March Month & Learn: Maturity Tools in Development - Practical Uses and Lessons Learned
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This month focuses on the use of maturity tools at USAID and how they have been used to help teams have strategic conversations about improving organizational effectiveness and better development results. Since the CLA Maturity Tool was first developed in 2015, the approach itself has gone through lots of iterations and inspired others to create maturity tools to meet different outcomes. Follow along with us over the next three weeks as we explore the journey of these maturity tools to the present day.
Week 1: Revisiting the CLA Maturity Tool and how it came to be
Week 2: Looking at how our community has been inspired by the CLA Maturity Tool
Week 3: Reflecting on the Use of the CLA Maturity Tool
Follow along on our USAID Learning Lab LinkedIn page as we highlight content throughout the month. A link to every piece of featured content will be added to the bottom of this page so you won’t miss out.
Have a resource, tool, tip, or experience around use of maturity tools? We want to hear from you too! Share resources or blogs related to your own experiences and lessons learned.
Week 3: Reflections and Lessons Learned from Developing and Using the CLA Maturity Tool
While the original CLA Maturity Tool was designed to be flexible, USAID has learned a lot more over time about different ways the tool can be put to use, including the pros and cons of each method. As the tool has been used by more and more people, we’ve seen how different outcomes might emerge--whether you’re including a small group of people or an entire mission, whether you’re focused on having in-depth conversations or just trying to come out with a simple snapshot, or if you’re trying to achieve change within an organization or technical sector!
The content below is relevant to anyone developing or using maturity tools to facilitate strategic conversations. Check out the lessons we’ve collected so far and what challenges we think still remain. Do any of them resonate with you? We’d love to hear about your experiences on our USAID Learning Lab LinkedIn page.
5 Lessons and a Lingering Question About Using the Collaborating, Learning and Adapting Maturity Tool - Read these reflections on how the CLA Maturity Tool has been used and what we’re still thinking about!
CLA Maturity Tool Facilitation Talking Points - This resource includes additional guidance for facilitators and may inspire different ways to adapt the tool to serve different needs
Designing and Facilitating Learning-Focused Meetings - This general use document can be helpful for thinking through how to design meetings that support learning. It can be a supplement to the CLA Maturity Tool facilitation resources, or for any meeting where you want to maximize learning among participants.
Week 2: Looking at how our community has been inspired by the CLA Maturity Tool
We continue to be amazed by the thoughtful and creative ways in which people have made the tool their own or adjusted it to meet a specific need. And it is equally rewarding to see how the CLA Framework and Maturity Tool continue to resonate after so many years. A lot has changed in our world and in our work since 2015, but the importance of prioritizing our organizational effectiveness remains undiminished.
Content:
- Eight Years Later: How our community continues to be inspired by the CLA Maturity Tool - Get up to speed on the most recent iterations of the maturity tool from across the Agency
- Four Years Later: How Our Community has been Inspired by the CLA Maturity Tool - Read about the spread of maturity tools that took place between the time the CLA Maturity Tool was originally launched and 2020
- Choose Your Own Adventure: Options for Adapting the Collaborating, Learning & Adapting (CLA) Maturity Self-assessment Process - Check out the different ways the CLA Maturity Tool is being put into practice
- CLA Maturity Tool (virtual version!) - Facilitating a self-assessment process virtually, or in a hybrid setup? This virtual version of the Maturity Tool was designed for this specific purpose
- CLA Maturity Tool for Implementing Partners - Building on the original CLA Maturity Tool, this version was adapted to the context of work being done by implementing partners
- Knowledge Retention and Transfer Maturity Matrix - This maturity tool was designed by USAID to help USAID missions and other operating units decide where to focus their efforts in improving knowledge retention and transfer as staff come and go
- From Good to Great: Meeting Conservation and Biodiversity Goals in Programming with Actionable Planning Tools - This version of a maturity tool was adapted for biodiversity programs to strengthen the design process
Week 1: How the CLA Maturity Tool was developed
The original CLA Maturity Tool was developed in 2015. At the time, the use of a maturity tool was new to many USAID staff, and CLA itself was still taking shape. You can read more below about the development of the CLA Maturity Tool and what problem it was trying to solve. In many ways, the process for developing the tool was a demonstration of CLA in action, in and of itself. You can also find quick links to the latest versions of how to conduct a CLA self-assessment, using the CLA Maturity Tool, whether you’re a USAID staff member or a development partner.
The Birth of the Collaborating, Learning and Adapting Maturity Tool - Read about the what the CLA Maturity Tool is and why is was developed
An Iterative Approach to Developing the Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting Maturity Matrix - Read about how the CLA Maturity Tool was developed, using an adaptive approach
Bridging Organizational Development and International Development: Creating a Tool to Support Development Organizations in Becoming Learning Organizations - View this one-page poster to get a quick snapshot of iterative tool development in action
CLA Framework, Maturity Tool and Spectrum Handouts (in multiple languages!) - The current version of the CLA Maturity Tool, developed primarily for USAID staff, along with overview materials and facilitator resource
CLA Maturity Tool Facilitator Resources - Facilitators can use the resources on this page to support the CLA self-assessment and action planning process
CLA Maturity Tool for Implementing Partners (in English and Vietnamese) - An iteration of the current CLA Maturity Tool, but adapted to the implementing partner experience