Vision-Building for Future-Ready Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Research

-  “Aligning Minds, Amplifying Impact”

At SNEHA, we have always been committed to building evidence-based models for urban health and gender equity. Now, we are at a new juncture — the period of scaling. Our focus is shifting from piloting and building models to replicating, sustaining, and expanding them through partnerships, policy advocacy, and knowledge dissemination. M&E and Research had always been a key domain in SNEHA, however in this transition journey of SNEHA, Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Research (MEL& R) is not just a technical arm but a cross-cutting enabler that ensures scaling is evidence-driven, outcomes-focused, and accountable.

From strengthening logical frameworks, defining key performance indicators, and building real-time dashboards, to ensuring evidence translation for stakeholders — MEL & R is central to scaling with impact.

Recently, our MEL & R team came together for a two-day vision-building workshop. The purpose was simple yet powerful:

• To align ourselves with SNEHA’s organizational scaling strategy,
• To build a shared vision of the future, and
• To prepare collectively for the shifts that lie ahead.

Why was this important?

Because the future of MEL & R is evolving rapidly with horizontal and vertical growth in below domains:

• Scaling up – Managing more and diverse projects, programs, data volumes and strengthening impact measurement.
• Technology evolution – Integrating technology, automation and predictive analytics for better and faster decision-making.
• Funding & compliance – Meeting donor requirements with outcome mapping, evidence translation, and high-quality reporting in a timely manner.
• Program learning – Using adaptive learning cycles, feedback loops, and outcome harvesting to ensure programs remain responsive.
• Shared accountability as subject experts – Ensuring knowledge dissemination, strengthening triangulation of data, peer-reviewed evidence generation for the wider development sector.

To stay relevant and impactful, our team needed to pause, reflect, and reimagine our role - not simply managing data, but actively shaping knowledge and insight. 

What did the workshop achieve?

Over two days, we:

• Looked back at our journey as an MEL & R team — the values, stories and challenges that shaped us.
•  Used creative exercises to visualize M&E’s role in SNEHA’s mission — as roots, as a compass, as puzzle pieces that hold the whole picture together.
• Mapped our collective strengths and growth areas — understanding where we shine and where we must invest.
• Reflected on what we must let go of, what we must continue, and what we must learn to stay future-ready.

Together, we committed to adapting with courage, embracing technology, strengthening collaboration, and sharpening our expertise to ensure that evidence continues to drive SNEHA’s impact.

This vision building reminds us that future-readiness is not an individual skill, but a collective mindset. And when we build that mindset together, we are not just preparing for change — we are creating it.