The Quality project

The Quality COMPAS©, is the product of an operational research project, the Quality project, which Groupe URD carried out in partnership with a group of NGOs. The project, which lasted five years, involved:
- Exploring and analysing Quality approaches used in the humanitarian sector ;
- Reviewing Quality approaches which are used in other sectors ;
- Analysing the quality of programmes in the field :
- In different field locations: Afghanistan, Central America and the Gulf of Guinea.
- Over time (certain locations were visited several times over periods of up to three years).
- Analysing different types of crisis: armed conflicts, sustained crises, natural disasters, crisis resolution situations.
- In consultation with the local population, local and international NGOs, other humanitarian institutions and funding agencies.
- In different sectors, with both technical analysis (food and economic security, water, health, nutrition, housing) and cross-sector analysis (crisis development, security, coordination, protection, gender, environment).

This research led to the creation of a quality assurance method which could be used by actors in their daily work throughout the different phases of the project cycle (preliminary phase, initial assessment, project design, monitoring and project closure). The method takes as its starting point the idea that human beings and populations are all different. As each crisis takes place in a specific context and necessitates a specific response, it is impossible to apply universal norms. It is imperative that the political, religious, cultural and economic contexts are taken into account when deciding what humanitarian aid is needed by a population. The aim of the COMPAS is to pinpoint and consider everything that might have a negative impact on the project and, by extension, on the population. It is used to look ahead and avoid risks, so that the project is completely coherent with the population’s needs and the context in which it takes place. It uses a reference framework of 12 criteria and can be used both for managing and evaluating projects.

The Dynamic COMPAS®, is a software programme for managing the quality of humanitarian projects based on the Quality COMPAS. Its different functions allow users to manage information by:
- Recording key decisions taken throughout the project cycle (building project memory).
- Producing exchangeable and printable files (phase reports, logical framework, ECHO single form)…
- Centralising project memories in institutional data bases.
- Consulting and exchanging data and project memories (by means of instantaneous data transfer), improving communication, and notably between the head office and the field...

The Dynamic COMPAS®

The Dynamic COMPAS® is a free software programme created by Groupe URD with the help of public funding. It can be downloaded free of charge at www.compasqualite.org, and can be modified and adapted to specific needs as long as the changes made remain ‘copyright free’.

For information about adopting the Dynamic COMPAS, or about the Quality COMPAS method do not hesitate to contact us.

For any questions or problems concerning the use of the Dynamic COMPAS®, write an email in English with a precise title (as it will be archived publicly) to the following address.