Activity Exiting Guideline
Exit Planning at Activity Identification
“The importance of doing things right from the beginning rather than right towards the end”
Exit planning from the beginning of discussion with partners:
- Enables more strategic planning and details what is anticipated as being in place by the end of the Activity
- Assists in NZAID and its partners reconciling that a ‘successful’ initiative may end or transition to a new Activity or modality.
- Serves as an ‘early warning’ to partners that even if there is a long term commitment of support, that there is an expectation that the Activity will end or transition to a new Activity or aid modality.
- Has a major impact on what happens during the exit/phasing out/transition process
The early stages of partner discussion should identify the nature of the activity and expectations:
- What is the underlying issue and what would be required locally for this to be resolved or addressed in the long term.
- What are the long term objectives? How will this initiative support these objectives?
- Is it a time bound activity intended to set in motion a self-sustaining process?
- Or is the proposed activity not sustainable unless there is an organisation in place that continues to produce and deliver outputs? [without donor support]
- What is the projected horizon for external support? Why is this an appropriate timeframe?
- What organisations are likely to receive support from the proposed activity? What effect will this have and how important will it be to their own organisation?
- What is the post-Activity expectation? Will there be a next phase, transition (e.g., to other modality), or handover?
- Who (and how) will fund key post-exit activities?