Office Support Services:           

Addressing Work Overload

Organizations – in the field and at head offices – are bombarded with documents that require analysis before decisions are taken: project and programme documents, consultancy reports, appraisals and evaluations, etc.

We assist by doing much of the analysis based on country or sector expertise, but above all on our methodology skills. Are issues of relevance, impact and sustainability assessed? Is the LFA matrix logical and consistent? Are targets in line with Millennium Development Goals? Are evaluation questions properly addressed? Are indicators "good practice"?

We analyze/annotate the documents, identify how short-comings can be addressed, and suggest improvements if required. In this way, we act as an extension of the organization's own staff, doing much of the background work required for good decision making.

Alleviating Work Pressures – Improving Quality

Organizations contact us to assist with management tasks. These "office support services" can cover any part of the activity cycle, from preparing job descriptions for identification missions to reviewing evaluation reports.

One area we are increasingly asked to support, is strengthening the basis for performance monitoring. This can consist of analysing strategy and project documents, looking at how well future results are specified, if indicators are good, data likely to be available, and therefore how a realistic and cost-effective system can be designed. And here the main challenge is often to find the right balance between "the ideal" and the feasible, where our field-based experience helps guide choices.