Strategic Planning in ITDG

At project level ITDGPractical Action implements a Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation System (PME System).

The primary objective of the PME system is to provide operational staff with a useful method of facilitating high quality work by promoting good planning, monitoring, review and management of projects within ITDGPractical Action's technical programmes, and also certain policy and communications work.

The central feature of the system is an annual review process in which each project conducts an annual consultation on project progress involving all stakeholders, reflecting on the work to date.

The other main objectives of the PME system are to provide high quality project information to stakeholders and to provide senior management with information on how well ITDGPractical Action is progressing towards its objectives.

Although donor requirements were an important impetus to develop cohesive PME systems in ITDGPractical Action, it was the staff within our organisation who designed and developed the system in its present form, expressing their keen insistence on accountability. Particular weight was given to designing a system that assists the provision of information for annual reporting internally and to donor organisations.

Over the years the PME system has undergone gradual development to meet the requirements of stakeholders within the Group and externally. It has achieved great success in bringing the organisation towards common standards of project management, documentation, review processes and periodic reporting.

Currently the PME system is itself being reviewed to ensure it continues to meet ITDGPractical Action's and external stakeholders' changing needs.