Semi-annual review workshop facilitation process guide (a task under activity 2212)

Participants of the workshop / RPCU staff:7
Regional Key Focal persons (TC members) & process owners:12
NGOs working on AGP: 5
Total #: 24
Note: Identification of relevant regional IAs, PCU staff and NGOs to be represented should be made in consultation with RPCU keeping a maximum of 27 participants.
Workshop date / January 2017
Required materials / Presentations, LCD projector, flip chart, flip chart stand, marker, colored paper, scotch paper

SECTIONONE: Introductory

Step 1: Registration (30 minutes)

Step 2: Opening speech (5 minutes)

  • Chair of the regional steering/ technical committee (preferable) or the RPCU coordinator will make an opening remark

Step 3: Create collaborative environment (20 minutes)

  • Facilitator will make participants to introduce each other and lead participants to practice an icebreaker. CDSF staff will be much involved in facilitating the workshop and assist assigned facilitators from PCU or throughout the workshop.

Step 4: Presentation of workshop objectives and approaches (5 min)

Workshop objectives

  • This activity was planned with the following objectives. Depending on the regional context additional convincing and relevant objectives can also be added.

Objective of the workshop:

  • Review implementation progress of AGP planned activities and suggest correction measures to expedite implementation and budget utilization
  • Prepare plan for remaining months to enhance performance of activities – re-plan some activities if necessary
  • Identify lessons learned from last year AGP 2 planning and current implementation to enhance 2011 AGPannual planpreparation
  • Review progress of previous AGP JRIS mission action plan implementation
  • Enhance relationship among AGP implementing stakeholders

Workshopapproach:

  • Overview presentation for each AGP component: achievement and constraints on 2010 EFY AGP activity implementation and lessons learned for next annual planning with a subsequent plenary discussion. Presentation to be held with AGP component coordinators or assigned individuals discussing with AGP coordinator.
  • Group discussions and presentations
  • The way forward/accountability matrix

SECTION TWO: Overview presentation on achievements, constraints and lessons learned

Step 5: Overview presentation and plenary discussion (1hr and 30 min)

Assigned coordinators for each AGP component (if there are assigned coordinators) or RPCUwill present achievements and constraints so far for the 2010 EFY AGP activity implementation and lessons learned for next annual planning. There will be five presentations for the five AGP components. This will assist participants held a deeper discussion infour small groups which are going to be formed. To be consistent standard outline of power point presentations should be first shared for the presenters by CDSF through the regional PCU.

Each presentation should be completed within 15 minutes while component (total of 75 minutes). This will be followed by two plenary discussionseach for 15 minutes duration each (total 30 minutes). The first plenary discussion will be held after two presentations for the first two components and the second after the remaining three presentations.

  • Component 1: Public Agricultural Support Services
  • Component 2: Agricultural research
  • Component 3: Smallholder Irrigation Development
  • Component 4: Agriculture Marketing and Value Chains
  • Component 5:Project management, capacity development, M&E

SECTION THREE: Small group discussions

  • Participants will form four groups by component composed of 5 individuals each as shown below. The grouping is based on the implementation role of IAs and NGOs to specific AGP components and the professional or specific contribution of PCU staff towards each component. RPCU staff should represent themselves throughout the four groups to share their observations and have full picture of the overall AGP activity performance. Component 5 which is about project management, capacity development, M&E is suggested to be discussed in the four AGP components since these issues are relevant to and should be mainstreamed to each component. Representative organizations under each thematic group is indicated as an example as follows, however, it is not final and needs to work outfurther together with regional PCU coordinator.
  • Component 1: Public Agricultural Support Services + Component 5(Project Management,

Capacity development, Monitoring, and Evaluation…. (Group 1)

Representatives: Extension, Livestock,CASCAPE, RPCU, women affairs, etc

  • Component 2: Agricultural research + Component 5……. (Group 2)

Representatives: Research, extension, CASCAPE, RPCU, livestock, etc

  • Component 3: Smallholder Irrigation Development + Component 5 …… (Group 3)

Representatives: BoWR, Irrigation core process in BoA, SMIS, RPCU, EPLUA/environmental protection, etc

  • Component 4: Agriculture Marketing and Value Chains + Component 5….. (Group 4)

Representatives: Cooperative agency, input supply, livestock, agricultural marketing agency working together with AGP, Youth affairs, USAID LMD, RPCU

CDSF CDOs and team leader will remind groups to select chairperson, note taker and time keeper and notes to be handed finally to minute recorder. Besides this, they will participate in group discussion in three of the four groups, and elaborate the process, point of discussions and the required output.

However, we need to be flexible in forming the groups. As long as the grouping ensures effective discussion, and considers the size/volume of activities andresponsibilities in each component and relevance among them, one can do regrouping.

The 1st group discussion

Step 6: Discussion on achievements and constraints of current year AGP activity implementation (1 hr)

Participants in their small group (by AGP component) will discuss on the following discussion questions using their own practical work experience as well as using the evidence from the overview PowerPoint presentations for each AGP component as an input. The presentations to be done by IAs and PCU should be printed in hard copy to be distributed to each participant by facilitator.The lead CDSF facilitator should inform groups to assign chair, note taker and time keeper before starting the actual discussion. Notes should be finally handed to minute recorder.

  • What are the major achievements obtained so far in the current year AGP activity implementation? Consider implementation of cross cutting issues
  • What major constraints have been faced in implementing AGP activities? Consider implementation of cross cutting issues
  • What should we do differently to improve performance in next five months? Recommendations.

How to handle these questions and summarize the group discussions:

The first and second questions: small groups discuss and list their findings on a flip chart.

The third question: For each identified constraints the group leader will distribute three or more small cards to each of the participants on which everyone to write practical recommendations needed to resolve or minimize the gaps. Everyone will write one idea on one card and can use as much as he/she can. Once the writing is finalized by each member of the small group, the group facilitator will post each card on a wall and then start to classify those recommendations/actions of the same idea (by merging cards of similar recommendations) and those which have different nature of recommendations. Subsequently the group will make further discussions on these classified and organized suggested solutions to identify the group’s agreed recommendations. The result of the group work should get summarized in a flip chart like the table below.

S.no / Identified constraints / Provided Recommendation

Step 7: Small groups present their discussion outputs (40 min)

  • Each group will present its own outputs for 5 minutes and followed by 5 minutes question and answer after each group’s presentation.

Step 8: Use energizer (5 min)

  • The facilitator should energize participants using his/her own energize or make participants to do so, before starting the next activity.

The 2nd group discussion

Step 9: Group discussion on lessons learned for next year AGP annual plan(50 min)

  • The same group will discuss on the following discussion questions using their own practical work experience as well as using the evidence from the overview PowerPoint presentations made as an input.The presentations to be done by IAs and PCU should be printed in hard copy to be distributed to each participant.

Participants brainstorm on the following questions:

  • What lesson do we learn from 2010 AGP plan preparation and from this year actual implementation of activities? What should we do differently when preparing 2011 annual plan? Consider integration of cross cutting issues
  • How can we enhance next year AGP annual planning? Think of the participatory planning process, plan review and approval, collaboration among IAs and plan harmonization, alignment of planned activities to AGP objectives, etc.

How to do these questions and summarize the group discussions:

The first and second question:participants discuss in their groups and summarize the output in the following sample format.

S.no. / Lessons learned / Suggestions to improve next AGP annual planning

Step 10: Group presentation (40 min)

  • The outputs of the group discussion will be presented in a flip chart taking 5 minutes each with 5 minutes large group question and answer.

The 3rd group work

Step 11: Revisit/Update the two group works based on the comments and develop action plan (35 min)

  • Comeback to the same group to rework based on feedbacks from the plenary in the above two group presentations. Accordingly, groups brainstorm when and who is going to be responsible and implement identified recommendations or suggestions related to AGP activity implementation in the coming five months and enhancement of next year annual plan and then compile in the following responsibility matrix format shown in table below. The “who” column should be specific as much as possible by writing the name of the expert or experts and in fact followed by the organization name in braces; putting only the name of the organization or sector is not advisable. Groups can do their presentation either using flipchart or using laptop computers.

Bear in mind that in relation to planning those identified lessons learned which looks as suggestions/recommendations (responses for the 1st question above) should be taken to the recommendation column of the following table.

Sample format for responsibility matrix

S.no / Recommendations / When / Who
A / Implementation related
B / Plan enhancement related

Step 12: Presentation on the final responsibility matrix (20 min)

  • Each group working on each AGP component will present the final responsibility matrix taking five minutes each. The progress of this final action item will be evaluated in the regular technical committee.

Step 13: Closing remark (5 min)

Step 14: Compile and share the major discussions of the workshop and responsibility matrix

  • The major workshop discussions and the agreed accountability matrix/action plan will be compiled and shared to participants and RPCUwithin three days after the workshop by CDSF staff. Through regional PCU the report will be shared to regional AGP steering committee before its semi-annual meeting so as to serve as an input for the meeting as well as get important decisions for the identified bottlenecks. That is why implementing this workshop as early as possible will help regional PCUs to understand the 6 month implementation progress and present the status and identified gaps for the steering committee. Moreover, when implemented on the right time, RPCUs can internalize the importance of the review workshop.

Semi-annual review Workshop schedule and agenda

Time / Session / Facilitator/Co-facilitator
Day 1
SECTION ONE: Introductory
8:30-9:00 / Registration / Regional CDSF admin. staff
9:00-9:05 / Workshop opening remark / Delegated or chairperson of TC( orrelevant higher official) or RPCU coordinator
9:05-9:25 / Creating collaborative environment / CDSF CDO
9:25- 9:30 / Workshop objectives and approaches / CDSF RTL
SECTION TWO: Overview presentation on AGP implementation achievements, constraints, and lessons learned
9:30-10:00 / Component 1: Public Agricultural Support Service / Component coordinator/….
10:30-11:00 / Health Break
11:00 -11:30 AM / Component 2: Agricultural research / Component coordinator/….
11:30- 12:30 / Plenary discussion on the component 1 and 2 presentations / BoWR representative
12:30 -2:00 PM / Lunch
2:00 -2:30 PM / Component 3: Smallholder Irrigation Development / Component coordinator/….
2:30:00-3:00 PM / Component 4: Agriculture Marketing and Value Chains / Component coordinator/….
3:00-3:30 PM / Health break
3:30- 4:00 PM / Component 5: Project management, capacity development, M&E / AGP Coordinator
4:00 -5:00 PM / Plenary discussion / CASCAPE representative
Day 2
SECTION THREE: Small groups discussion on achievements, constraints, and way forward
9:00 -10:30 AM / Discussion on key achievements and constraints of current year AGP activity implementation / CDO
10:30 -11:00 AM / Health break
11:00-11:30 AM / Group presentations / Research representative
11:30-12:00 AM / Review progress of previous AGP JRIS mission action plan implementation
12:30-2:00 PM / Lunch / CDO
2:00-2:30 PM / Discussion on lessons learned for next year AGP annual plan enhancement / CDSF admin staff
2:30-3:30 PM / Group presentations / Extension representative
3:30: 4:00 PM / Health Break / CDO
4:00 -4 :15 PM / Develop responsibility matrix
4:15 -4:30 / Presentation on the prepared matrix / RPCU coordinator
4:30 / Closing remark / Relevant higher official or the RPCU coordinator

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