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Moving the Needle 2015: Better Development Programming Through Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting

Event Details

Date and Time
November 17, 2015
8:30 am EST

Important Dates

November 17, 2015
Moving the Needle Conference

This one-day gathering in Washington, DC highlighted the work USAID and its partners are doing around intentional learning practices for better development outcomes. The first event in an annual series, "Moving the Needle: Better Development Programming Through Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting" brought together a diverse group of staff across USAID and representatives from over 40 implementing partner organizations to nurture a shared understanding of CLA and how we can use it to improve development programming. 

Below is a snapshot of event highlights. Make sure to check out the event photos, review the key takeaways, and browse the CLA case studies. More content will be shared through this page in coming months. To stay up to date, follow @USAIDLearning on Twitter and subscribe to Learning Matters

We'd also love to hear your key takeaways! Share with us on Twitter or email us what you're working on at [email protected]

Moving the Needle 2015 event by the numbers

Event Agenda

9:00 - 9:10          Welcome

9:10 - 9:40          Leadership Address
                         Video Premiere of "Community Connector and CLA: Proving the Concept"

9:40 - 10:00        Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) Town Hall

10:00 - 10:45       CLA Case Competition Award Ceremony

10:45 - 11:15       Break

11:15 - 12:00       Breakout Sessions: CLA Case Competition Winners

12:00 - 1:00         Lunch

1:00 - 1:30          What is the CLA Maturity Matrix?

1:30 - 1:40          Break

1:40 - 2:30          Breakout 1: CLA Tool Demonstrations, CLA & M&E, and CLA Competition Showcase Walkthrough  

2:45 - 3:30          Breakout 2: CLA Tool Demonstrations, CLA & M&E, and CLA Competition Showcase Walkthrough 

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3:30 - 3:45          Break

3:45 - 4:30          What Comes Next? Looking Forward to 2016 and Beyond

4:30 - 4:45          Fan Favorite Award Presentation

4:45 - 5:00         Thanks and Conclusion

Facilitators

Headshot of Patricia RadarPatricia Radar
USAID’s Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Bureau for Policy, Planning and Learning

 

 

Headshot of Stacey YoungStacey Young
Senior Learning Advisor in USAID's Office of Learning, Evaluation and Research in the Bureau for Policy, Planning and Learning

 
 

Headshot of Piers BocockPiers Bocock
Chief of Party, USAID LEARN Project

 

 

Visual Summary

Browse the notes below to learn more about the major highlights from this event.

Moving the Needle 2015: Visual Summary from USAIDLearningLab

Top 10 Takeaways

At the end of the event, participants shared salient points from the day with each other. This list is a summary of some of the key takeaways.

10.  There are a lot of great examples of collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) in action already; but due to context, it looks different everywhere.

9.  Facilitating knowledge sharing is an important part of everyone’s role.

8.  Regular reflection should be valued as an active learning opportunity rather than a distraction that delays the work.

7.  Including learning agendas as part of design and work planning is essential to make sure learning is intentional and systematic.

6.  Offering solutions before fully defining the problem is a common mistake; not all the tools available are appropriate for every situation. 

5.  CLA involves overcoming the fear of failure.

4.  Evaluation should not be an extractive activity; accountability and learning should work hand in hand.

3.  Change management needs to be a part of the CLA conversation.

2.  Honest conversations between USAID agreement managers and partners are necessary for healthy CLA adoption across programming.

1.  CLA is institutionalized when it becomes intentional, systematic, and resourced.

Photos

Head over to our flickr album for some snapshots from throughout the day. 

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Resources

CLA Featured Collection

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The resources in this collection are intended to support USAID Missions and implementing partners implement Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) throughout the Program Cycle. These guidance documents provide information and examples about different concepts and activities related to CLA. The resources included in this collection reflect how any project can integrate similar approaches to improve development outcomes.

CLA Case Studies

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Want to know how collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) is being operationalized? Interested in what your colleagues are doing to systematically integrate and plan for CLA as part of their programs? Explore this growing list of case studies to find out. These CLA examples were submitted as part of the CLA Case Competition held in August 2015.
 

Evaluation Toolkit

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This toolkit is a resource for USAID staff members and external contractors who participate in or conduct evaluations for USAID. It curates the latest USAID guidance, tools, and templates for initiating, planning, managing, and learning from evaluations primarily for USAID staff members who are involved in any phase of the evaluation process.
 

Program Cycle Guidance

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Program Cycle Guidance resources are published by the USAID Bureau of Policy, Planning, and Learning and provide practical advice to USAID staff and partners related to the Program Cycle. If you have experiences of your own that you’d like to share, please use the comment box on the relevant Learning Lab library page to post your thoughts (Learning Lab members only). USAID staff can also join in the discussion about this guidance on Program Net.