Propositions for quality humanitarian actions

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Propositions for quality humanitarian actions 
Synergy Quality Guide
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Introduction

• History
• Methodology
• Fundamentals
• Key ideas

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Historical background

• In 1999, NGOs got together on the Quality
  platform to promote a different vision of quality
  from that proposed by the Sphere project
• In parallel, the URD group began research which
  came up with the COMPAS quality tool
• The wish to put forward a complementary approach
  to Sphere was realized in 2003 with the funding
  by the DAH of the Synergy Quality program

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Methodology

• A steering committee composed of
• Exchange meetings for each section which brought
  together around 20 NGOs
• External resource people to stimulate reflection
  and give shape to the results

• Action contre la Faim
• La Croix-rouge française
• Handicap International
• Médecins du Monde
• Solidarités

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Methodology

• Collective construction is given pride of place
• Methods have been different for each chapter

• The structure of each chapter reflects the
  diversity of the methods of collective writing
  used

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Fundamentals

• The quality of the activities is conceived in a
  multidimensional way
• Synergy Quality has retained 5 axes for which
  wide-ranging principles are proposed as well as
  concrete examples of practices

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The thematic axes of synergy quality

• Governance

• Human resources

The population affected and its environment

• Ethics

The field

• The project cycle

• Participation

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Fundamentals

• The guide bears on questions to ask oneself
  rather than on the right answers to apply
  whatever the context
• The principles proposed by Synergy Quality do not
  have a prescriptive character, they point out an
  ideal to which it is suggested one should aspire

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Fundamentals

• Synergy Quality is conceived to help NGOs to
  define and implement their own quality approach
• Synergy Quality does not aim at producing norms
• Synergy Quality does not wish to impose anything
  global

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Fundamentals

• The technical indicators should be taken into
  account in the quality approaches.
• The principles and practices should complement
  other approaches proposed collectively to improve
  quality
• Synergy Quality contains the COMPAS Quality tool
  of the URD group

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Fundamentals

• The principles and methods of Synergy Quality
  take into consideration the particular
  constraints of emergency operators.

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Fundamentals

• Other actors, in other fields, have thought about
  quality, its assessment and its improvement. This
  can be an inspiration.
• Synergy Quality is not a tool for audit or
  certification purposes

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Key ideas taken from other fields

• The logic of preventing errors at all stages of
  the project cycle (Quality Assurance)
• Prevention generates savings Synergiy quality
  aims at identifying the risks of error at each
  stage of one projet
• The later a mistake is detected, the more
  expensive it is to correct it

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Key ideas taken from other fields

• A quality approach should be linked to an
  organizational strategy (the hierarchy should be
  involved)
• Continued improvement is one of the bases of
  quality
• Quality is contextual there are no good replies
  only good questions to ask oneself

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• The humanitarian ethics

• Page 12

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Why speak about ethics?

• Humanitarian action is more and more codified and
  regulated.
• There are still situations for which there are no
  rules.
• Ethics are an approach which engages each
  persons conscience in doing  the right thing ,
  it is linked to human and therefore to
  humanitarian.

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From individual ethics to an institutional
position

• While remaining in the domain of conscience,
  ethics cannot be reduced to individual feelings.
  There can be a collective ethic

How to integrate ethics into the organization?
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How to integrate ethics into the organization?
1. By affirming the principles of humanitarian
action in ethical reference texts 2. By
integrating these principles into the
decision-making process 3. By carrying out à
posteriori  ethical re-readings  of our
actions A decision-making process based on an
ethical approach includes simultaneously the
personal dimension of the subject, the
organizations values and the analysis of the
particular situation in which it is involved.
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• Associative governance

• Page 30

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Perspectives and definitions
The definition of the aim of governance adopted
by Synergy quality is   Ensure the social
mission of the OSI in the long term .
The model of governance appropriate to the
Synergy quality approach is that of The
partnership value, i.e. taking account of those
involved , as opposed to the model of action
value, specific to shareholders
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The principles
Page 31

• The guidelines are defined, brought up to date
  and widely communicated
• The responsibilities are defined, brought up to
  date and communicated
• The information is honest, reliable and
  available
• The internal workings and external relations
  respect and promote the values of the OSI
• The risks are identified, evaluated and dealt
  with to reduce the probably of their occurring
  and to limit their consequences

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The different levels of  projects 

• The principles apply to all levels of projects

The associative project (the biggest)
An HQ departments project (strategic project)
The field project (operational project)
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The principles

• The principles of good governance of Synergy
  Quality insist on
• Consistency between actions and values
• Relations between elective members and directing
  teams
• Passage of information between all the parties
  concerned

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• Management of human resources

• Page 54

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Objectives and limits of the MHR chapter

• Objectives of the MHR document
• To be an operational help in optimizing the
  quality of the MHR
• for NGOs big and small
• with approaches sometimes distinguished by the
  type of actor involved (employees France,
  expatriates, locals, volunteers)
• Limits of the MHR document
• It does not cover the whole subject
• It feeds on (and is limited to) the practices of
  NGO members of the working groups

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The 6 processes of studied MHR

• HR Policy and Strategy
• Recruitment
• Legal management of employment
• Remuneration
• Interview
• Training

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 Typical  structure of each chapter

• Definition (of recruitment, remuneration, etc.)
• Some guiding principles
• Synthesis of the process (1 page)
• Key questions  table to optimize the quality
  of management of the process
• Explanations and advice for each activity and
  process

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Key-questions

• The  heart  of the MHR Synergy Quality tool
• Each key-question is linked to an activity and to
  the risks and dysfunction inherent in this
  activity.
• An  a minima  quality approach will seek to
  respond to the key-questions of key-activities.
• Give well-argued replies to these questions, that
  gives one the best chance
• to foresee risks and dysfunctions
• to be conscious of the risks run
• to give an account of what you do

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• The project cycle
• The COMPAS QUALITY tool

• Page 202

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The project cycle

• Source the COMPAS QUALITY of the URD group
• It is a quality method for projects in the field
  and particularly for diagnosing and evaluating
• The CD ROM of the COMPAS quality is inserted into
  the guide

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The compass rose of the quality compass
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• The role of populations

• Page 268

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The role of populations

• Some questions for which this chapter will
  provide answers
• What are the links between peoples satisfaction
  and quality of humanitarian actions?
• What links peoples participation and satisfying
  peoples needs?
• What sort of relationship between aid agents and
  people can lead towards quality humanitarian
  actions?
• How can peoples participation be implemented in
  emergency situations?

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The links between satisfaction and quality

• Beneficiaries satisfaction should be one of the
  objectives expected of a quality approach. But
• the difficulty of combining individuals
  satisfaction and general interest, knowing that
  the satisfaction of some may entail the
  dissatisfaction of others that short-term
  satisfaction may clash with long-term
  satisfaction
• the theory that  if the program meets its
  objectives (technical, in terms of physical
  achievements, in tons distributed, etc.),  the
  beneficiaries are satisfied  is not demonstrated

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The choice of participation

• Peoples participation in the programs is one of
  the lateral axes essential for the quality of
  projects implemented in the field
• The participative approaches are not simple
  methodological gadgets but real emotional and
  institutional attitudes
• It is a favored relationship between humanitarian
  agents and people accompanied by a certain number
  of techniques and tools which enable the
  implementation of pertinent and adapted
  humanitarian projects

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Elements for reflection on participation

• 1 Define a global participation strategy
• Participation for what?
• Participation with whom?
• Whose participation and at what stages in the
  project?
• Participation how?
• Participation at what stage in the project cycle?

Responses are not unique and depend on the
context and the actors involved The guide gives
elements of answer and examples.