Capabilities

KNO teams have conducted numerous capacity development and performance assessments for USAID, World Bank, and EU partners during the past two decades. The partners, M. Mari Novak CPT, Steven J. Kelly CPT, and Anna Čermáková PhD CPT, have managed donor-funded subcontract projects in over 25 countries in the former Soviet Union, Central Asia, Latin America Africa, and the Middle East since 1992.

KNO is joined exclusively for capacity building initiatives  by senior performance practitioners from around the world.  Many of our experts are certified performance experts credentialed from the International Society for Performance Improvement.  Combined, these professionals are premier theorists, practitioners, assessment and evaluation experts who are able to train, deliver, and provide consultation on all aspects of capacity building for civil society, government, and the private sector.

Specific KNO consultant experience related to capacity building tasks include:

Performance / Training Assessments: KNO teams have conducted numerous performance assessments for USAID, World Bank, and commercial enterprises during the past decade. In addition to the broader baseline assessments noted above, organization and work group assessments have been completed for such institutions as the Macedonia Ministry of Economy, Azerbaijan National Bank, the Turkish Cypriot Community SMEs , the Nicaraguan Red Local CSO, Tbilisi State University, the Georgian Ministry of Environment, the Slovak Ministry of Finance, and the University of Georgia (full list here). These assessments were conducted by KNO-led teams in accordance with core performance improvement methods such as documented in the USAID HICD Practitioners Handbook.

Capacity-building Design:  KNO consultants routinely design technical assistance and institutional interventions programs geared to improve performance by addressing the gaps uncovered in the assessments. These programs are jointly prepared with institutional stakeholders to insure realistic recommendations and time frames.

Program Strategy and Planning: A KNO team conducted a multi-sector capacity building assessment for a global donor to inform their planning for an upcoming 5-year strategy in Central Asia. In another case in Republic of Georgia, a KNO team conducted the initial institutional scans to both establish criteria and identify partner government institutions for support a Public Administration Reform (PAR) program.  In Cyprus, KNO supported capacity building strategy development for Turkish Cypriot NGOs and SMEs.  In Rwanda, KNO helped design and implement a Community of Practice to strengthen local sustainable consultant capacity.

Technical Assistance: KNO teams have 30+ years’ experience with implementing a variety of capacity building solutions for developing country government, non-profit and commercial institutions. These include research, training and coaching, direct technical assistance, forums and workshops, commodity support. We have trained thousands of participants in both certified and professional programs.  Our consultants available to support STTA include experts in M&E, advocacy, human resources, project management, strategic planning, and operational efficiency.  Additionally, KNO has executed over 80 donor-funded Third Country Study Tours from 15 countries during the period 1996-2017.

Ongoing Expert Consultation: Senior KNO consultants have worked closely with donor mission staff and prime contractors to define and deliver performance assessment and evaluation services to specific projects in Georgia, Macedonia, Armenia, Cyprus, Nicaragua, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, and Rwanda.  Extended capacity building and training strategy consultation has been conducted with diverse institutions including government ministries, civil society organizations, and small medium enterprises.

Performance Monitoring System: As a component of the performance assessment recommendations and training program specification, KNO develops jointly with the partner institutions performance monitoring indicators and targets based on the readiness of the institution to use such tools.   Our experts help to jointly design monitoring systems with partners, train on data collection and analysis methods, and work with managers to use indicator data for ongoing decision-making.