Practices should be considered dynamic and always subject to improvement; as such, they are never definitive but correspond to the best existing practices at any point in time.
These are grouped into three Arenas:
· Design, Monitoring and Evaluation arena being defined as the generic tools, approaches, methods associated with design (inc. holistic appraisal and analysis), monitoring and evaluation that can pertain to program or project
· Organizational Context arena being defined as the office context (CO, HQ, Member Office) and having to do with the institutional aspects that may constrain or promote learning and accountability
· Programmatic Strategies arena being defined as broader than a single project and having to do with the particularities and challenges associated with seeking cohesion at this level as well as with defining strategies, addressing and incorporating cross-cutting themes, and other aspects of a program approach
These may relate to:
· The learning culture (inclusive of innovation, creativity, reflection, evaluative thinking);
· The capacity, attitudes, behaviors and skills of staff and partners in DM&E practices and the principles;
· The organizational drivers and incentives for a learning culture;
· Relationships with partners and downward accountability;
· Mechanisms for institutionalizing good practices;
· Mechanisms for accountability;
· How current and informed is its approach to the wisdom and good practices that exist in CARE (and generally in development).
A document qualifies for "practice" if it meets the following criteria:
i. Must be a means to facilitate the translation of some part of the core’s contents into practice
ii. Represent good practices in the form of guides, tools, techniques, methods, know-how and behaviors
iii. Must be action-oriented and instructive
iv. Must be widely applicable throughout the organization and programming (otherwise, it is listed under "sector-specific" practice)
v. Must have relevance to current-day programming