Future Partners develops project designs for organisations that have an approved concept note or business case and are ready to work out the details of how the project will work. At the outset we develop an agreed theory of change, before building the monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL) framework, budget and supporting details.
What a project design covers
A project design is a document that explains, in detail:
- the theory of change (ToC), with a MERL framework — the ToC may have been developed during scoping, but needs a sound, shared understanding of how and why the desired change is expected to happen
- what the project will achieve (the results or outcomes)
- what goods and services (outputs) are needed to achieve those results
- the specific actions, activities and resources required to deliver the outputs
- the approaches being taken to deliver results
- the assumptions being made about the outputs and outcomes
- the risks involved
- how the project will be managed and governed
- how the project will work with, and include, women and different social groups
- how the project will protect or enhance the environment and help mitigate the effects of climate change
- what costs are involved and when they are likely to be incurred (the budget)
Working to each donor's requirements
Some donors have their own processes, guidelines and forms for project designs, which organisations must comply with. We are experienced in designing projects funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Pacific Community (SPC), government departments and agencies in donor and partner countries, UN agencies, development banks (such as the ADB and World Bank), public research organisations and the private sector. Our familiarity with these funders' processes and language makes design work much easier — and saves our clients time and potential headaches.
Designing alongside you
Our project design team works alongside our client's team and the people who will benefit from the project. This means we go on the same design journey together — which is vital for our clients to feel the design is their own. Our team always includes international development design and MERL specialists, subject-matter experts and beneficiary representatives.
When a design is complete, help may be needed to prepare an implementation or inception plan to establish and manage the project. We can support or undertake that work, and provide a surge team for the start-up and closedown phases when additional hands are often needed. We're also available to answer queries, offer advice and support project monitoring — and our project management, review and evaluation, and improvement services are on hand at any stage of implementation, tailored to each client's needs and budget.
What our design service involves
- confirming or developing a theory of change that explains the priority results and how the project will achieve them over its lifetime
- articulating measurable results the project will achieve over its lifetime
- ensuring the project's results and targets align with others relevant to it (such as the government's sector strategy or the client's own plans)
- working with the project's stakeholders to check the design is feasible and resourced
- developing a framework our clients can easily use to monitor results and track progress — we like to use MERL, but can use other formats
- training the client's team to use MERL methodologies and tools
- considering the risks to implementing the project and achieving its results, and planning ways to manage and mitigate them
- creating a project budget
- preparing a plan to implement the project
- developing a plan to communicate information and news about the project
- designing the mechanisms, roles and responsibilities to govern and manage the project — including terms of reference for boards and job descriptions for key roles
- understanding the donor's payment and reporting schedule, so the activities and budget match the donor's tranche payments and reporting deadlines
- compiling the design document, using our template or the client's
Our design tools
We've created our own project design template and tools, drawn from years of designing projects for different clients and from templates provided by a variety of donors. If a client doesn't have a design template, they can use and adapt ours — they're flexible, and can be tailored to any organisation and any donor.
The MERL framework
Creating a good MERL framework can seem daunting — or like a 'tick-box' exercise. Yet a good one generates robust, reliable evidence about a project that helps organisations learn, improve and stay accountable for their results.
At Future Partners we use the MERL framework to clarify the purpose of the project from the outset, and then to bring it to life — a tool to be used every day during the project, not a chore endured only at reporting time.
Even the most well-designed activities don't always work. With data collected and analysed, we have the means to decide how to change or improve the project next time. Monitoring helps us understand why things don't work, so we can learn from experience and avoid making the same mistake twice.
Our MERL frameworks include a work plan that sets out what needs to be done, when, and by whom — so everyone is clear on their role in monitoring the project.
