Cd course module (07)
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Transcript of Cd course module (07)
MODULE 7
ASSESSING CAPACITY AND CAPACITY NEEDS
Understand existing capacities and capacity needs within specific context
Agree on common and mutually understood goals
Involve all relevant local stakeholders
Awareness of scope of previous capacity assessments
Assess feasibility and the risks to the development
goal of institutional framework
Establish organisational change readiness
Choose a relevant assessment approach
Ask the right questions
Capacity assessment is vital to capacity development process!
Introduction
Capacity Development Manual – SIDAFormal and non-formal institutional frameworks
3 different ways to do/use capacity assessment
1. Local actors assess capacity of organisation(s)
2. Development partners assess themselves and each other
3. Development partners dialogue with local actors
Important points to remember:
• Assessment should preferably be ‘owned’ by relevant
local entity
• Start with small group of people
• Do not need to involve all the stakeholders all the time• Key stakeholders must be suitably involved
• Include less powerful stakeholders in process
Who should do the assessment?
Essential requirements before implementation of capacity assessment
• Common understanding of capacity and capacity development framework
• Validated development goal• Clarity about the purpose of the
assessment• Clarity of the mandate of the entity
to be assessed• Assessment of change
readiness
Framing a capacity assessment process
Validatedgoal
Mandate Assessment for what?
Ready for change?
Capacity Development
= .......
What to assess?
Mandate defined – starting point for assessing current capacity and future needs
Mandate not clear – harder to assess could represent a capacity need in itself
Important to look at whole system
zoom in and out
Not easy to exert influence on institutional frameworks Development
goal
Assess feasibility + risks
Be aware of ways affect programme
What to assess?
Look at hard and soft capacities
Think about themes for application Capacity framework - prioritise areas of assessment
eg. human capacity / systems and procedures /
knowledge management / good governance
Understand cross cutting issues
– especially gender
hardtechnical skills
structures
softpower distribution
incentives sanctionsleadership
values + beliefs
Toolkit for assessing organisational capacity
Check list for organisational assessment covers assessment areas:
• Outputs of the organisation
• Inputs and resources
• Leadership• Motivation/incentives• Balance between functional and political dimensions
• Fit between formal and informal organisations
• Networking capacity
Appropriate assessment approach and framework
Affirmative starting pointParticipatory self assessment
methodology Needs as realistic steps
More flexibleKey stakeholders define important
issues
Where we are now
What capacity do we need?
Stakeholders might not know best way to frame next capacity needs
Incremental approach
Developmentgoal
Appropriate assessment approach and framework
Where we are now
Ideal Situation
Gap to be filled
Could be more objective as determined by external consultants
Don’t value existing capacityIdeal goal often too ambitiousOften focus on hard capacities
Gap analysis
What questions to ask in an assessment?
Outputs
Hard and soft capacities ?
Inputs?
?
?
Hard and soft capacities ?
?
?
?
?
Remember: too much information can be as problematic as too little!
What local capacity is available for
CD?
Hard and soft capacities ?
Mandate
Assessment guidance and tips
Attention given to organisational political/power dimensions
Assessment process reasonable
Feedback and decision making process clear
Conclusions from the analysis substantiated by facts, figures and arguments
Capacity assessment involves all the key organisations
All stakeholders, including beneficiaries, appropriately involved
Capacity assessment reason clear and agreed Previous capacity
assessment processes taken into consideration