Activity Reporting
Annex E - Activity annual progress reports
Annual progress reports are a crucial element in the overall management of an Activity. All Activities must produce an annual progress report of some type, regardless of their modality. These reports contribute to NZAID’s overall accountability requirements, and provide NZAID a structured opportunity at least once a year to check that funds are contributing to the high level outcomes of the aid programme.
Activities using some high order aid modalities (particularly organisational support / strategic partnership) require an “organisation annual report” (see Annex A), rather than the annual progress report discussed in this Annex.
Annual progress reports are produced at the end of each year by the implementing partners or project managers to report on progress towards delivering the planned outputs and Activity objectives (including any information on contribution to higher level outcomes) and compare what has actually happened with what was planned. As well as reporting on changes within the Activity during the year they should also provide information on changes to the external environment in which the Activity is operating and the implication to the Activity of these changes.
Projects’ annual reports and annual plans
- A common requirement for Activities using a project modality is that an annual plan be approved by NZAID or the project steering/management committee before the commencement of each financial year1, and an annual report finalised shortly after the financial year has completed. This creates difficulties - on what report of performance is the annual plan based?
- Agreement to this this annual plan is often based on a short narrative report on successes and challenges to date plus some meetings. Alternatively, if there is a six-monthly report, that can be used as the basis.
- Some NZAID programme staff have required the implementer of the project (in their contract or grant) to produce a draft or provisional annual report with the best information available 10 months into the financial year. For multi-year Activities this can then be used as a basis for the annual plan. The draft or provisional annual report then just needs to be updated and finalised once the financial year is complete. This approach is recommended when it fits best with the information needs and management approach of the particular project and partner.
The exact way annual progress reports are used will depend on the modality and governance arrangements of the Activity, but typically these reports will go to an overall Activity steering committee or equivalent body (e.g. the donor/partner coordination group of a SWAp or the Board of an organisation with which NZAID has a strategic partnership) and form the basis of strategic decision-making on the Activity’s direction - such as changes to the design, monitoring and evaluation framework, or logical framework matrix; or confirmation of the next annual plan.
Whatever their format, annual progress reports must provide enough information (in conjunction with other sources) for the NZAID Activity manager to form judgements on the criteria outlined in the Activity Monitoring Guideline (relationships with partners, beneficiaries and other stakeholders; implementation progress; risk management; M&E systems and use; contractor/partner performance; relevance of the Activity; emerging evidence of impact and sustainability issues).
The format of annual progress reports will vary according to the modality; but one possible outline of the contents is as follows:
Table of contents
Executive summary including recommendations
Basic information
- Table showing Activity title, starting date, duration, value, key stakeholders, purpose and key outputs etc
- Map showing Activity location/s
- Who was involved/consulted in preparing the report and the process followed.
Changes to the Activity’s environment/context in the last year
Should include discussion of the implications, including for project effectiveness (achievement of objectives) or for any necessary changes to scope or approach.
Review of progress to date
This should be based on the last agreed work plan and statement of Activity objectives (e.g. logical framework matrix, monitoring and evaluation framework, or equivalent). It should compare planned with actual use of resources (budget), provision of inputs, outputs, and available evidence on contribution to outcomes. Often, this will be best presented in tabular form.
This section should provide an update on previous recommendations or decisions made (for example, by the Activity steering committee in response to the last annual progress report) and how these have been progressed/remedied over the subsequent reporting period.
Activities working directly with communities should be encouraged to consider innovative ways of understanding and communicating the impact of the project on community; this might include video, sound recordings or even role play or drama.
Overall, this section should include adequate evidence to inform on-going judgements, about the Activity’s relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability, as appropriate to the stage of the Activity.
Relationships between partners, beneficiaries and other stakeholders
The annual progress report should include reflection on relationship issues with key stakeholders. It is also an opportunity to identify issues relating to contributions by partners (e.g. partner government agencies) and sub-contractors.
Risk management
The risks identified for the Activity at the time of design should be systematically reported against. This is generally best done in tabular form with columns identifying whether each risk is emerging, what adaptation or mitigation action is being taken and what further action may be required. See the Risk Assessment Guideline (in development).
Impact and sustainability issues
Annexes
- Acquittal report
- Certified conflict of interest statement
- Overall Activity budget, including expenditure to date
- Updated logical framework matrix
- Updated risk management matrix
- Work plan for next year
- Resource schedule and budget for next year.
1 “Financial year” in this instance refers to the year used - the partner’s or New Zealand’s - for managing this particular Activity. back