From 1999 to 2003, in partnership with NGOs, Groupe URD worked on the Quality Project, operational research into quality in humanitarian action. That research work has been conducted across various continents, through different types of crisis and consultation with the stakeholders in humanitarian aid: the local population, the donors, the local authorities and humanitarian organisations.
In 2004, this research led to the creation of the Quality COMPAS©, a Quality Assurance method which URD developed in response to the demand for improved quality.
This tool, based on project cycle management, can be used for all types of technical sectors (water and sanitation; health; protection; nutrition; shelter; agricultural rehabilitation; education) and in different humanitarian contexts (natural disasters, cross-border conflict, man-made disasters, internal conflicts, drought, etc.). The method is based on a system of reference, the compass rose, centred on the crisis-affected population and their context. It is composed of twelve criteria that defined the quality of humanitarian action, four impacts and results criteria, and eight structure and process criteria. The same system of reference is used for both project management and project evaluation.

In 2005, the ideas of adding a ‘data recording’ function to the Quality COMPAS© led to the creation of the Dynamic COMPAS®, which:
- Allows users to create project memory;
- Increases the potential for learning within an organisation;
- Allows users to produce reports more easily;
- Makes exchange and decision-making easier between the head office and the field.

Throughout 2005 Groupe URD was regularly asked to contribute on the subject of certification of humanitarian NGOs (ORSE – Study Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility, HAP-I, etc.). This was also the theme of the 2005 Autumn School on Humanitarian Aid.

Since 2006, the Dynamic COMPAS® has been tested in the field thanks to a partnership with the French NGO, Solidarités.
The quality-related methodological tools mentioned above have been presented in numerous conferences and training courses in France and abroad.
For more information about our work on Quality, visit the Quality COMPAS website at www.compasqualite.org