Development Solutions Consultancy

Chances are that at least 90% of the staff and Management in most public institutions would not know exactly what results they expect to achieve at the end of a quarter or year. Often achievement is mistakenly translated as implementation of activities. In the true sense of results, most staff and Managers work without clarity of results to be achieved. It is like walking without knowing where one is going.

The tradition of working focused on implementing activities without clarity of results to be achieved is a major cause of inefficiency, poor staff motivation and poor service delivery. Consequently, return on budget, as expressed by achievement of results, remains unacceptably low. Continue reading...

Strictly speaking results based management (RBM) is another phrase for management by objectives (MBO), which was spearheaded by Peter Drucker in the nineteen fifties. It has also come to be known by other names such as performance based management (PBM). MBO is a comprehensive and systematic managerial approach that is sharply focused on the effective and efficient achievement of organizational objectives. Whatever the name, the common thread is the emphasis of focus on achievement of results as the object of any management activity.

When it is recognized that objectives and performance are nothing other than results to be delivered to customers, the connection between the different names is glaring. By definition, objectives deliver value to customers as they essentially seek to satisfy customer felt needs. Continue reading...

Welcome to another episode of the DSC podcast. In this episode David and Patrick dive into M&E, why it is important and how to do it right.

I conducted a two day Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) training to Directors and Managers of the Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) on the 14th and 15th December 2015. The training was aimed at enabling participants understand M&E in order to be able to implement it and operationalize a recently established M&E Unit in the organization. The following is the participants' anonymous evaluation of the training.

1. Did the training make you understand M&E? Continue reading...

According to the Tanzania Development Vision 2025 (TDV2025), Tanzania will be characterized by five key attributes come 2025. They are: high quality of livelihood; peace, stability and unity; good governance; a well-educated and learning society; and a competitive economy capable of producing sustainable growth and shared benefits. With respect to a well-educated and learning society the vision envisages, “a nation whose people are ingrained with a developmental mindset and competitive spirit. These attributes are driven by education and knowledge and are critical in enabling the nation effectively utilize knowledge in mobilizing domestic resources for the provision of people’s basic needs …”

While education is provided in schools and colleges in the form of information, learning implies a continuing process of inquiry, answers and further inquiry that goes on in the course of our lives. Through this process knowledge which never existed before is created. Unlike information which is available knowledge that can be retrieved from somewhere, knowledge is required information that is not currently available as such has to be created or generated. Continue reading...