From Projects to Portfolios: How FCDO is Shaping Collective Learning and Coherence (Part 1)

Systems Practice in International Development

We all know development challenges are complex and interconnected, and that’s where the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has taken a refreshingly practical approach to systems thinking by first getting its house in order. They’ve embraced a portfolio approach -At the heart of it is to learn from portfolio evidence, leverage synergies through coherence to maximize impact in a complex and fast-changing world.
FCDO's Portfolio Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (PMEL) programme was established to do just that. While several countries have adopted the concept, today we’re spotlighting two in particular—Nepal and Nigeria.
In this episode, we’ll dive into the merits and challenges of a portfolio approach, explore the pre-requisites for becoming a learning organization and, at the end, we’ll bust a few myths around evidence-informed learning and decision-making.
This podcast is produced and hosted by the Portfolio Monitoring Evaluation and
Learning (PMEL) programme in Nepal, funded by the British Embassy Kathmandu and implemented by Abt Global. Please note, the views expressed through this podcast reflect those of the hosts and guests only.
Bios Guests
Dr Craig Irwin
Data, Evidence and Learning Lead for the British High Commission, Nigeria
Dr. Craig Irwin has dedicated over 15 years to advancing the use of statistics, data and evidence for the UK government with experience ranging from Defra, UK department of health, Department for International Development (DFID) Bangladesh and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development office Nepal. He was pivotal in shaping the innovative Portfolio Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (PMEL) programme in Nepal its initial years and now serves as the lead for the British High Commission in Nigeria.
Dr. Federica Di Battista
Evidence and Knowledge Team Leader, BEK, FCDO

And as our second guest, we have Federica Di Battista.
After obtaining her PhD in economics from the University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, Federica worked on research projects at the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and poverty estimation at the World Bank. She joined Innovations for Poverty Action as research manager for a portfolio of impact evaluation projects focusing on rural and agricultural development in Ghana. And from 2018 she joined the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the UK as evaluation expert for the evaluation unit first and then for the Middle East and North Africa regional department. She is currently the evidence and

This podcast is produced and hosted by the Portfolio Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (PMEL) programme in Nepal, funded by the British Embassy Kathmandu and implemented by Abt Global. The views expressed in this podcast reflect those of the hosts and guests only.
For more information on USAID’s Local systems approach, please check the links below:

· Theory of Change Workbook: A Step-by-Step Process for Developing or Strengthening Theories of Change·
What is collective impact forum?
· Collective Action in USAID Programming
· Context-Driven Adaptation (Overview)
· Localization and Locally Led Development
· USAID/Vietnam Localization Learning Review – Final Report