Lesson-76530-1

Investing time and effort during the design phase or at the onset of implementation to develop a common understanding of the project’s concepts and approaches helps to avoid misunderstandings, foster mutual trust, and facilitate subsequent coordination/communication dynamics during the implementation phase. A project that is managed and implemented through a partnership, where the organizations involved have different protocols, procedures and mandates, requires some time to thoroughly discuss the scope and meaning of the different components, set the standards and gain a common understanding of the strategy to be applied. Ideally, this should be initiated during the development of the Theory of Change, but it can be updated during the early stages of implementation or during the preparation of the Comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation Plan. This preparatory stage is an investment in quality that will eventually pay off.