Quality Principle 4:
Quality and Effectiveness
Development and humanitarian organisations and responses are informed by evidence, planning, assessment and learning.
Rationale
Quality Principle 4 recognises the importance of deep contextual analysis based on evidence and experience, continuously capturing evidence of change, critically analysing and reflecting on performance, sharing lessons and promoting a culture of adaptation because development responses take place in complex and dynamic contexts. It reflects the importance of the key associated processes of consultation, analysis, planning, design, monitoring, evaluation and learning. These quality processes have all been incorporated into specific Compliance Indicators within this Quality Principle. There are also two additional quality processes included as Compliance Indicators.
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These are:
- Reference to the ‘Principles and Guidelines for Ethical Research and Evaluation in Development’ (Compliance Indicator 4.2.3), which apply to all research.
- A requirement to disseminate information about results and lessons to primary stakeholders, partners and donors (Compliance Indicator 4.4.1), in response to a deeper commitment to partnership and accountability.
The Verifiers have been carefully designed to provide scope for Members to demonstrate their compliance in different ways. However, the Verifiers emphasise Members demonstrating that they have a systematic approach to meeting Compliance Indicators. This approach has been taken to encourage Members to embed and mainstream quality management approaches across their development and humanitarian initiatives. It also enables objective verification of compliance by a Member’s governing body, the ACFID Secretariat, and the CCC if required.
Quality Principle 4 is implemented through four Commitments by ACFID Members.
Commitments
COMMITMENT 4.1
We articulate clear strategic goals for our work.
COMMITMENT 4.2
We analyse and understand the contexts in which we work.
COMMITMENT 4.3
We invest in quality assessment of our work.
COMMITMENT 4.4
We reflect on, share and apply results and lessons with stakeholders.