SayPro Strategic Alignment

Review Process

1. Weekly Progress Reviews (Every Friday)

• Attendees: Research Team Lead, Data Collection Manager, Field Supervisors, M&E Lead, Data Analysts
• Objective: Assess the progress of research activities, identify deviations, and plan for corrective actions.
• Agenda:
  • Review the status of data collection: Check if progress aligns with timelines.
  • Compare actual findings to the research objectives to identify any gaps.
  • Discuss potential issues (e.g., recruitment challenges, low survey responses) and adjust sampling or focus accordingly.
  • Evaluate methodological adherence: Ensure that the data collection methods continue to reflect the original design.
  • Plan for any adjustments in outreach (e.g., targeting additional communities or adjusting focus group criteria).

2. Mid-Study Alignment Check (April 20, 2025)

• Attendees: Research Lead, M&E Lead, Data Analysts, Key Stakeholders
• Objective: Ensure the research is still aligned with the strategic objectives and that early findings are consistent with the overall research goals.
• Agenda:
  • Review preliminary findings and compare them against the objectives: Ensure that data is still relevant to the policy, market trends, and social outcomes.
  • Adjust objectives or focus areas if emerging findings point to new trends or challenges.
  • Confirm whether current data collection methods remain suitable and if they need tweaking.
  • Identify any challenges faced by field teams or analysts and make necessary adjustments to workflows or tools.
  • Review stakeholder feedback from interviews or focus groups to ensure the research is meeting community and policy needs.

3. Ongoing Stakeholder Engagement and Feedback (Throughout April)

• Objective: Collect regular feedback from key stakeholders to gauge how the research is serving their needs and adjust accordingly.
  • Engagement Schedule:
    • Municipal partners: April 10 and April 17
    • Community leaders and focus group participants: April 12
    • Internal SayPro teams (Policy, M&E, Youth Empowerment): Weekly check-ins
  • Key Activities:
    • Collect stakeholder input to ensure research continues to meet their expectations.
    • Analyze feedback on data gaps or misalignment with their needs, then adjust data collection if necessary.
    • Use feedback loops to correct any misunderstandings in the data or misinterpretation of objectives.

4. End-of-Month Strategic Reflection and Adjustment (April 30, 2025)

• Attendees: Research Director, M&E Team, Senior Management
• Objective: Review the overall progress, identify any major gaps, and discuss adjustments for future research cycles or reporting.
• Agenda:
  • Discuss whether all research objectives were fully met and which areas need more attention.
  • Review the full data set and ensure it accurately reflects the intended goals and provides actionable insights.
  • Adjust research priorities for the next cycle based on findings, stakeholder input, and any issues encountered during the research process.
  • Develop recommendations for ongoing adjustments in future objectives, methodologies, or sampling approaches.

✅ Key Deliverables

1. Weekly Progress Review Notes (by each Friday)
   • Summary of key findings, adjustments made, and next steps.
   • Document any deviations from the original plan and action taken.
2. Mid-Study Alignment Report (by April 20)
   • A report that reviews the progress, identifies any misalignments, and adjusts objectives or methodologies.
3. Final Reflection Report (by May 1)
   • A comprehensive reflection on whether objectives were fully met, with specific recommendations for future research cycles.

Adjustment Process for Research Objectives

1. Weekly Insights Review (Every Friday)

• Attendees: Research Team Lead, Data Collection Manager, Field Supervisors, M&E Lead, Data Analysts
• Objective: Identify any insights or circumstances that might require adjustments to the research objectives.
  • Key Activities:
    • Review findings from the week’s data collection and analysis.
    • Assess if emerging patterns in the data suggest a shift in the focus of the objectives.
    • Discuss external factors (e.g., policy changes, economic shifts, community feedback) that might impact the research.
    • Modify objectives if necessary to ensure alignment with real-world data and the evolving context.

2. Mid-Month Insight Synthesis (April 20, 2025)

• Attendees: Research Director, M&E Lead, Data Analysts, Senior Research Team
• Objective: Synthesize insights from the first half of data collection to determine the relevance and actionability of objectives.
  • Key Activities:
    • Data triangulation: Compare early findings against historical data, literature reviews, and expectations.
    • Identify if certain objectives are underperforming or no longer feasible due to data gaps or logistical barriers.
    • Adjust objectives based on emerging trends (e.g., significant policy shifts affecting informal traders or new economic trends impacting youth traders).
    • Set new sub-objectives if findings suggest additional areas of focus (e.g., resilience tracking in an unexpected demographic).

3. Stakeholder Feedback Integration (April 12–17, 2025)

• Attendees: Key stakeholders (local authorities, municipal officials, community leaders)
• Objective: Incorporate feedback from external stakeholders to adjust research objectives to better serve real-world needs.
  • Key Activities:
    • Gather input on research direction and whether objectives are still aligned with their expectations.
    • Assess if local challenges or policy shifts require an objective update (e.g., new government regulations affecting traders or external shocks like strikes).
    • Refine objectives based on stakeholder feedback to ensure that the research continues to serve policy, community, and donor needs.

4. Data Quality Review and Objective Refinement (April 17, 2025)

• Attendees: Data Analysts, Research Lead, M&E Team
• Objective: Review the quality of data and whether the objectives need adjustment based on data integrity or consistency.
  • Key Activities:
    • Data cleaning and preliminary analysis: Identify any discrepancies, gaps, or inconsistencies in the data that may affect the integrity of objectives.
    • Discuss potential biases in data collection (e.g., underrepresentation of certain communities).
    • Adjust objectives to ensure that any new data points or gaps are addressed.

5. End-of-Month Reflection and Objective Adjustment (April 30, 2025)

• Attendees: Research Director, Senior Management, M&E Team
• Objective: Reflect on the overall research progress and ensure all objectives are achievable and relevant based on final data and outcomes.
  • Key Activities:
    • Review overall research findings and whether they support the original objectives.
    • If results deviate from the planned objectives, adjust and refine them for future research cycles (e.g., next month or the following quarter).
    • Discuss how new external factors (e.g., economic policy changes, social trends) might require an immediate adjustment to ongoing objectives.
    • Set next steps for research direction, including any new objectives to pursue based on the lessons learned during the month.

⚙️ Adjusting the Objectives in Practice

• Objective Modification Process:
  • Short-term:
    • Modify the scope of data collection tools (e.g., surveys or interviews) to reflect new focuses.
    • Shift attention to new or emerging sectors, communities, or trends.
  • Mid-term:
    • Add sub-objectives to further explore emerging insights (e.g., expanding the focus on gender-based resilience).
    • Remove objectives that no longer align with the current research priorities.
  • Long-term:
    • Revise strategic objectives for future cycles based on learning from this month’s adjustments.
• Documentation of Changes:
  All objective adjustments will be documented in real-time, tracked via a shared project management tool (e.g., Notion or Trello) for full visibility.

✅ Key Deliverables for Adjustments

1. Weekly Adjustment Notes:
   Document any adjustments to research objectives after each weekly review.
2. Mid-Month Adjustment Report (by April 20):
   A detailed report outlining changes made to objectives based on early insights and stakeholder feedback.
3. End-of-Month Final Adjustments (by May 1):
   A final summary of how the research objectives evolved based on data, stakeholder feedback, and external developments.

📊 Outcome:

By continuously adjusting the research objectives based on real-time data and stakeholder feedback, SayPro ensures that research remains relevant, actionable, and focused on the most critical areas of economic impact.