Policy Research and Program Design and Management
Our team can support all stages of the policy and program lifecycles. From establishing evidence-based findings to support the identification of problems, setting objectives, and developing measurable strategies and implementation to developing robust monitoring and evaluation methods. We can conduct stakeholder mapping exercises and offer co-creation workshops to harness the expertise in your teams to maximize potential, relevance and impact of your work.
Our approaches are guided by the following principles:
- Equity-Centred Design: programs and policies consider systemic inequities and promote outcomes which integrate fairness and equal opportunities for those disadvantaged.
- Evidence-Based Decision-Making: Utilizing up to date data to inform every stage of the design process. This includes conducting needs assessments, analyzing existing data, and utilizing robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks to track progress and identify areas for decision-making.
- Intentionally Inclusive Stakeholder Engagement: Actively involving your teams and diverse stakeholders, including those most affected by the issue, in the design process. This ensures that relevant voices, perspectives, and lived experiences are reflected in a final policy, program or approach.
Development of Measurable Outcomes: Defining clear, specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives that align with equity goals. This allows for the tracking of progress and the identification of areas for improvement. - Building Capacity for Sustainability: Providing training and support to organizations and communities to implement and sustain the policy or program over the long term. This includes building the capacity for data collection, analysis, and use, as well as fostering ongoing learning and adaptation.
Monitoring Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL)
At SHE Associates, our work with MEAL can include but is not limited to the following services:
- Development and revision of tools and methods for effective, clear and coherent MEAL approaches whether for your organization, program or project
- Designing appropriate measurable implementation plans, with clear key performance indicators (KPIs), logic models and performance measurement frameworks
- Tools and Training for staff and stakeholders on monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks
- Co-Creation of frameworks through interactive, participatory sessions with your stakeholders
- Reporting and evaluating – collecting and analyzing data, including foundational baseline establishment to support intended implementation of programming and its evaluation
Evaluations in Focus:
Our evaluation engagements are a core area of our experts’ work with over decades of experience in result-based management, creations of logic maps and theories of change and organizations and program audits and reviews deploying our cutting edge approaches.
What you will receive will always be practical, relevant and effective. Our experts customize our methods to your initiative and organization, uniquely combining proven methods and processes – not a one-size fits all approach. We have experience conducting organizational, program and project evaluations, globally. From small not for profits, to government programs. All our engagements include a participatory component to ensure a comprehensive and representative assessment of your work. We also always consider power dynamics ensuring an actioning of a gendered approach.
What you can expect:
- A clear evaluation plan and matrix
- Clear operationalization of performance measures
- Relevant and diverse evidence collection methodologies, desk review, qualitative and quantitative considerations.
- Participatory research methods, prioritizing rapport building to ensure maximization of trust and data gathering
- A clear evidence-based report which can include recommendations.
- We are also experts in developing logic mapping and often do this through user-friendly theory of change models for your initiative.
Strategic Planning and Governance
Our approach to strategic planning moves beyond developing an informed roadmap for your organization, it is intentional in design to ensure your teams are empowered by integrating sustainable practices and approaches throughout.
Our engagement typically includes the following:
Strategic Planning – Establishing the Roadmap where we will:
- Explore your vision and mission
- Conduct an analysis with a participatory assessment
- Set measurable objectives and aligned with appropriate key performance indicators.
- Develop an action plan through a collaborative process. This is usually accompanied by a Theory of Change visual mapping to support your planning.
- And establish metrics to measure your success and track progress through a comprehensive, user-friendly framework.
In our approach we include engagement with governance, evaluating current structures, roles, responsibilities and identifying areas for improvement, supporting transparency and buy-in from your team.
Our participatory processes can also involve an element of capacity building and customized engagement.
Finally, we leave our clients with templates, tracking and assessment tools as well as best practices and recommendations to ensure sustainability of our efforts and your investment and set up a solid road for success.
