Development and humanitarian practice is moving away from fixed, five-year logframes towards programmes that learn and adapt as conditions change. At the same time, the commitment to locally led development asks international agencies to shift decision-making power, resources and data ownership to national organisations and communities. Both shifts depend on MEAL teams that can produce timely, usable evidence and share it in ways local actors can question and act on.

This five-day programme connects data practice to adaptive decision-making. Participants begin with the principles behind adaptive management and locally led approaches, then co-design indicators and data flows with the people closest to the work. They gather routine monitoring, feedback and qualitative data with mobile tools, analyse trends and outliers, and run participatory reflection sessions that turn findings into options. The week ends with learning agendas, decision documentation and the conversations with donors needed to secure flexibility.

The approach is applied throughout: participants work with a realistic programme data set, practise facilitation techniques in small groups and leave with an adaptation plan for their own project.

Participants will be equipped to:

• Explain the principles of adaptive management and locally led development and how they reshape MEAL.
• Design learning questions and a learning agenda linked to a programme's theory of change.
• Co-create indicators and data collection plans with local partners and communities.
• Collect and manage routine, feedback and qualitative data using mobile tools.
• Analyse programme data to identify trends, outliers and emerging signals for decision-making.
• Facilitate participatory sense-making and pause-and-reflect sessions.
• Document adaptations and the evidence behind them in decision logs.
• Apply responsible data principles that protect communities and respect local ownership.

The programme suits practitioners who generate or use evidence to steer programmes, including:

• MEAL officers, coordinators and managers
• Programme and project managers in NGOs and development agencies
• Leaders and staff of local NGOs and community-based organisations
• Accountability and community engagement officers in humanitarian response
• Grant and portfolio managers in donor and foundation offices
• Learning, knowledge management and research staff
• Government officers who monitor devolved or community programmes

What participants take back to their organisations:

• A learning agenda with prioritised questions for their own programme.
• A co-designed indicator set that reflects both community and donor needs.
• A facilitation plan for a pause-and-reflect session.
• A decision log template for recording adaptations and their evidence.
• A simple Power BI or Excel dashboard built from programme data.
• An approach for discussing flexibility and adaptation with donors.

Participants learn by doing, with:

• A realistic programme data set analysed from collection to decision
• Hands-on labs in KoboToolbox, Excel and Power BI
• Role-played sense-making sessions with participants acting as community members and partners
• Case discussions from development and humanitarian programmes
• Coaching on each participant's own learning agenda

Completion of the five days and the practical labs earns a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion issued by Vision Reach Global Consultancy, confirming the participant's engagement with each stage of the adaptive learning cycle.