MERL Tech DC 2019

How can DFID ensure its resources are being used effectively – to “do the right things in the right places?” What role does data play in doing so? Can portfolio-level (sector/country) analysis of data provide greater input into how decisions are actually made, and how success is truly measured?

This lightning talk will present major takeaways and lessons learned from the first DFID-wide data use landscape assessment – in-depth interviews with 60 DFID staff across four country offices, all sector teams, and senior management – with an aim to understanding the role data plays in supporting key DFID decisions.

This work represents a fresh, context-aware, and portfolio-level approach to MERL Tech.

As DFID and other agencies aim to harness the potential of data, we at DG are thinking through what the “missing middle” of portfolio-level analysis means for the future of MERL – and what data, tools, and approaches can fill this gap.

Beyond DFID, many agencies are grappling with the same challenges. We’re doing similar work with GAC, UNICEF, SDC, SIDA, and other agencies -- aiming to shift from aggregations and apples-to-oranges project comparisons, to using portfolio-level decisions to drive how agencies think about, measure, and deliver impact.

This lightning talk will build audience understanding of what focus on country- and sector-level data means for MERL Tech – and provide practical tools to use that data.

(See: https://www.developmentgateway.org/blog/understanding-how-dfid-makes-decisions-landscape-report-role-data)