Over the past two years, DG’s Results Data Initiative pioneered new approaches, tools, and resources for enhancing the influence of results data on development decisions. We have collaborated with UK’s DFID and Global Affairs Canada, as well as Malawi’s Ministry of Agriculture and Tanzania’s President’s Office-Regional Administration and Local Government (PORALG) to address existing barriers to results data use.

Moving into 2019, we are pleased to be expanding RDI alongside our growing set of partners and funders.

The program’s third phase focuses on agency-level engagement, and we will be scaling our partnerships with these development agencies to use results data to inform critical policy and programmatic decisions.

We will continue working across departments, with senior leaders and technical staff, to develop effective tools and data use strategies. Our goal is to strengthen capacity and mechanisms for leveraging data during key planning processes, from portfolio management to internal learning.  This also means continuing to support cross-agency peer learning via direct matchmaking of staff across agencies.

Each step of the way, will utilize existing platforms like the OECD to share learnings and resources, aiming to achieve greater impact from results data.

What activities will we do in RDI 3?

1. Rapid Assessments

With partner staff, we will co-design a rapid study of the agency’s current data collection, management, and use practices. DG will use the findings to identify existing strategy, delivery, and practical applications that enable or hinder meaningful data use within the agency. The rapid assessments will build on DG’s Custom Assessment and Landscaping Methodology (CALM), which presents our approach to conducting effective assessments, and will be designed around the agency’s specific priorities to identify opportunities for maximizing data investments. They will include:

1. Document review of corporate, sector/country, and project-level budgets, reports, and strategies;
2. Data review assessing frequency, standardization, availability, and appropriateness of data aggregation at each level;
3. Interviews with agency staff and external partners to explore data needs and processes;
4. Technical assessment of existing delivery systems, such as IT and internal trainings; and
5. Implementation recommendations on tools, processes, and/or strategic objectives.

2. Peer Learning

Across our agency assessments, we’ve noticed common threads in priority decision-making areas. We’ll use our understanding of agency flows to improve peer learning among our partner agencies, and support and empower staff to implement tested solutions that enable change.

Building on RDI Success

We look forward to supporting development agencies to build and improve processes and systems to enable more effective results data use. We’ll continue sharing our lessons learned throughout our engagement, so keep an eye on our blog and follow along with @DGateway on Twitter. We welcome your experience and feedback!