effective
• Dynamic
• Sustainable.

9
Components of the PPME ARARI aspires to setup

• The PPME cycle. E\IAC\Maps of processes and
  events.doc
• The data/information journey and decision
  makingE\IAC\Maps of processes and events.doc
• The critical reflection eventsE\IAC\Maps of
  processes and events.doc

10
Stakeholders to be involved

• Researchers
• Extension staff
• Farmers
• Investors
• Important donors
• Governmental institutions
• Non-governmental organization/development
• Etc.

11
Constraints expected

• Lack of manpower
• Limited awareness about PPME
• Comfort with the status quo
• The challenge to setup a simple PPME for the
  complex regional research system

12
Measures to be taken

• Employing/deploying well trained personnel
• Provision of short and intensive training
• Enhancing commitment
• Participating as much stakeholders and
  encouraging innovations in institutionalizing
  PPME.

13
Activities

• Preparing a starting document to guide
  institutionalization of PPME (Feb/March 2004)
• Training researchers and supporting staff (March
  2004)
• Creating awareness of PPME
• Synthesizing the starting document.
• Preparation of draft PPME operational plan to
  institutionalize at all levels.
• Finalizing the PPME operational plans (April
  2004)
• Implementing the institutionalization process
  (May/June 2004)
• Monitoring and evaluating the progress (July
  2004)
• Preparation of PPME action plans at all levels
  (September 2004)

14
Resources needed and sources

• Financial resources
• Government and donors,
• Technical resources
• Senior scientists in the country and IAC
• Material resources
• The regional research system.

15
Immediate tasks

• Finalize the starter document and the action
  plan.
• Thank you very much!