USAID EPIC Year Three Work Plan

The project's objective is to improve education sector programming, measurement, and management in the areas of performance improvement and organizational effectiveness, professional development and training, internal and external communications and outreach, and knowledge management for learning. EPIC consists of support services in four key areas: performance improvement through organizational effectiveness, professional development and learning for all staff, engagement, communications, and partnerships, and knowledge management for learning. The project period of performance includes a one-year Base Period, followed by two, two-year Option Year periods for a total period of five years (2015-2020). The EPIC contract was awarded to Training Resources Group, Inc. (TRG), along with subcontractors ForumOne and Social Solutions International, Inc. (SSI), on October 1, 2015. Making Cents International (MCI) was added as a subcontractor in Year 2. The project's work plan covers the period of October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018. The organizational effectiveness (OE) work stream is the foundation and catalyst for the other three work streams. Improved OE is a necessary condition for achieving real gains across work streams because it is at the heart of everything the Office does. The OE work stream will continue to support shifts in organizational culture and efficiencies to support Office-wide, sector-wide, and cross-sector effectiveness, collaboration, and cohesion. The OE work stream will focus on several key activities, including global dialogue, coaching program, leadership development program, office-wide periodic reflection, office and team learning agendas, office work planning, office processes, and coordination with regional bureaus and missions. These activities will address themes such as time to pause and reflect, timely decision-making, effective communication, enhanced collaboration across teams, and communication and interaction with the field on a regular basis. The global dialogue process will facilitate regular communications and feedback loops with and among missions, ensuring an integrated approach to learning and communication through various professional development, knowledge management, and engagement activities. This process will be coordinated with the other EPIC work streams, with OE facilitating the development of the global dialogue model and approach. The coaching program will provide support to E3/ED staff to improve their performance and effectiveness, while the leadership development program will focus on developing the skills and abilities of E3/ED leaders. The office-wide periodic reflection will provide a regular opportunity for E3/ED staff to reflect on their work and identify areas for improvement. The office and team learning agendas will focus on developing a shared understanding of E3/ED's goals and objectives, while the office work planning will ensure that E3/ED's work is aligned with its goals and objectives. The office processes will be reviewed and improved to ensure that they are efficient and effective, and the coordination with regional bureaus and missions will ensure that E3/ED is working effectively with its partners. Overall, the OE work stream will play a critical role in supporting the success of the EPIC project by improving the organizational effectiveness of E3/ED and its partners.