A rigorous approach to understanding the binding constraints to economic growth and to designing a program that effectively addresses them depends critically on a supporting team that can provide all the needed technical expertise, and can understand fully and adequately plan for the program requirements. To support that team in a timely manner it is critical that all team members are fully integrated as early as feasible in the program’s life cycle. The Project was designed and implemented in 2006, early in MCC’s history, and well before many of MCC’s now-standard practices were instituted. Indeed, many of the experiences and lessons from this early era helped inform MCC’s current practices. Since then, MCC has adopted tools such as the systematic, data-guided approach to constraints analyses, and required explicit documentation of the program logic underlying proposed programs. MCC’s use of tools like these take a highly collaborative approach to working within country teams and socializing program management within the agency.
Lesson Learned