Introducing November’s Month and Learn: ‘Retooling’ Program Implementation

The CLA, Monitoring, and Evaluation Toolkits on Learning Lab are some of the best-known and most-used content on the site. The resources across the toolkits aim to make best practices laid out in the Agency’s operational model for development programming more accessible to USAID staff, implementing partners, and the development community. From tip sheets to templates, the toolkits offer practical resources to help you implement Agency guidance on CLA, monitoring and evaluation.

What’s more, the Bureau for Policy, Planning and Learning (PPL) regularly updates these toolkits as USAID policy evolves and as new tools and resources emerge from across the development community.  Many of the tools in the toolkit have been updated in the last year to ensure that Agency personnel and partners have the latest resources at their fingertips to design, implement, manage, assess, and learn from development programming.

There are so many great resources within the toolkits, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. That’s why we’re delighted to share that our November Month & Learn is ‘Retooling’ Program Implementation! Throughout the month, we’ll not only spotlight some favorite resources in the toolkits, but also share reviews on how to use them from USAID staff. Additionally, we’ll feature a blog by the three teams in PPL that are responsible for toolkit updates.

Before we dig into the toolkits, we’ll kick off the first week of November with a reintroduction of USAID’s operational model for development programming and the Program Cycle. This is the policy backbone of the three toolkits. The Agency’s operational model demonstrates the value of CLA, monitoring, and evaluation across all areas of program implementation, as well as the interconnections between CLA, monitoring, and evaluation. For a helpful overview of the Program Cycle, watch this 40-minute Intro to the Program Cycle Course from USAID.

Whether you’re new to the toolkits or need a refresher, are just getting acquainted with the concepts of CLA or are an advanced evaluator, follow our content throughout the month to see how USAID connects policy to practice. And as always, please share your feedback with the Learning Lab team at [email protected].