10-Step Process for CIP Planning, Development, and Execution

The planning phase lays the foundation for CIP development and execution, typically involving high-level family planning program decision-makers. The outcomes of the planning phase include government and stakeholder buy-in, securing of human and financial resources for CIP development, and commitments to support execution processes. A clearly defined roadmap guides the development process, and a kick-off meeting with key stakeholders marks the completion of the planning phase and the onset of the development phase. The development phase involves a broad range of family planning stakeholders at various levels and across various sectors. The outcome of the development phase is a country-owned, government-approved CIP, which is officially launched and communicated to all relevant stakeholders. The kick-off meeting for CIP development marks the beginning of the development phase, while the formal launch of the CIP document marks the end of the development phase and onset of the execution phase. The execution phase refers to a deliberate set of processes and systems to operationalize the CIP for sustained action, ultimately leading to results. It typically involves a broad range of family planning stakeholders at various levels and across various sectors. The outcome of the execution phase is the desirable results that a country (or subnational entity) wants to attain for its family planning program, including impact on family planning and associated health and socio-economic goals. The CIP process involves a 10-step process, which includes obtaining government and key stakeholder buy-in and securing resources for CIP development, detailing the roadmap for CIP development, conducting a family planning situational analysis, defining a technical strategy with sub-activities and timeline, estimating resources and costs, setting up institutional arrangements for execution, securing final approval and launching the plan, providing effective stewardship for CIP execution, designing and implementing performance monitoring mechanisms, and developing and implementing a resource mobilization plan. The CIP process is highly participatory, involving a range of stakeholders and technical experts. The primary users of this tool are individuals and teams described in the Costed Implementation Plans (CIPs) for Family Planning: Team Roles and Responsibilities for CIP Development and Execution document, including the CIP's Ministry of Health focal point, project manager, monitoring and evaluation officer, technical support team, and task force. The CIP process is based on acknowledged strategy planning approaches and principles, and on collective experiences with planning, developing, and executing CIPs. As such, it is a living document and continues to be updated with new insights. This document should be used in concert with other tools in the CIP Resource Kit. The 10 steps presented in this tool are intended to be sequential, however, some may occur in a different sequence than presented in this guide, and some steps may overlap between phases. The CIP process involves a range of stakeholders and technical experts, including the national family planning technical working group, CIP strategic advisory groups, and the FP2020 and Ouagadougou Partnership coordination unit. The CIP process is designed to be country-owned and government-approved, with a clear roadmap to guide the development process and a formal launch to mark the end of the development phase and onset of the execution phase. The CIP process is intended to lead to desirable results, including impact on family planning and associated health and socio-economic goals. The formal launch of the CIP document marks the onset of the execution phase, and the CIP's performance period end-date marks the completion of the execution phase.