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Collaborative Practice Tool

Snapshot of the Tool

Below is the summary of the 5 steps that the team can follow to arrive at the Promising Practices for their program – each step in this process will enable the team to gain a holistic picture of the program while narrowing it down to solutions that work

STEP 1 | list and Shortlist
Objectives & Outcome
STEP 2 | substantiate & calibrate
Objectives & Outcome
By the end of Step 2, the team would have arrived at a list of the Promising Practice(s)
STEP 3 | Develop into a Recommendation
Objectives & Outcome
STEP 4 | Document
Objectives & Outcome
STEP 5 | Objective Reivew
Objectives & Outcome
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Instructions to follow before using the tool

Assigning Roles

The roadmap is effective when implemented collectively within teams with people playing complementary roles. Therefore, before beginning, choose the following members and clarify their roles.

Enquiry Specialist

Someone who asks the guiding questions to arrive at the promising practices and assesses the potential to scale the journey. This should be someone who is not necessarily involved in the day-to-day implementation of the program

Program Specialist

Someone who delivers the program on-ground on a day-to-day basis and understands the program from its inception to the present day. It is recommended that more than one program specialist be present while implementing the roadmap

Impact Specialist

Someone who has a good understanding of learning and impact in general, especially qualitative impact and a good understanding of the scaling ecosystem within the development sector in India. This can include a keen understanding of government policies, programs and schemes, and the needs of the practitioner and philanthropic sector.

documentation Specialist

Someone who uses the roadmap to document the discussion and promising practices.

Points to Remember

  • Each step contains ‘instructions’, along with ‘probing questions’ for facilitation. The team does not need to answer all the probing questions. This is left to the discretion of the enquiry specialist. 
  • The roadmap is not an exercise to re-calibrate the theory of change or strategies. For the purpose of this exercise, focus on ‘what’ is working on-ground, even if that is going beyond what was envisioned in the theory of change. Do not focus on ‘why’ this program is being implemented.  
  • The goal of this tool is to capture the on-ground strategies, solutions, frameworks, aspects, methodologies, and ways of working in a program that should be gathered for knowledge-sharing among actors in the sector.  

While applying the roadmap given below, ensure that:

  • The objectives are specified by the enquiry specialist at the start of each step 
  • All activities and approaches are probed for by the program specialist using probing questions 
  • Responses are captured by the documentation specialist and summarized by the enquiry specialist at the end of each step using the documentation template
Below is a fully constructed anonymous example, provided to act as a reference for how the relevant and applicable details can be captured in each table reflected throughout the steps of the roadmap.
Click here to explore a practical example

Once ready, click below to start using the Tool!

Begin!
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1

List & Shortlist

Objective

To identify gaps/needs/opportunities and to shortlist program practices that are impactful, sustainable, scalable, innovative and/or unique.

Reference Example for easy understanding

Table 1

The policy gap(s) addressed by the program

The exclusion of young people in the decision-making process for policy issues surrounding adolescents

Community need(s) addressed by the program

Greater awareness and understanding of adolescent issues regarding their education, sexual and reproductive health, and early marriage

Opportunity for innovation addressed by the program

The opportunity to bring and work together with critical stakeholders on a single platform

Table 2

Day-to-day program activities

Stakeholder management, vendor management

Periodic program activities

Monitoring, Reporting, Training of Personnel

One-off program activities

Government advocacy, designing campaigns

Tools/frameworks/systems & processes/ways of working from the program

Systems Change Framework

Table 3

Program practices

Is the practice impactful? If yes, list down why?

Is the practice sustainable? If yes, list down why?   

Is the practice scalable? If yes, list down why?  

Is the practice innovative and/or unique? If yes, list down why?  

Youth-led social audits and presenting youth-centric priorities directly to decision makers

Yes, as it allows young people to directly engage with decision makers and contribute to the decision-making process

Yes, as it equips young people with leadership skills. It is also cost effective due to the long-term gains it offers upon initial investment

Yes, as such training modules can be replicated across multiple initiatives by other practitioners & organizations. In addition, trained young people can also train other young people

Yes, as it follows an approach which centers its design and delivery around young people, in an end-to-end manner

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Table 4

Promising Practice

Youth-led social audits and presenting youth-centric priorities directly to decision makers to: (i) create a platform for youth to exercise their agency (ii) effectively engage decision makers

Source

  • Verbal evidence from community
  • Verbal feedback from on-ground team members
  • Project report & surveys

Details

Community feedback of adolescents feeling confident, understood, and acknowledge

On-ground team feedback on creation of government champions for the project’s objectives

Project report and surveys observe greater youth involvement and efficacy in engaging directly with decision maker

Table 5

RECOMMENDATIONS

Promising Practice

Youth-led social audits and presenting youth-centric priorities directly to decision makers to: (i) create a platform for youth to exercise their agency (ii) effectively engage decision makers

The demographic it addresses

Adolescents from the age of 10 to 19 years

The gap/ need/ opportunity it addresses

The exclusion of adolescents and young people in the decision-making process for policy issues regarding adolescents and young people

Govt stakeholders

Holding consultations with critical stakeholders and young people from the inception of a program

Funders

Taking inputs from all stakeholders and young people before initiating a new project to ensure a deeper visibility and understanding of their demographic and its needs

Other Practitioners

Engaging young people in decision-making processes to adopt a more collaborative approach between stakeholders and young people

Community Stakeholders

Undertaking youth-led social audits and engagement with decision makers to engage directly with young people, understand their needs & concerns and influence change at the community level

5

Objective Review

Outcome

Promising Practices and recommendations ratified by at least one member/ partner organization/ community/ MEL partners outside of ‘the team’

5

Objective Review

Objective

To validate the final promising practice and recommendation(s) by at least one person/ partner organization/ community/ MEL partners outside of the team.

4

Document

Outcome

2-3 promising practices documenting:

 

  • What gap/need is addressed
  • How it is addressed and the change that is created
  • The potential for replicating along with recommendations for implementing

4

Document

Objective

To document the promising practices in a detailed manner

3

Develop into a recommendation

Outcome

Well-articulated recommendation(s) addressing:

 

  • Demographic to cater to
  • Gaps/needs/opportunities addressed by the practice
  • The change brought in by implementing such a practice

3

DEVELOP INTO A RECOMMENDATION

Objective

To construct a recommendation in a brief, specific and clear-cut format which would assist other initiatives in implementing the same

2

CALIBRATE & SUBSTANTIATE

Outcome

Obtaining qualitative and/or quantitative data to assess the promise of the shortlisted practices according to the five guiding factors

Arriving at first list of promising practices

2

CALIBRATE & SUBSTANTIATE

Objective

To substantiate the shortlisted practices by collating gathered data in the form of:

 

  • Feedback from the community
  • Verbal accounts of the ground team
  • Documentation reports
  • Other valuable data

1

List & Shortlist

Outcome

Identifying:

  • Policy gaps
  • Community needs
  • Opportunities for innovation and other aspects that the program is addressing.

    Creating a list of program practices that are working on-ground in bridging gaps/needs/opportunities.
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