YOU ARE HERE:
Documentation toolkit section 3: Making an overall documentation and communication plan
   Last updated: 02.07.02
Summary of Section 3
Section 3 helps participants to develop an overall plan for their documentation and communication work. It complements Section 2, which helps them develop a plan for a specific product.

Section 3 also supports participants to integrate documentation and communication work into their NGO's/CBO's organisational plan.

This section is important because it helps NGOs/CBOs to see the "bigger picture" of their documentation and communication work. This includes looking at their long-term vision for this area and how it fits with their NGO's/CBO's overall work. This helps to make sure that their documentation and communication efforts are not carried out in isolation, and have maximum benefit for their organisation and its HIV/AIDS work.

In practice, facilitators may wish to just introduce this section to participants during a workshop or training session, and then encourage them to complete it when they are back at their organisations.

(Note: This section requires participants to work in the same groups, with colleagues from their own NGO/CBO, throughout all of the activities. This is because developing an overall documentation and communication plan and integrating it into an organisational plan is specific to each NGO/CBO.)

Section 3.1 Making an overall documentation and communication plan
Activity 3.1. Aim: To make an overall plan for an NGO's/CBO's documentation and communication plan

Introduction

As well as plans for specific products, NGOs/CBOs often need to develop an overall plan for their documentation and communication work.

An overall plan helps NGOs/CBOs to think about the shape and direction of their documentation and communication work as a whole. This includes whether their ideas complement each other, and how much work it will involve in total.

An overall plan provides a written summary of a NGO's/CBO's work that can be shared within their organisation and with others.

Instructions
Timing: 1 hour, 15 minutes (minimum - see instruction 3)

(Note: This activity presumes that participants have gone through Section 2 of this toolkit and have completed at least one detailed planning grid for a specific documentation and communication product.)

1 Explain the aim of the activity.

2 Divide the participants into the NGO/CBO groups so that they are working with colleagues from their own organisation. Ask them to review the objectives in their documentation and communication plans (see Section 2.1).

3 Then:
• If they have completed planning grids for each of their documentation and communication objectives, go straight to Instruction 4.
• If they have completed a planning grid for only one of their objectives, ask them to complete a grid for each of the others. This process should use the skills developed using Section 2, but does not necessarily need to involve such a detailed process.
(Note: An additional 30 minutes will be needed for each grid.)

4 Ask the groups to summarise the key points from their planning grids as a one-page graphic showing their overall documentation and communication plan. This should include their aim, objectives, audiences/products, timing/dissemination, and monitoring indicators. (See Example and also the Handout - which can be copied on to an overhead transparency or photocopied for participants - at the back of Section 3.)

5 Bring everybody back together, and ask the groups to present their results. Encourage the participants to ask each other questions and to make comments.

6 Lead a group discussion about what has been learned from the activity, based on questions such as:
  • Why is an overall documentation and communication plan needed as well as plans for specific products?

  • Why do the objectives in an overall plan need to complement each other?

  • Why should an overall plan be easy for an external audience to understand?


Facilitators' notes

! Explain to participants why it is important to go through the detailed process in Section 2 at least once before developing an overall documentation and communication plan. The reasons include that it helps them to develop practical skills and to thoroughly understand the issues involved.

! If participants are completing additional planning grids, encourage them to:
• Reflect back on what skills and lessons they learned from developing the previous detailed plan before completing additional grids.
• Where necessary, use some of the activities in Section 2 to clarify parts of their plans that need more thought.

! Help participants to pay attention to the logical flow of their overall plans - so that all the steps make sense as a whole.

! Support participants to keep the information about their overall plan as simple as possible and to fit on to one page.

Example: AIDS Action
AIDS Action is a fictitious local NGO involved in HIV prevention with sex workers. At a training workshop, they started by reviewing a planning grid that they had developed for one of their documentation and communication objectives. They did this by following the detailed planning process outlined in Section 2. They then filled in a planning grid for their second documentation objective. They did this by using the skills that they had developed from the detailed process, but this time simply filling in the columns.

AIDS Action then summarised their two grids as a one-page overall documentation and communication plan - to provide an easy-to-read outline of their work (see following pages). They added a brief introduction to their plan and attached the page to the planning grids for each objective. They produced several copies of this work - to share with colleagues and others, such as donors.

Afterwards, the facilitator led a discussion about what had been learned from the activity, such as that the objectives of an overall plan need to complement each other to ensure that documentation and communication work is as effective as possible.

The following three pages show the results of their planning.

(Reference: Based on a compilation of plans developed during workshops in Zambia, the Philippines and Uganda, 2000-2001.)

Example: Overall plan for documentation and communication work for 2001
AIDS Action is a fictitious local NGO that provides support - particularly in relation to sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS - to sex workers in the capital city. The following provides a summary of their documentation and communication plan for the year 2001. Detailed plans for each objective can be found on the following pages.

Overall aim: The aim of our documentation and communication work is to improve the quality of STI and HIV/AIDS support to sex workers by ourselves and other organisations in our country.

Objective 1: We will meet our overall aim by documenting and communicating our experiences of supporting HIV/AIDS peer education among sex workers in the capital city.

Audience: NGOs working with sex workers; NGOs working on HIV/AIDS with other vulnerable communities; donors.

Product: Good practice guidelines.

Timing: To be completed by May 2001.

Dissemination National conference; AIDS network meetings; mailing.

Objective 2: We will meet our overall aim by documenting and communicating our experiences of combining community outreach work with referring sex workers to government STI clinics.

Audience: Ministry of Health; local government clinics; NGOs working with sex workers; NGOs working on STIs; donors.

Product: Set of four case studies.

Timing: To be completed by October 2001.

Dissemination: Launch event; briefings with target audiences; AIDS network meetings; mailing.

Monitoring and evaluation indicators (for both objectives):
• Number of copies of products sent to audiences.
• Audiences find the products useful.
• Community members feel some ownership of the products.

(Reference: Based on a compilation of plans developed during workshops in Zambia, the Philippines and Uganda, 2000 - 2001.)

Example: AIDS Action Objective 1: Planning grid
Step 1: Deciding an aim and objectives

Aim: The aim of our documentation and communication work is to improve the quality of support to sex workers - particularly in relation to STIs and HIV/ AIDS - by ourselves and other organisations in our country.

Objective 1: T o improve the quality of peer support to sex workers by documenting and communicating our experiences of supporting HIV/ AIDS peer education among sex workers in the capital city.

[Objective 2: To improve the quality of STI services for sex workers by documenting and communicating our experiences of combining community outreach work with referring sex workers to government STI clinics.]

Step 2: Identifying priority audiences

NGOs working with sex workers; NGOs working on HIV/ AIDS with other vulnerable communities; donors.

Step 3: Choosing key messages

1. Sex workers make excellent peer educators - because they understand each other so well.

2. Participation is key to the successful training of peer educators among sex workers.

3. Training of peer educators must be ongoing, with moral and technical support provided to sex workers on a long- term basis.

Step 4: Selecting a product
Good practice guidelines; 100 copies.

Step 5: Developing the product

5a: What structure, content and style will the product have?

Structure: Title page; List of abbreviations; Contents page; Introduction; Section 1: Starting a peer education project; Section 2: Managing a peer education project; Section 3: Sustaining a peer education project; Conclusions and recommendations

Style: Simple, but smart; colour cover; black and white contents; photographs; diagrams and graphics; in local language; informal, but authoritative.

5b: How will the product be prepared and produced? // 5c: Who will do the work? // 5d: When will the work be done?

1. Meeting of staff to decide a budget, outline and the key messages.// Programme co-ordinator; finance officer; director // January 2001


2. Review of existing reports and materials.// Programme co-ordinator; project assistant // January 2001

3. Meeting with peer educators to learn from their perspectives.// Programme co-ordinator; project officers // January 2001

4. Writing first draft of guidelines.// Programme co-ordinator // February 2001

5. Field- testing of draft guidelines with new group of peer educators.// Project officers; project assistant // March 2001

6. Production of final draft of guidelines.// Programme co-ordinator // April 2001

7. Review of final draft of guidelines.// Programme co-ordinator; director; trustees. // April 2001

8. Publication of guidelines.// Programme co-ordinator; project assistant. // May 2001

Step 6: Disseminating the product

National conference; AIDS network meetings; mailing.

Step 7: Monitoring & evaluating the product

Indicators:
• Number of copies of guidelines sent to priority audiences.
• Audiences find the guidelines useful.
• Sex workers feel some ownership of the guidelines.

Steps to collect the information:
• Count how many copies are sent to each priority audience.
• Keep a record of any feedback received from the priority audiences.
• Hold regular update meetings with the sex workers to get their feedback.

(Reference: Based on a compilation of plans developed during workshops in Zambia, the Philippines and Uganda, 2000 - 2001.)

Example: AIDS Action Objective 2: Planning grid
Step 1: Deciding an aim and objectives

Aim: The aim of our documentation and communication work is to improve the quality of support to sex workers - particularly in relation to STIs and HIV/ AIDS - by ourselves and other organisations in our country.

[Objective 1: To improve the quality of peer support to sex workers by documenting and communicating our experiences of supporting HIV/ AIDS peer education among sex workers in the capital city. ]

Objective 2: T o improve the quality of STI services for sex workers by documenting and communicating our experiences of combining community outreach work with referring sex workers to government STI clinics.

Step 2: Identifying priority audiences

Ministry of Health; local government clinics; NGOs working with sex workers; NGOs working on STIs; donors.

Step 3: Choosing key messages

1. NGOs cannot and should not try to do everything. It is often better to have referral systems with existing services.
2. Sex workers, NGOs and government clinics need to work in partnership for services to be effective and appropriate.
3. Referral systems need to be based on official, mutually agreed procedures rather than just good will.

Step 4: Selecting a product

Set of four case studies; 150 copies.

Step 5: Developing the product

5a: What structure, content and style will the product have?

Structure: Title page; List of abbreviations; Contents page; Introduction; Case Study 1: Case Study 2; Case Study 3: Case Study 4; Summary of lessons learned; Conclusions and recommendations

Style: Simple, but smart; colour cover; black and white contents; photographs; diagrams and graphics; in English language; authoritative.

5b: How will the product be prepared and produced? // 5c: Who will do the work? // 5d: When will the work be done?

1. Meeting of staff to decide a budget, choose key messages and select the case studies. // Programme co-ordinator; finance officer; director // June 2001

2. Review of existing reports and materials. // Programme co-ordinator; project assistant // June 2001

3. Collection of information for case studies - including interviews with sex workers. // Programme co-ordinator; project officers // July 2001

4. Writing and designing of first draft of case studies. // Project officers; project assistant // August 2001

5. Checking of case studies with staff and community members. // Project officers; programme co-ordinator; project assistant // September 2001

6. Review of final draft of case studies. // Programme co-ordinator; director; trustees // September 2001

7. Final design and publication of case studies. // Programme co-ordinator; project assistant // October 2001

Step 6: Disseminating the product

Launch event; briefings with target audiences; AIDS network meetings; mailings.

Step 7: Monitoring & evaluating the product

Indicators: • Number of case studies distributed to priority audiences. • Audiences find the case studies useful. • Sex workers feel some ownership of the case studies.

Steps to collect the information: • Count how many case studies are sent to each priority audience. • Keep a record of any feedback received from the priority audiences. • Hold regular update meetings with the sex workers to get their feedback.

(Reference: Based on a compilation of plans developed during workshops in Zambia, the Philippines and Uganda, 2000 - 2001.)

Photo captions (photos omitted)
A participant in Zambia explaining how the results of their workshop activities were summarised in the planning grid she is holding. She then explained how they used their planning grids to develop their overall documentation and communication plan.

A participant using a planning grid to develop an overall documentation and communication plan during a workshop held in the Philippines.

Section 3.2 Integrating documentation and communication into an organisational plan
Activity 3.2. Aim: To integrate a documentation and communication plan into an NGO's/CBO's organisational plan

Introduction

A final and vital step in planning documentation and communication work is ensuring that it is integrated into an NGO's/CBO's organisational plan.

Integration helps to ensure that documentation and communication work complements an NGO's/CBO's other efforts, and is accepted as an important part of the organisation's overall work.

The process of integration involves working with colleagues to ensure that the documentation and communication plan is as appropriate as possible, and will help to meet the NGO's/CBO's mission. It also includes making sure that the work is included in the NGO's/CBO's overall monitoring and evaluation plan.

Instructions
Timing: 1 hour

1 Explain the aim of the activity.

2 Divide the participants into their NGO/CBO groups. Ask them to brainstorm how they will share their documentation and communication plan with the colleagues in their NGO/CBO. In particular, ask them to consider three questions:
  • Do you need to repeat the detailed planning process with your colleagues?

  • How can you encourage your colleagues to have ownership of the plan?

  • What problems might arise during this process? How can you solve them?


3 Ask the groups to brainstorm how they will integrate their documentation and communication plan into their NGO's/CBO's organisational plan. In particular, ask them to consider these three questions:
  • How can you ensure that documentation and communication work is integrated into your NGO's/CBO's organisational plan, including its monitoring and evaluation plan?

  • At what level should documentation and communication appear in your organisational plan? For example, should it be an objective or an activity?

  • When should this integration happen? For example, can you do it now, or can it wait until the next planning cycle?


4 Bring everybody back together, and ask the groups to present their results. Encourage the participants to ask each other questions and to make comments.

5 Lead a group discussion about what has been learned from the activity, based on questions such as:
  • Why is it important for all colleagues in an NGO/CBO to be committed to a documentation and communication plan?

  • Why does documentation and communication work need to be integrated into an organisation's plan, rather than being separate?

  • Why is it important to integrate documentation and communication into an organisation's overall monitoring and evaluation plan?


Facilitators' notes

! Support participants to think of creative ways to encourage ownership of their documentation and communication plan among colleagues. These might include a presentation at a staff meeting or a participatory planning session.

! Encourage participants to truly integrate their documentation and communication work into their organisational plan, rather than simply add it on to it.

! Encourage participants to think of the easiest way to integrate their documentation and communication work - so that the process does not become too lengthy or complex.

Example: AIDS Action
AIDS Action is a fictitious local NGO involved in responding to HIV/AIDS. Following a training workshop, during which they developed a documentation and communication plan, some members returned to their NGO. They then brainstormed how they would share their plan with their colleagues in the NGO. In particular, they responded to three questions:

Q 1: Do you need to repeat the detailed planning process with your colleagues?

A1: Yes, we need to repeat the key steps with the programme director and finance officer - to get their input and support.

Q2: How can you encourage your colleagues to have ownership of the plan?

A2: We will present the plan at the next staff meeting and ask for their comments and ideas.

Q3: What problems might arise during this process? How can you solve them?

A3: Some colleagues may think that our plan is unrealistic - so we will share with them the process that we went through to develop it.

AIDS Action then brainstormed how they would integrate their documentation and communication plan into their organisational plans. In particular, they responded to three questions:

Q1: How can you ensure that documentation and communication work is integrated into your NGO's/CBO's organisational plan, including its monitoring and evaluation plan?

A1: We will add documentation and communication to the guidelines that we use to develop our organisation's strategic plan and workplan.

Q2: At what level should documentation and communication appear in your organisational plan? For example, should it be an objective or an activity?

A2: We will make it one of our organisation's four main objectives.

Q3: When should this integration happen? For example, can you do it now, or can it wait until the next planning cycle?

A3: We will carry out the integration in December when we do our strategic planning for next year.

(Reference: Based on a compilation of experiences at workshops in Zambia, the Philippines and Uganda, 2000 - 2001.)

Source: Documenting and communicating HIV/AIDS work
This is an extract from Documenting and communicating HIV/AIDS work: a toolkit to support NGOs/CBOs, published by the International HIV/AIDS
Alliance in October 2001.

To view the whole toolkit follow this link.

To download this section, complete with graphics (and a handout which is not shown above), in pdf format (which requires Adobe Acrobat software to read it) follow this link (file size 273kb).