Certifications

KNO offers two ISPI-credentialed certification programs grounded in decades of work with donor-funded international development initiatives. Each program delivers proven tools, hands-on coaching, and a credential awarded by the International Society for Performance Improvement.

PAAx Certification PDPM Certification

Performance Assessment & Analysis (PAAx)

A certificate program in performance assessment for international development

For decades, KNO and IFNAE have led performance improvement methodologies for donor-funded capacity-building programs worldwide. The PAAx program packages that experience into a rigorous certification — giving you a clear rationale and process for planning and implementing organizational performance assessments that produce compelling evidence for effective interventions.

Why Attend

Designed and delivered by experienced practitioners in international development and researchers in performance improvement
Built on empirical research, with proven tools and techniques
Systemic, holistic view of organizational performance
Applied practitioner approach proven with major donor organizations
Tools you can put to work immediately
Focus on organizational results and strategic alignment
Interactive learning with peers and a long-standing community of practice

Certification Levels

PAAx Specialist

Five webinars across a three-week period (or a two-day workshop, if delivered face-to-face)
Four hours of review and feedback to support completion of an assessment plan
Complimentary copy of Performance Assessment and Analysis: Development Solutions for Worthy Results
Evaluated against strict criteria for an accomplishment-based assessment plan
Prerequisite for PAAx Analyst certification

PAAx Analyst

One webinar
Sixteen hours of individual project-based coaching from program facilitators (typically over two to three months)
Four hours of review and feedback to support completion of the assessment and reporting
Accomplishment-based plans under facilitator supervision
Final assessment report (case study)
Selected participants may brief their project at a professional conference

Program Modules — PAAx Specialist

Module 1 — Mapping the Landscape

Improving results in international development
Why performance analysis & assessment (PAA)?
Performance orientation vs. conventional assessments
A system perspective
Identifying stakeholders and building successful relationships

Module 2 — Planning a PAA

A participatory approach: engaging stakeholders in the PAA process
Ensuring strategic alignment through environmental scans
Defining scope and developing plans

Module 3 — Collecting Useful Data

Ensuring the data you collect is useful
When and how to adjust your data collection plans and tools
Using performance frameworks to ask follow-up questions

Module 4 — Making Sense of the Data

Integrating analysis throughout the PAA
Defining gaps and contributing root causes
Using root causes to inform solution selection

Module 5 — Influencing Decisions and Actions

Key factors for a credible and compelling report
Criteria for editing your report
Common pitfalls to avoid

ISPI Awards the PAAx Credential

The International Society for Performance Improvement partners with KNO and IFNAE to award the PAAx credential. Participants meeting the requirements for the Specialist or Analyst level receive their certificate from ISPI.

The PAAx Specialist credential covers the first four ISPI standards; the PAAx Analyst credential demonstrates all ten standards.

Either certification earns participating CPTs 12 points of continuing education for recertification.

Delivered jointly with the Institute for Needs Assessment and Evaluation (IFNAE).

Interested in enrolling or learning more about the PAAx program?

Performance-Driven Project Management (PDPM)

A certification in results-based project management

Projects are essentially a network of personal commitments between people. No matter how brilliant a project plan is, it will fail if the team does not commit to deliver what the plan requires. PDPM is built on that insight: it provides techniques for creating a project plan grounded in personal commitments, monitoring performance against those commitments, and facilitating effective trade-offs to keep the project on track.

PDPM Characteristics

Focus on results, not activity
Team involvement and a realistic view
Detailed horizon planning
Scheduled interim deliverables
Personal commitments
Continual self-monitoring of deliverables
Early warning of delays — without punishment

Key Distinctions

Modern Project Management

▪Task and activity
▪Time estimates
▪Manager plans
▪Plan from endpoint
▪Track % complete
▪Last-minute delays
▪Concerns kept private

PDPM Approach

▪Deliverables / results
▪Commit dates
▪Team involved
▪Horizon plans
▪Done / not done
▪Early warning
▪Explicit trade-offs

Three Performance-Driven Conditions

1. Clear Expectations

Each team member knows exactly what is expected of them and what quality is required.

2. Frequent Self-Monitored Feedback

Performance against commitments is visible to the team in short, regular intervals.

3. Control of Resources

Owners of deliverables have the resources they need to meet their commitments.

Tools You Will Use

PDPM replaces conventional task networks and Gantt charts with three simple, effective tools designed to keep expectations clear and feedback frequent:

Deliverables Map — a high-level project plan built collaboratively in a structured “Map Day” workshop, leading to higher commitment and better teamwork.
Deliverables Matrix — describes who delivers what to whom, by when, with agreed quality criteria. Tracks done/not-done rather than percent complete.
Performance Against Commitments (PAC) Chart — a cumulative indicator of completed vs. committed deliverables, providing early warning when a team begins to fall behind.

Program Elements

Designed around the four ISPI RSVP principles, six standards, and code of ethics
Supervision, design, and delivery by ISPI Certified Performance Technologists (CPTs)
Accomplishment-based participant project plans, evaluated at program close
Methodology workshops delivered over several intervals during the certification period
Individual project-based coaching from CPTs throughout the program
Final case-study project report under CPT supervision

Award of Credential

Participants are observed and evaluated by CPT consultants against established criteria. Those meeting the criteria are awarded the ISPI-certified PDPM credential — Certified Performance-Driven Project Manager, Coach or Team Leader.

Delivered in collaboration with Ensemble Management Consultants. PDPM is adapted in part from methods in No Surprises Project Management by T.J. Esque (ACT Publishing, 1999).

Interested in enrolling or learning more about the PDPM program?