Managing for results

Everything SNV does is focused on achieving development results in the most efficient, effective and sustainable way possible. To ensure this, we make planning, monitoring, evaluation and learning a key part of our work. Our comprehensive planning, monitoring and evaluation system is called MfR – Managing for Results.

What is Managing for Results?

Managing for Results (MfR) is SNV’s approach to planning, monitoring and evaluation (PME). It forms the basis of a clearly articulated series of steps used by our advisors to plan and monitor the progress of projects, track the effectiveness of approaches and learn throughout the project cycle.

In practice, MfR means constant analysis, reflection and improvement of our practice – enabling successful tailoring of solutions to local problems and contexts and full transparency for our donors and partners.

How does it work?

MfR is applied throughout a project’s life cycle, from conception to conclusion.

At the conception stage, a project-specific intervention logic is developed through the articulation of a theory of change, the development of a results chain and a comprehensive sets of harmonised and project-specific indicators.

Recognising that interventions develop over time as contexts change and lessons are learned, SNV focuses on the logic behind capacity development initiatives. We emphasise the need for testing and adapting our theories of change, their associated actions and planned results.

Throughout a project’s lifespan, SNV advisors use our online PME format to maintain data and track progress. A unique and flexible web-based tool, our format means all PME information – from impact to outcomes, outputs and corresponding indicators – is accessible to project managers, partners and donors as and when needed.

Project stakeholders play a key role in the MfR process. Stakeholders are empowered to identify, collect, manage and analyse monitoring data and to use this information to tailor their own activities accordingly – building capacity and creating local-level ownership.

The PME tool is used in all SNV projects and allows for all project- related information, from impact to outcomes, outputs and indicators, to be entered, monitored and shared.

SNV’s PME quality standards

SNV’s PME system is guided by six standards, covering:

• Mission, Values & Strategy: Consistency with SNV’s mission, values, leadership principles, corporate strategy and policies.
• Analysis & Planning: Impact-oriented analysis and planning for results. Planning based on thorough analysis and clearly articulated intervention logics.
• Acting & Monitoring: Implementing plans and using baselines and targets to monitor progress on a regular basis.
• Assessment & Evaluation: Assessing and evaluating (un)intended results and reviewing the validity of intervention logics.
• Reflection & Application: Reflecting on results and lessons learnt, sharing findings and feeding them back into strategy, policies and planning.
• Sustainable MfR in SNV: Ensuring effective and efficient Management for Results, based on clear roles and responsibilities and adequate resources.

Together the standards promote participation of development stakeholders in planning, monitoring, evaluation and learning, underscore the importance of recognising complexity in developing capacity and being flexible in planning processes, and introduce real-time evaluation, which strongly supports learning.

Corporate evaluations

The MfR Unit also manages SNV’s corporate evaluations. Every year external evaluations are carried out on a number of SNV’s projects and programmes. These provide feedback on country and sector programmes and inform corporate strategies. See the Publications section of our website for summaries of recent evaluation reports.