Expectations and deliverables - a postscript

As I mentioned in a previous post one  of the things I have done is an HR Assessment from which I provided suggestions for improvements to the HR Manual, and a process for the incorporation of a Gender strategy. This I did last year. Nothing very much had come if it, and I had put it down to one of those “bedding in” tasks which let the NGO know more about the volunteer and acquaints the volunteer with the organisation, while the specific topic of the task may well need to be written off , never to see the light of day again. Now that’s Ok. When placement outlines are drawn up some quite generic statements are made like the 3 original objectives in mine: once you are “bedded in” and accepted by colleagues refinements and adjustments can be made.  I knew we’d return to this topic if we got round to doing a full Organisational Assessment, and when we began the process for Credibility Alliance Certification and yes it did come up again during the OA. Still, other things needed to happen and be done, and it has been sitting quietly on the back burner for some time.
Since the beginning of May,  as part of the change transformation in Shakti, Mr P has more time to spend at the main Rayagada office, and he specifically indicated that he would have available to spend more time on the detail of many of the things he and I are working on but are pending his review, action or decision. It has been great to see this actually happening – he has been attentive to the timelines for several concept notes submission and project proposals, he has been participative in and supportive of the MIS & IT training programme, and is investing his time in the web redesign project.
Then this morning I am called into his office: he has a question about my annotated comments on the Gender Strategy draft! I’d not even realised he was reviewing it. Very nice! Now I have to go back and reread it  :)

Ramanaguda rambles in the rain

On Wednesday I spent the day at our Ramanaguda field office where we have a training facility. They are having PC problems which need to be fixed ahead of their next capacity building workshop. I’d been before so I was quite looking forward to the fresh country air to blow a bit of the Rayagada dust out of me. 
I was picked up by our driver at 7:30 AM  and then we collected Mr P and Manoj from our main office. The drive up starts out from a muddy nagar, after continual rains since about 6PM the previous night (actually we’ve not had a lot of rain at all this wet season so far).

The video shows the state of the main road through Rayagada and through our nagar. As regular readers will  remember at the end of last year there was massive destruction as work began to improve the road. The disruption continues and as you can see it still has a long way to go. Another 6 months is being talked about – I think it will be well into 2012 before it is finished. I doubt I shall see it completed. But progress is happening the concrete drains aside of the road have been built and for some of the way have their covers in place. These will become the pavement walkways. But for most of the route the covers are still missing – For the past month I have had to walk to my local ATM over a plank across the drainage. For now all road except one into our nagar are closed because of this construction. On foot one can clamber across at some points but even pedestrians cannot get through at others where 6 ft ditches full of metal supports patiently awaiting concrete greet the person on foot. So you can see the drainage in the video, and experience the road condition as we bump our way through the pot holes to get out of Rayagada. Now the country lanes are in better condition than the town roads :)
Out of Rayagada we drive north, going through a couple of villages and gradually climbing up, zig zaging round a series of sharp, hairpin bends and in some places struggling up the gradient in low gear. We pass fields, pretty much empty at this time of here, although some vegetables are still to be  found at roadside sabzi walls stops, but the choice is getting very limited – johnny, aubergine, beans – the very last of the mango crop and I saw a few custard apples for the first time this year. Its pretty wet, misty and not great for pictures.
We arrived here about 10:00AM. Mr P and Manoj immediately headed off again to Gunapar another 1 hr drive for a monthly meeting on one of Shakti’s major involvements (OTELP) There are no  field staff in Ramanaguda office when I arrive, they are all off out at the villages working on our CHIN project for health advocacy and awareness. Only Mr  S is here to open up for me and the caretaker’s family who are busy in the garden. No English speakers at all. As far as I can make out they are trying to sort out a problem with “musa” in the latrines and attacking the newly planted garden plants. I think its these rats eating the cables to the latrine block lights again! Some one should invent a rat repellent covering for wires – come on 3M that sounds like something for you!
 
The office here is quite spartan – two office rooms, one large training hall and a kitchen area and caretaker’s room. But it has a reasonable amount of land and a garden. It is situated about 1/4  mile from the village and so is really quiet and has no distractions for people during courses.  If you want a contrast in facilities between the have and the have nots within India check out my colleague Mike’s Facebook photos of some of his workshop sessions from Delhi and points north.
I spent most of the morning sitting outside in the nice,  fresh, but wet and steamy air. The rain comes and goes, the sound of music from the next village comes and goes, the butterflies flutter round the garden. All very pleasant, and every so often a slight cool breeze.  We are much higher up here than in Rayagada, further inland, but it is no where ear as cool as Koraput – which really does have the best climate around here . Everywhere is forested, with lush green undergrowth carpeting all the hillsides, none of the deforestation you see elsewhere.
   
Yes I was supposed to be working – but what also comes and goes is the power, and even when it is on the voltage is  so low as to make using anything impossible.  Silly me I forget to bring my solar charger this morning, but it was  so overcast and grey that I doubt it would charge very much. Basically the power has been off since 2AM when the rains started.  At this point it was looking likely to be a very unproductive day :) Even if the power comes back on and I can get the PC started, identify the problem I certainly won’t feel happy about upgrading  their windows installation when the power is coming and going.
Come 1PM, Mr S asks me if I want to go into the village for lunch. He will go to the electricity substation and see what is the problem as as has been told by phone that the power should be back on. I tuck into fish curry and rice in the local dhaba, not only the only European but the only woman there as well. No hassles, no one batted an eyelid :)
Back at the office one of our field staff ManojS has arrived back from his morning out in the villages. His task for the afternoon is to draw up some handouts for a capacity building sessions he will run on village microplanning. My artistic skills lend a hand and his copies are done in no time. No fancy clip art graphics here, just plain and simple pen and paper.


Now the electricity fixer arrives.  My NGO paid to have the  power brought up from the village so they do get a bit  of  personal service it seems. Anyway, next thing I know he is climbing up the tower and within 30 minutes the local problem is fixed and we have full voltage power again.
By now it is about 3 PM and I tackle the first of the computing problems. Mr S’s pen drive, on which he transports everything back and forth between Ramanaguda and Rayagada offices is not showing up in Explorer on the Ramanaguda PC.  We sit down and together try to troubleshoot the problem. In the end, I do not know why the problem has occurred, but taking off all his files onto my PC, reformatting his pen drive and reloading his files cures the problem. It may be a short term fix but at least he can get to work. Next task is to show Mr S how to access the internet via a new internet dongle.
The main task of the day was going to be upgrading their Windows installation and loading some new software to mirror the PCs in the Rayagada office, I’m only part way through this when Mr P and Manoj return to pick me up. I had assumed their meeting would go on all afternoon but for some reason it has turned out to be a short one.  In the end I get the Windows updates done and find I don’t have enough room on the disk given how it is partitioned to install all new software and the updates to the antivirus. Regretfully :)  I will have to come back another day and rebuild this machine.  We head home, arriving back in Rayagada by 9PM, I fall straight into bed without any dinner, tired but revived by seeing the countryside and some green horizons again.

Expectations and deliverables

I am heading into my last 4 months or so of my placement so this is a good time to take stock, consolidate what has been done, finalise what needs to be completed before November.

A prospective volunteer makes her assessment of the suitability and desirability of a placement offer from the placement outline. There are no formal interviews, no opportunity  to meet the boss or the team, no seeing the organisation and the work environment before you decide – you go in pretty much blind. ) Looking back at the original placement outline,  mine  said 

“The purpose of this placement is to strengthen the OD processes of the organisation and to set up systems that can be utilised, sustained and contribute to the growth of the organisation”

	Objective	Indicator
1	Creating a long-term organisational strategy	Long term organisational strategy in place
2	Streamlining internal information systems (quality of reporting, centralised reporting and its compilation)	Quality standards for documentation set
		A centralised reporting system created with linkages to various project information
		Internal information storing and management streamlined
3	Support in strengthening funding base of the organisation	Fundraising plan in place

So how has this materialised in practice?
The role has involved working closely with key staff at the NGO (namely the General Secretary and the Documentation Officer) to improve organisational process, on fundraising and MIS systems. This  has been done by sharing skills to develop sustainable processes,taking/making opportunities to improve communications materials, develop fundraising strategy, improve information systems, strengthen management, business and technical skills and initiate long term planning.
It sounded and turned out to be a broad brush placement, ideal for my skills & experience set. So what do I think I have achieved?

Executive coaching - -The key has been building a strong relationship of trust with NGO General Secretary. I have provided thought leadership re organisational transformation and executive level coaching to him. I delivered sound advice, suggestions and management skills coaching: for example, exposure to alternative time management tools; coaching through new ways of approaching /resolving the hiring issues faced in succession planning (e.g. golden handcuffs, role premiums) and in the refinement of the organisation’s Vision/Mission statements.

Marketing Communications – The second key relationship has been with the Documentation officer. Relatively new to the role, she and I worked well early on to conceptualise the Shakti brand and to design and deliver Shakti’s first ever logo (with help from friend and ex colleague Judy Bandy,  and from the team at 2i Design in Cambridge (news) who undertook our design work pro bono – many thanks folks!) The organisation’s stationary was redesigned, its first ever brochure and organisational leaflets , many of its internal forms redesigned, its first website and blog built. The blog and organisation’s facebook page are now being run entirely by the Documentation Officer. We have just this past week started a project to revamp, expand and improve the website (with web design assistance from fellow VSO volunteer Gina)

Organisational Strategy – I guided the General Secretary through his first Organisational Assessment and consequential Action Planning. I undertook an HR Assessment and provided suggestions for improvements to both HR Manual, process for the incorporation of a Gender strategy. I delivered a Fundraising Plan to significantly change and strengthen funding base, rationalise scope of projects. Associated fundraising processes (donor mapping etc) established and staff trained (with assistance from VSO colleague Brooke). I delivered an IT review and an IS plan to provide a solid foundation for the organisation’s IT requirements and to improve systems operational performance to support projects and programme work. All office computers have been updated, memory added, updated versions of software installed, antivirus software upgraded, a LAN installed, backup and recovery processes initiated (with assistance from fellow VSO volunteer Corey) and associated supportive training provided. We have begun a records management exercise, reviewing existing files, agreeing retention schedules.

I am working closely with General Secretary to pull together a very large strategic programme to take the NGO on its next step towards its long term goal of becoming a state wide resource centre.  I am supporting and advising on concept note development and proposal writing to support this transformational change.

Capacity Building Training – Fundraising, communications, basic Office IT skills. Encouraged Documentation Officer and built her skills and confidence re social media, blogging and associated IT skills, delivering training in basic HTML, Live Writer, Blogger & Facebook. Improved quality of reporting through capacity building relevant IT skills e.g. graphical data analysis. Delivered proposal and designed training to improve field staff photographic skills. Conducted Microsoft Word & Publisher 2010 Training ( Excel and PowerPoint training in the pipeline)

So did I do exactly what was on the job description? Probably not, but plus ça change! On the whole I am fairly pleased with what has been done and most importantly I really do think the vast majority of it can be sustained after I go. We do need to consolidate the IT management processes for the LAN and when our faulty NAS drive is  finally replaced by the manufacturer I will ensure we go over the backup and recovery procedures to reinforce these anew. Likewise the fundraising research process needs to be consolidated and internalised better by Shakti staff, so a review of that is in order.

I will be completing the Microsoft Office 2010 training and providing follow up help, advice and encouragement, continuing to work on the series of fundraising proposals and concept note submissions for the new projects, integrating new project staff and their requirements into what we have so far achieved (watch this space for an imminent formal announcement on our successful bid and new project), and continuing to work with the General Secretary on the groundwork for the transformation to a Livelihoods Resource Centre.  He and I have identified several others areas and specific projects at Shakti which would benefit from the assistance of International and /or National volunteers and proposals for these will need to be drafted.

What could have been done which hasn’t been?
Well top of this list has to be Project Management for the field office staff. I certainly could  deliver appropriate capacity building training in this area. As most of the field staff have little of no English, an Oriya interpreter is required.

Also, the Organisational Assessment indicated a requirement for improving Decision Making and Problem Solving skills. At this point in time I am not entirely sure we will have time to do this, much as though I would like to.

It seems like I will be having a busy last few months!