Activity A: Mapping the key strategic opportunities for influencing policy, programming and investment decisions (2/2)

Identifying a window of opportunity

What are some examples of windows of opportunity or a “policy priority” that a NIPN operational cycle of ‘question-analysis-findings’ could inform?

• a policy or plan under development, revision or implementation
• an annual or mid-term policy review process
• a budget prioritisation exercise
• an annual planning exercise

It is important to be mindful of the stage in which policies and plans are: stakeholders’ priorities and interests will differ depending on the stage (evaluation, formulation or implementation), and this will influence the type of questions and information needs they may have.

Also keep in mind that the ‘window of opportunity’ may be more or less strict depending on the strategic priority considered: a programme’s evaluation or reformulation leaves a larger window of opportunity while a specific event, such as a conference or consultation workshop, has a fixed date, thus rendering the window of opportunity very narrow.