Page 88 - AERC Strategic Plan 2 July2020

THE AERC 2020–2025 STRATEGIC PLAN

Implementing AERC-wide Strategic Monitoring

As outlined in the MEF above, the focus of strategic monitoring is on generating
information on the overall performance of the AERC, the achievement of results, and
the strategic management of its programmes. The AERC will need to adopt an open-
ended approach to monitoring, which will enable the compilation of various types of
information about the AERC’s performance. Much of this information will come from
activity-level performance monitoring; however, the AERC will also need to implement
several AERC-wide performance-reflection processes to compile additional information
and to analyse and synthesize performance-monitoring information at a level elevated
above the activity.

These AERC-wide strategic monitoring processes should include:

» An ‘impact log’ that can be used to compile general or unsolicited feedback from
AERC stakeholders and other users on an ongoing basis.
» Six-monthly reviews within each of the AERC’s directorates, structured around
its programmes. The team responsible for MEF should facilitate review sessions
(between half a day and one day) with each department. These reviews should
focus around the monitoring questions (see Key ME Questions in Table A4) and
should also facilitate the identification of key lessons and how the answers to the
monitoring questions and key lessons can be incorporated into implementation
for the next six-month period.

» The compilation of structured, periodic feedback from key AERC stakeholders
(ideally integrated into the above mentioned six-monthly review processes).
In addition to activity-level feedback, the AERC should request higher level
feedback from partners, beneficiaries, officials, and individuals or groups
identified as important stakeholders for the AERC. This feedback should cover:

~ The quality of AERC support and outputs (research papers, graduates,
curricular, etc.); indications of the use of AERC outputs;
~ Any changes in interactions with other stakeholders;
~ Key developments in the context (e.g. donor context, broader African
economic policy context, etc.);

~ Other emerging outcome-level changes (including unanticipated
changes); and
~ Suggestions for improvement to AERC management or
implementation processes.

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