Prepare To Scale Up

STEPS
BEFORE YOU SCALE UP
  1. Have a vision to scale up from the beginning of the project.
  2. Determine the effectiveness of the approach.
  3. Assess the potential to scale up.
  4. Develop an evaluation plan
  5. Build a consensus to scale up.
  6. Advocate for supportive policies.
AS YOU SCALE UP
  1. Define the roles, relationships and responsibilities of implementing partners.
  2. Secure funding and other resources.
  3. Develop the partners' capacity to implement the program.
  4. Establish and maintain a monitoring and evaluation system.
  5. Support institutional development for scale.

AS YOU SCALE UP…

Once all (or most) of the pieces are in place to begin to scale up, there are certain steps that should be taken to implement the new approach. Ample time is needed to ensure that all of these steps (and some others that you may determine are necessary) are carefully taken.

STEP 7: Define the roles, relationships and responsibilities of implementing partners.

All of the partners will need to determine who will be responsible for program training, supervision, monitoring and evaluation, resource allocation, funding procurement, management and information systems and other functions.

They should develop a clear organizational structure with well-defined roles and responsibilities of all implementing organizations and individuals, to avoid misunderstanding and ensure that expectations are realistic and achievable. It will also help to maximize resources by avoiding duplication of effort.

These partners will also need to give some thought as to what the role will be of the original organization that piloted the approach. This organization could:

  • Continue to implement the program as one of many organizations to contribute to overall coverage.
  • Provide technical assistance and training.
  • Remove itself from implementation and act in an advisory or monitoring role.
  • Have no role at all in scaling up.
Meanwhile, the implementing partners will have to decide how they are going to coordinate their activities. Once again, they could decide to organize themselves in one of the following ways:
  • Determine that each will implement the whole approach in its own geographic area, thereby covering a larger area.
  • Organize themselves based on functions (training, monitoring and evaluation, fieldwork in communities, policy, etc.).
  • Opt to strengthen local community and/or organizational capacity to carry out the work.
  • Choose a combination of the above.
  • Develop their own concept of coordination through networks, coalitions, "franchises", or other possible scenarios.
Whatever is decided, agreements should be clearly spelled out in a document such as a Memorandum of Understanding or Agreement between all of the organizations involved so that partners understand their roles and relationship to others and how they fit into the larger effort.