Development Links Consult (DLC) is committed to delivering timely services of high quality. We have thus developed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that define the roles for all key team members and provide the tools needed to effectively execute a consulting contract. The objectives of the SOPs are to:

• Build and make explicit our knowledge base for team members.
• Codify and improve procedures and practices through a continuing dialogue with all team members.

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are implemented and monitored through the current DLC consultancy execution model that employs resident and external consultants that perform the following (in summary).

1. Preparation of Bids
2. Inception/Preparation for the assignment that includes contracting the Lead Team and preparation of the Inception Report
3. Obtaining approval of ethical boards
4. Recruitment of other team members
5. Training of the research team
6. Pre-test of data collection tools
7. Pre- fieldwork preparation and team deployment
8. Data collection. This is dependent on the assignment but usually we it is 5 days for primary data, and 10 days for secondary data
9. Data management for both Qualitative data and Quantitative data
10. Report preparation, validation and dissemination of the assignment
11. Monitoring, Learning, and Improvement

Lastly, within 10 days from the submission of the final proofread/copyedited report of every assignment, the DLC Business Manager’s delegate writes to the client to request their feedback on both the quality of the report and the contract management aspects of the assignment as well as the certificate of completion.

If no written feedback is received at the expiry of the 10 days, the Business Manager’s delegate arranges and conducts a telephone interview within five days. The delegate completes the feedback form within two days from the interview date and sends it to the internal project team.

In addition, both the Consulting Manager and Business Manager document the challenges, lessons and recommendations and forward them to the project team within 10 days from the conclusion of every assignment.

The Business Manager, with the advice of the Consulting Manager and the Lead sends relevant written feedback to external team members. The Business Manager convenes quarterly reflection meetings for all assignments concluded during the past quarter.