TPM as a CLA Catalyst: Utility of TPM as a Learning Process in Yemen

Yemen has experienced nearly a decade of intensifying conflict and instability. Yemen’s ongoing civil war and multiple sub-national conflicts have pushed the country deeper into what has already been a severe humanitarian and development crisis. Since 2015, USAID personnel have been unable to travel to Yemen; as a result, the Mission relies on third party monitoring (TPM), research, and analysis to inform management and strategy decisions. To support USAID in this complex operating environment, Management Systems International is implementing The Yemen Continuous Learning and Evaluation (YCLE) Activity. 

The utility of TPM as a learning process relies on a simple assumption: implementers, beneficiaries, monitors, and funders all share a common goal to achieve the greatest impact with the fewest unresolved problems. Often, TPM is incorrectly viewed as an auditing exercise, creating an atmosphere of defensiveness and avoidance. Establishing TPM as a collaborative learning exercise between valued stakeholders builds trust with the implementers and creates a shared objective of learning for adaptive management, within which creative and collaborative problem-solving leads to improved outcomes.
This case demonstrates how the intentional integration of advanced CLA practices such as external collaboration, knowledge management, and adaptive management, all contribute to the success of TPM efforts in highly complex environments such as Yemen. Although there isn't a one-size-fits-all method to position TPM as a learning tool, this case attempts to provide some tangible examples on how CLA creates incentives for stakeholders to meaningfully engage in TPM and use learning to improve implementation.