Applying the nfp principles in the different phases of the process
This section provides some more operational hints about how the principles can be applied in practice. It highlights possible activities and outputs and gives some options on tools and instruments, which, in the different phases of an nfp process, help to apply the principles. The activities described do not refer separately to single principles but often address several or all of them. They should not be understood as a straitjacket but as a set of supportive tools that can be enlarged and improved by the nfp practitioners' own experience.
An nfp entails a cyclical process with a sequence of activities that gradually evolve and allow for action learning. These are broadly known as policy cycles, which develop and start again as lessons are learned. Hence, learning takes place and leads to increased quality and impact with every round of this iterative process.
For the purpose of the present web site the process is split into four phases:
These four phases are closely related and interconnected. They should not be seen in a straight chronological order as in reality they exist in parallel. While, for example, in some fields of activity analysis may just start, in others implementation is already in progress.