Results-based management (RBM) is a management strategy. It involves setting objectives, measuring achievement against these, using this information to learn what is working and what is not and, based on this, adapting and reporting progress. The application of RBM can help drive improved effectiveness, efficiency and transparency in how resources are used.
RBM has been promoted by the Norwegian government as a core strategy for managing public funds. Commitments to managing for results have also been made by the government in numerous political platforms.
This evaluation, commissioned by the independent evaluation department in Norad and conducted with the Chr. Michelsen Institute, had three objectives:
- First, to understand how the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) practice RBM and how they have operationalised it in the context of development assistance.
- Second, to understand the consequences of the current RBM approach, including how it affects what and who the aid administration funds (and to what degree).
- Third, to look at how RBM contributes (or not) to development outcomes. The overall goal of the evaluation is to contribute to improved results-based management in the Norwegian aid administration.
Below, Itad’s Rob Lloyd gives a quick overview of the evaluation and its findings.
