When planning a new program or activity in a dynamically accountable way, make sure that all those who will be impacted by the activity are consulted and have space to provide inputs that will be used when designing activities to ensure they reflect the needs and priorities of the communities they aim to serve. Things to consider:

• Consider accessibility, context, and culture; these differences may mean that you have to adjust your planning processes and mechanisms to ensure that you are able to engage meaningfully and inclusively.
• Leave space for others to input into the design process – this will lead to more buy-in and common understanding of potential challenges as you implement your work.
• Consider potential negative impacts and risks that your work may bring and identify solutions to mitigate.
• Plan for additional flexibility in terms of time and resources.
• Bring your colleagues along, have discussions with them, and make the approach that you are taking clear.
• Use this time to plan for not just the implementation, but also for how the project will be monitored and evaluated.
• Do your research, but keep an open mind – what you think is best may not be what is best for those who are impacted by your work!

This is the implementation phase where organizations are carrying out the planned activities. This is a moment of great collaboration between an organization, its partners and those people and communities it is working for. Things to consider:

• Use what you’ve heard at the planning stage to inform your actions.

• Continue to create spaces and opportunities to listen as you are working so that your actions remain in line with the thoughts of those who are most impacted.

• Keep in mind that things may change! Adapt as needed as you go along.

• Keep track of what is being done and how, as this will support and inform your learnings.

• Ensure that members of the communities in which you are carrying out your work are engaged to lead that activities being carried out – and that they have access to the tools, resources, and support that they need.

Whether an organization is implementing a new program or initiating a collaboration, being able to track, understand, and learn from the progress being made is key. Things to consider:

• Continue to be open to constructive criticism and make people feel comfortable raising their voices.
• Avoid pre-conceptions; as you search for feedback and learnings, consider questions that are open rather than those that are too specific.
• Share and validate your learnings with all those who you have collaborated with to see whether your findings are similar to their experiences.
• Prepare and consider what can be done to address concerns and needs.
• Engage those that you are working for and with in monitoring and evaluating the work that is being carried out that impacts them.

Meaningful engagement means that stakeholders feedback is used in decision making and can influence learning and adaptation. Being accountable looks like communicating about results to be transparent, with both meeting and/or exceeding intended outcomes and any failures. Figuring out what works and what doesn’t is essential in order to improve our work and ensure maximum impact. Things to consider:

• Close feedback loops! Ensure feedback collected during reflections influences decision making and steers adaptation – and that those who shared feedback are informed how it was applied.
• Consider your limitations and constraints. What can you feasibly improve and how can you communicate this clearly to those who may be impacted?
• Co-design your improvements with those who you work for and with since this will increase a mutual understanding of what is possible and necessary.
• Ask and validate whether the changes that you are making are appropriate and useful.
• Share your learnings with your funders and senior management. In this way, you can potentially make a stronger case for flexibility and adaptability within the way you work.