The impact analysis was about obtaining findings that help you to better guide the project in the direction of the project objectives – to make reasonable decisions.
In the next step, it’s time to take action by translating these findings into practice. The initiation of concrete action steps is also the conclusion of impact-oriented project management.
But please note: By conclusion, we don’t mean the actual end! As processes, activities and objectives are updated, a new cycle begins, in the course of which the activities and findings are once again monitored, examined and adapted – because only by revisiting planning, monitoring and adjustment on an ongoing basis will you ultimately come closer to your goals.
The Action Learning Cycle is an effective tool for structured learning and implementation.
You can use the Action Learning Cycle for the entire project as well as for individual project elements such as seminar modules or events. In principle, the learning cycle can begin at any of the four points.
If you put the findings into writing, you’ll afterward have a project report and a record of your experiences in a single document. You can use this document to guide changes in the ongoing project, or for follow-up projects.
Three comments about this process:
First, all organizations can learn from the results of their own work – size and budget are irrelevant here.
Second: Even if you have only a small amount of data, or the data does not allow particularly in-depth insights, your decisions will still be more firmly grounded than would a simple gut feeling.
And third: Learning and improving belong inseparably together! Nothing is more frustrating than knowing that something isn’t working, and yet still going on just as before.
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YEA expands set of offerings
YEA holds a yearly strategy meeting focusing on the collection and assessment of monitoring data. Mentors, participants and funders are invited to this event along with the project leadership team. The group discusses the degree to which previously set objectives have been achieved, and what could still be improved.
At the end, the group agrees to place a focus on additional job-application training services and to expand the coaching unit.