The Good Enough Guide

Why?

Keep track of goods and services delivered in order to find out how well project activities are running. But also invite feedback, including complaints, from people affected by the emergency, to see if the project is achieving the changes they want to see. Make feedback a two-way process. Report to beneficiaries on progress against indicators and about the issues they raise.

Tracking changes and establishing two-way feedback are essential for:

• Making decisions and improvements
• Identifying gaps, new needs, and possible problems
• Giving staff support and a response to their work
• Making sure money is well-spent
• Keeping the community and other stakeholders informed and involved
• Demonstrating accountability

Feedback can be positive or negative, but complaints mean that things may have gone wrong. Acomplaints and response mechanism is necessary for impact, accountability, and learning. It is essential for identifying any corruption, abuse, or exploitation.

When?

Tracking, feedback, and reporting to people affected by the emergency should take place as often as possible throughout the project. It is particularly important when field staff turnover is high: it helps maintain continuity and a common understanding of project focus. Acomplaints and response system should be in place as soon as possible at the start of the project (Tool 12).

How?

Use project records to help prepare questions that track progress and changes against indicators already set. If no indicators have been developed with the community, use feedback as an opportunity to do so.

Collect and record both individual and community views of the project. Make sure that different groups within the community are able to give feedback in separate groups if necessary. Co-ordinate with other local and international NGOs where possible, sharing information or inviting them to take part in your lessons-learned meetings (Tool 11).

Don’t collect more information than you can analyse and use. Report as often as you can to committees and groups affected and to other significant stakeholders. Use photos, film, and displays if possible to show changes that have taken place since the project started. What is progress against the indicators set? What are you learning from feedback and complaints?

If your report is based on limited information, perhaps from a single village or focus group, be transparent and explain why this is so. Are there any changes or delays to the project? Explain the reasons. After your report, give people an opportunity to talk back.

Suggested tools

Tool 6   How to conduct a focus group

Tool 9   How to observe

Tool 10   How to start using indicators

Tool 11   How to hold a lessons-learned meeting

Tool 12   How to set up a complaints and response mechanism

Tool 13   How to give a verbal report

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