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TERMS OF REFERENCE
Reference: NPCWG0902
Post Title: Consultant – to develop a Results Based Management Online Training Course
Project Title: Development of a Results Based Management Online Training Course Project Location: UK-based
Project Duration: Five months
Remuneration: Fee of £30,000 over the period of December 2015 – May 2016 Closing date: Tuesday 6 October 2015
A. Background
The Commonwealth Secretariat is the principal intergovernmental body of the Commonwealth, responsible for advancing and achieving the shared goals of the association’s 53 member governments in advancing democracy, development and respect for diversity.
The Commonwealth Secretariat’s Strategic Plan 2013/14 – 2016/17 reflects the Secretariat’s progress in implementing a Results Based Management (RBM) approach to its work since 2004. The plan incorporates a results-based budget as well as a strategic results framework which together provide the basis for a results-focused work plan. This focus on results places an impetus on the Secretariat to develop capacities and processes that support improved collection of monitoring data that will inform programme assessments and evidence-based reporting.
The RBM framework was defined to support an improved understanding of the RBM approach at the Secretariat. It is a two-tiered framework with planning, monitoring and reporting processes at the strategic level interlinked with the project management cycle. The RBM 5-Year Strategy, developed in 2013 to support the Strategic Plan, aims to build capacity at the Secretariat while supporting the growth of a results culture.
The organisation launched its Gender Equality Policy in March 2012 and has prioritised the mainstreaming of gender within the systems, policies and work programmes of the Secretariat. The implementation of the RBM Strategy reflects this strengthening of gender mainstreaming as gender perspectives are fully integrated in all the modules of the training programme.
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In support of capacity building, the current RBM Training Plan delivers training through the following packages1:
1. A 5-day residential training course covers the entire RBM framework, with modules designed to mirror requirements at each stage of the project life cycle. This program has been implemented four times since 2012/2013 and most recently in late April-early May of 2015.
2. A 1-day training on the Programme Management and Information System (PMIS) gives staff hands-on experience in utilising the system for project planning and design, while providing a preview of upcoming developments and functions in monitoring and reporting. This training is scheduled to be delivered monthly pending a review of training needs.
3. Direct Support to Divisions allows the Results Team to assist Project Teams in design and monitoring tasks and supports an improved understanding and application of available RBM tools.
4. A 2-hr Induction Session introduces new staff to the Secretariat’s engendered RBM approach, tools, and guidelines and also provides a forum for responding directly to questions on the application of these to their roles.
5. The 2-day advance-level courses will allow for advanced training in specific modules of the RBM framework – notably project management and monitoring, assessment and reporting.
B. Purpose of the Assignment
The overall purpose of this consultancy is to develop and deliver an online training course in Results Based Management for the Commonwealth Secretariat, inclusive of content development, technical design and deployment. The course is expected to fully integrate the Secretariat’s RBM framework, approach, tools and system. The online course should be designed to be responsive to the following factors.
1. Target end users:
The target users are all staff of the Commonwealth Secretariat, inclusive of temporary and established staff.
2. Expected Training Outcomes
By the end of the training, it is expected that staff should:
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i. Have acquired knowledge of RBM principles, terminology, tools and approaches.
ii. Have a sound understanding of the RBM Framework at the Secretariat, including its guidelines, system, tools and templates.
iii. Have developed identifiable skills and abilities in applying the RBM knowledge, tools and approaches to problem analysis, project planning and design, monitoring, assessment, evaluation and reporting tasks. iv. Have an awareness of gender analysis concepts and its application to RBM
in their work.
3. Key issues to inform training design
Over the course of its training engagements with staff in recent periods, Strategic Planning and Evaluation Division (SPED) has assessed staff needs with respect to building their capacity for applying RBM approaches and improving the quality of results at the Secretariat. The following points summarise the outcome of this assessment.
Staff have a good understanding of the planning and design processes but these processes often are not informed by sound problem analysis and are therefore not strongly evidence based.
Staff have minimal Secretariat-based experience in implementing monitoring and evaluation plans.
Staff continue to require strong support in evidence based results reporting. Staff training needs differ in relation to their varying roles and
responsibilities in RBM and for decision-making and therefore training should be responsive to these differences.
4. Quality criteria for the online RBM Course
The online course should meet best practice quality criteria for e-learning and must be:
Gender mainstreamed
Easy to use and accessible for all levels of learners
Grounded in Commonwealth Secretariat context with respect to the nature of the Secretariat’s work, its values and principles; the tools and terminologies in use and in development; its linkage with the Programme Management Information System (PMIS).
Time bound with regard to setting a recommended time for course completion
Presented in a logical manner that allows for incremental learning while maintaining the links and relations to the overall Secretariat RBM framework
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5. Users Evaluation
The course should allow users to self-evaluate their understanding at the end of each module through a self-test and provision of self-test responses. Reports on their online activities and self-assessments should be available to the training administrators in order to allow for overall evaluation of the programme. SPED will monitor the development and application of new competencies through post-training assessments.
6. Link to Face to Face Training
The course will be a basic training for staff who have not been able to access the 5-day face-to-face RBM training offered by SPED. It will also serve as a refresher for those staff that have completed the RBM training. Its content will therefore need to be consistent with the training content in the face-to-face RBM training.
SPED also provides more advanced offerings of the monitoring, assessment and reporting modules through face – to –face formats in line with the RBM Training Plan. It is expected that the completion of the online RBM training would prepare trainees for this advanced training.
C. Methodological Phases of the Assignment
The consulting firm is expected to complete the following tasks in delivering on the assignment. Guidelines on expected features of the Online Course are provided in the Attached Annex titled Specifications.
1) Course Content Development 2) Technical and Instructional Design 3) Testing and Refinement
4) Deployment
5) Such additional activities as may be agreed with SPED to enable the proper execution of the course development.
D. Deliverables and Timeline
The consultancy assignment will provide the following deliverables to the Secretariat.
1) Inception report detailing the consultant’s response to the TOR, planned methodology and proposed design, including Testing Plan within 3 weeks of contract signing
2) Draft Training Manual inclusive of Course Content within 8 weeks of contract signing
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3) Draft outline Course for Testing within 12 weeks of contract signing 4) Testing Report and Refinements
5) Deployed online course within 20 weeks of contract signing
6) Master Copy of Online Training Course formatted on portable storage device (DVD).
7) Final Presentation and Consultancy Report.
E. Schedule
The online course development should commence in December 2015. It is
estimated that up to five (5) months duration will be appropriate to complete this assignment, including testing and deployment. In any event, the final course should be available to staff no later than July 2016.
F. Reporting
The consultant will work closely with the RBM Team, shall collaborate with other Divisions of the Secretariat identified by SPED (notably, COM and CSD-IT) who may have responsibilities for supporting the design and maintenance of the course on an online platform compatible with the Secretariat’s systems. The consultant shall ultimately report to the Director, SPED.
6 Annex: Specifications
1. Indicative Description of Training Modules
1. Introduction
2. RBM at the Secretariat 3. Strategic Planning
4. Results Based Budgeting and Work Planning 5. Project Designing
6. Project Management 7. Monitoring and Assessment 8. Reporting
9. Evaluation
10. Organisational Learning 11. Risk Management
12. Glossary and Definitions of Key Terminologies
Organisation of the Modules
Each Module should include:
A. Introduction with Objectives of the Course
B. Core Content including concepts and principles on the topic C. Secretariat Tools and System Links
D. Practice/ Application Exercise
E. Quick Review Quiz - ‘Check your understanding’ F. Summary of key terms
G. References and Additional Resources Each module should not exceed 60 minutes
A trainee should be able to complete the entire course within 20-30 hours.
2. Technical development
The technical design should allow for account creation so that users can pick up where they left off and store their results – for example for quizzes
Other Design Features should include: Menu based organisation of content
Pop-up hyperlinks to Glossary , references, and additional resources Hyperlinks to Secretariat’s guideline documentations and tools where
appropriate
