Measuring performance to maximize impact: lessons learned at the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture
NewForesight and Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA) have recently published a paper on performance measurement (PM).
For impact-driven organizations, being able to measure their performance as well as their impact is a necessity. Connecting field-level impacts, operations and internal processes is a constant challenge, and can affect their goals and objectives. The paper describes the PM system built for SFSA and provides insights into how it was developed.
The authors look at three main challenges:
- Finding the right indicators
- Testing and upscaling data collection for adjustments and improvements
- Establishing clear links to long-term impact
Today SFSA has a PM system which runs systematically, but is still evolving in conjunction with the organization’s structure and strategy. The process is internally managed with well-defined reporting cycles, roles and responsibilities, as shown here.
By sharing their experience, SFSA and NewForesight underline the need to coordinate the learning agendas of NGOs, foundations, donors, research institutions, experts and implementers working on similar PM projects. They hope the paper will help such organizations build a solid evidence base for systemic impact, in the agri-sector and beyond.
More information about the SFSA Performance Management system, key lessons and latest achievements is available here.
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