Planning for change: getting sector learning on a sector agenda

Published on: 19/04/2012

This week has brought a lot of reflecting and sharing about the ways that WASH  Resource Centre Networks facilitate sector learning. Today, we spoke to Ton Schouten about the approach undertaken by the Triple-S project.

Triple-S has developed a Service Delivery Approach for achieving sustainable water service delivery. It is working with a wide range of stakeholders in Ghana, Uganda and at international level. A learning and adaptive sector is one of the building blocks of service delivery.

A learning and adaptive sector is understood as a sector that is strong, has a vision that has been developed through a participator process and a strategy for continuous improvement. Such a sector also has structures and processes to regularly gather, review and use up-to-date and relevant sector information.

In order to create a 'learning sector’, able to adapt to changing circumstances and demands, we need mechanisms that:

• encourage information sharing
• facilitate continuous reflection and analysis of sector data and experience
• support stakeholder consultation
• manage information and research-based knowledge

Knowledge sharing and information management throughout the sector- among people at decentralised as well as central levels- are important elements of a healthy sector. Resource Centres and their networks can play an important role in supporting this. In fact this is already taking place in the Triple S project in Ghana.

The six purposes of Triple-S learning activities are to:

1. Support joint learning in the sector.
2. Provide evidence of locally inspired and validated solutions for service delivery, a learning sector, and harmonisation.
3. Provide strategic guidance for Triple-S teams in Ghana, Uganda, Burkina Faso and internationally.
4. Generate a critical account of the approach used in Triple-S to enable change.
5. Track progress towards achieving activities and producing outputs.
6. Inform stakeholders about Triple-S progress, and adaptations in strategy or approach.

In Triple-S a process of action, reflection and adjustment is deliberately planned. Project teams and sector stakeholders in meet for learning retreats every four months at country level and twice a year at the international level. These meetings are facilitated by an external learning facilitator  and take place outside of the regular working environment. The idea is to create recurrent feedback loops: to consciously and jointly reflect on progress, challenges and to adjust plans and activities accordingly.