Program Support Teams: Experiences from Asia

1. Program Support Teams: Experiences from Asia August 2012

2. Topics for Discussion • PST in Asia • SO Coordinators’ Experiences from India, Sri Lanka and the Philippines • Highlights from other Asian Program Support Teams • Challenges and Best Practices

3. Distribution of SO Coordination roles in Asia Background • The SO Coordination roles were allocated to the SO (i.e. not the individual) . • The SO selected the individual based on criteria. • This was proposed to the NO (i.e. room for negotiation) • Nomination of Coordination SO (by SOCCER) was not linked to magnitude of investment/interest in the NO. • Care taken to ensure: • responsibility distributed around the SOs as much as possible (as appropriate) • all SOs encouraged to be primary or secondary coordinator

4. Highlights from the Region • PST Composition and Meeting Frequency • Organizational capacity plan with DME being the focus initially recently revised with expansion to various sectors beyond DME • NO strategies have been presented to PST linked to OCP - Ongoing discussions on PST support achieving NO priorities and strategic objectives • Specific sectors requiring support promoted in each PST • NO DME Plan - Different stages of LEAP cycle and areas for SO support • SAR trend analysis • Roundtable meetings to present their strategies • Face to face meetings – Coordinated capacity building (including redesign, reporting workshop, joint field monitoring) • Developing a Plan of Action • SO Matrix

5. Highlights from East Asia PST • Laos • Three SOs attended the face-to-face meeting this winter in Laos. There was a lull in PST activity as the team waited for the arrival of the new ND and PQ director. The PST just had a call with the new ND. • Thailand • The NO has mapped impact reporting writing, DME and grant acquisition needs. Now the PST is working on developing the action plan. Expanded beyond DME, promoting issue based support. • Mongolia • public engagement – local resource mobilization (e.g. mining companies) – develop a strategy to do this. • China • increase WV engagement with central government and partnering with national organizations. • Cambodia – DME focused (presented transition guidelines)

6. Highlights from South Asia PST • Bangladesh • Members of the PST tested a new concept mapping tool in 8 redesigning ADPs. The tool was initially developed by WVUS but refined by WV Lanka. • PST members were asked to submit their summary conclusions about the reports they reviewed. • Indonesia • Nepal

7. SO Coordinators’ Experience: Key Activities INDIA • A Nutrition Working Group has been established consisting of the NO and three SOs (UK, US and NZ). This group is led by Barbara Main. The group is currently reviewing documents on the Health and Nutrition sector. • Communication • PST meetings have covered the following: • WV US idea on TOT for reporting workshop • S&T initiative and support to the phasing out ADPs. India has a pilot already in Anugraha ADP. • Areas for Influence

8. SO Coordinators’ Experience: Key Activities SRI LANKA • PST Member Priorities, Strengths and Gaps matrix • Identified the SAR for review • Identified areas for support under DME, Programme Support and OCP • PST will hold a roundtable meeting in November 2012 which would be combined with SO field visits. • Overall communication is regular and going well. • Areas for Influence

9. SO Coordinators’ Experience: Key Activities INSERT PHOTOS OR MAP The PHILIPPINES • The PST has had two meetings and has set an action plan related to the office’s DME priorities of designs/redesigns, evaluations and transition designs. • The PST has also consolidated its report feedback for the NO. • Current Action Plan the team came up with in the last meeting is as follows: • S/AR Review and Report Trends Analysis • Evaluation Reflection • PDD Workshop with Transition and Sustainability Integration Report Writing Workshop Joint Evaluation • Face-to-face roundtable • Areas for Influence

10. SO Coordinators’ Experience: Challenges • Ensuring NO Ownership • Maintaining Momentum • Handover of SO Coordinator Role • The role of Secondary SO Coordinators • The role of the Regional Office

11. Lessons Learned or Advice From Asia ? PHILIPPINES, October 2012: There is continuous conversation between me (the NO Lead) and the Coordinator. We had a PST preparatory meeting this week and plan to have the first full PST meeting in a few weeks’ time. The RO helped by providing a briefing about program support to our team during the preparatory meeting. BANGLADESH, January 2012: We have found that focusing SO POs on common resourcing opportunities (working jointly together across offices to fund one project out of two SO funding streams) encourages good and deep interaction. This has included joint efforts between WVUS and New Zealand and New Zealand and Australia on the new urban ADPs in Dhaka. Asia Pacific regional feedback, October 2011: Support Teams are a great venue for raising other strategic and sectoral interests. Do remember though that the sector specialists are generally not present on the Support Team (which consists of PO / CPMs and regional Programme Quality staff). So while in some cases some special interest sub-groups may form within a Support Team, it may be more effective for a support team to defer some sectoralmatters to other staff outside the team. INDONESIA, January 2012: It is helpful to have clear action points at close of each meeting and follow-up from either the Coordinator or NO Lead. The NO actively uses the minutes of webex meetings to cross check agreements made. If something different happens we usually discuss it with the SO Coordinator first and then raise the issue in the next team meeting. NO Lead and SO Coordinator always inform each other when we receive any question/comment from other team members.

12. Lessons Learned or Advice From Asia ? CAMBODIA, January 2012: The Programme Support Team has met twice and has agreed upon the 20% of reports for review. SOs have shared expertise areas while Cambodia shared its DME priorities and OCP needs. When the team decided it needed more time for a more focused discussion on a topic – our design processes - our solution was to call a specific webinar on that topic. VIETNAM, January 2012: Recently we sent out a set of questions to the SOs to collect their country-level analysis/feedback from the FY11 ARs they reviewed and the PST Coordinator is consolidating all the feedback into one report to share with the NO and the other PST members. We are planning our second PST meeting next week which will be our report review learning event. We will discuss/reflect on (1) the FY11 AR review process, (2) country-level trends, (3) things to improve for the next reporting period/process and (4) capacity building needs based on the above. MYANMAR, March 2012: We are in Myanmar for a face-to-face PST meeting. The NO staff are excited to host the SO reps and the meeting provides a good opportunity to deepen relationships and look at programmequality issues more in depth.