Page 92 - AERC Strategic Plan 2 July2020

THE AERC 2020–2025 STRATEGIC PLAN

Targets against which AERC performance can be judged will be developed annually as
part of the strategic planning process and will build on those already included in the
Table of Targets and Indicators (which accompanies the ToC logic).

Indicatively, the three main processes envisioned for AERC-wide evaluation are
described below.

Brief Reviews by External Experts

The AERC should develop and maintain relationships with advisers who are familiar
with its work and who can conduct objective assessments that provide succinct
answers to one or more key evaluation questions, as well as provide realistic, actionable
recommendations on how performance can be improved. In general, reviews should be
brief (15–25 person days) and should be based on desk reviews and discussions with
both AERC management/staff and key stakeholders, such as donors and economic policy
stakeholders. Reviews should be conducted annually and be timed to feed into AERC
Board meetings and/or Management Committee meetings.

The team responsible for MEF and AERC management will need to identify the focus and
requirements for each review and prepare terms of reference accordingly. This should be
done with collaborative input from donors and other partners to ensure the reviews are
of relevance to a broad array of stakeholders.

Annual Internal Assessments

A second mechanism for answering the Strategic Evaluation Questions outlined in
the MEF Table A4 is an annual internal assessment, which should be considered as an
extension of the annual reflection sessions that are described above in the approach
to AERC-wide strategic performance monitoring. Whereas the reflection sessions are
focused on validation, reflection, and synthesis, the internal review should go a step
further to provide a high-level assessment about the overall ‘merit’ of the AERC (framed
in terms of indicative answers to the evaluation questions in the MEF). The assessment
should be based on all the various evidence related to AERC performance compiled over
the course of the year, and to identify any gaps in either performance or evidence. These
assessments should be timed to feed into annual reporting/Board meeting/Management
Committee, as the case may be.

The focus of the annual internal review should be on the degree to which the AERC is
contributing to the high-level outcomes articulated in the ToC. While new management
and implementation processes for the strategic plan are still being established and
institutionalised, during the initial phase (one to two years) an additional focus on

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