This document is a guidance paper for SDC head office and cooperation office staff. 

This is the updated version 2022 in English and French. The Spanish version is from 2017.

The guidance document provides advice for SDC staff on how to manage projects using a market systems approach. Advice is provided for developing the initial project idea and formal entry proposal, the tender process, the inception phase, credit proposal and implementation phase, steering and monitoring, evaluation and preparation of a following phase.

Ce document est un guide d'orientation interne destiné au personnel du siège de la DDC et des bureaux de coopération.

Ce guide fournit des conseils au personnel de la DDC sur la manière de gérer des projets utilisant une approche des systèmes de marché. Des conseils sont fournis sur les activités du personnel autour du développement de l'idée initiale du projet et de la proposition d'entrée en matière, du processus d'appel d'offres, de la phase de démarrage, de la proposition de crédit et de la phase de mise en œuvre, du pilotage et du suivi, de l'évaluation et de la préparation de la phase suivante.

There is also a short video with explanation and overview of the guidance paper  - see video in English or see video in French

Further, there is a brief for decision-makers and poster that can be printed and displayed in your office to make people aware of the guidance 

This brief is specifically written for decision-makers who approve MSD projects – either entry proposals with opening credits or credits for main phases. It will guide you through the different phases of MSD projects and how they are linked to the SDC Project Cycle Management (PCM) – with a focus on phases relevant for approval.

Click here for the updated guidance for managing MSD projects (version 2022).

The document brings together knowledge on Local Economic Development (LED) with current experiences of delivering LED within SDC. It aims to support design, implementation and steering of LED initiatives within SDC. After getting some initial understanding of what LED is this guidance will help you to deepen your understanding of the implications of LED for programme management within SDC’s Project Cycle Management (PCM).

This introduction paper and guidance is made for Vocational Education and Training (VET) practitioners, donors and implementing partners in development cooperation who want to better understand and analyse how VET systems function and how their different elements interrelate. It shall therefore…

- introduce those working in VET projects and institutions into VET systems thinking and provide them with a basic understanding and analytical dimensions;

- improve the quality of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)’s VET interventions based on a better understanding of VET systems;

- provide input for SDC’s position in the discussion about systemic approaches to VET systems development and reform.

Updated version April 2022

This Glossary includes the most important MSD/M4P terminologies and definitions.

This BEAM short paper (19 pages) explores how to develop a system change strategy and intervention plans that lay the groundwork for system change assessment, including how to set system boundaries and how to identify the system changes a programme aims to catalyse; and assess system changes using both (i) an intervention lens focused on changes introduced by specific interventions, and (ii) a helicopter lens that provides a whole system view. 

A BEAM webinar where the four authors provided an overview and answered burning questions was attended by 166 practitioners. After that, the authors published a more depth version  "A pragmatic approach to assessing system change, how to put it into practice" (91-pages) . It explains in detail how to implement this pragmatic approach with worked examples and useful tips.

An independent evaluation assessing how SDC-financed MSD projects in agriculture were implemented from 2013 to 2019. SDC funded 275 projects in this period that had major elements of MSD in agriculture.

Overall the evaluators conclude that MSD was demanding on project teams and the Swiss Cooperation Offices (SCOs). A high level of skill was required to find market failures and define what to do. Ensuring actions needed to stimulate the private sector without distorting the market whilst avoiding the project becoming trapped as a permanent actor.

Over several phases, projects built up their skill base. They achieved this either by training their own staff or by building local NGO capacity. This gave rise to a slow start, but it paid dividends over the years with considerable skills being built up within the projects.

This report includes the management response. Link to the factsheet.