Adaptive Management
A curated collection of resources related to adaptive management and collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) relevant for emergency and non-emergency program implementers.

About this Collection
This is a collection of tools, case studies, templates, and other resources aimed at helping food security implementers manage adaptively through continuous learning. Are you looking to use real-time data to inform activity pivots, conduct annual pause and reflect workshops to better understand program successes and challenges, or facilitate a scenario planning workshop? Explore this collection of adaptive management and CLA approaches developed by the food security community and curated by IDEAL.
The collection is relevant to both emergency and non-emergency implementers.
Adaptive Management Continuous Learning & Improvement Institutional Memory
Adaptive Management
Adaptive management is a critical component of effective food security programming. Activities can improve impact by continuously and systematically using learning to inform decision-making, monitoring their operating context, collaborating with stakeholders to analyze successes and challenges, and working with stakeholders to adapt strategies and approaches as needed.
Continuous Learning & Improvement
An organizational culture that supports continuous learning and improvement is essential to establishing CLA processes and behaviors. This kind of culture creates space for teams to problem-solve, innovate, and improve programming based on experience.
Institutional Memory
Institutional memory is the knowledge base held by an organization or group of people grounded in their experiences. Tacit knowledge and institutional memory are often lost during transitions, especially when staff leave or an activity ends. Establishing processes to systematically capture tacit knowledge and make it accessible across the organization at the right time can contribute greatly to future success and organizational learning.
Pause & Reflect
Pause & Reflect is an opportunity for activities to use a structured approach to reflect critically on implementing challenges and successes. Practicing Pause & Reflect is essential to an activity’s ability to collaborate effectively by identifying and documenting learning to inform decision-making.
Scenario Planning
Scenario planning is an intentional effort to help prepare for, monitor, and respond to changes in the operating environment that could affect an activity’s ability to perform work as planned. Scenario planning helps activities document and learn from programming adaptations resulting from those changes.
Small Grants
The IDEAL Small Grants program funded the following projects/grants/awards which may be of interest to staff working on Adaptive Management. All small grants funded by IDEAL can be found here.