Sample of Experiences

A sample of experiences, examples of work, and results obtained.

Table Of Contents

Project Coordination
Process Management
Capacity Building
Integrated Approach to Challenges
Various Additional Elements
Project Proposal Development
Books Published

Experiences

Working with Organisational Resilience and Business Continuity requires a set of additional skills; some of these are:

Understanding organisations: hierarchies, systems and processes, culture, and people.

Project approach and process management.

Presenting complicated concepts in an accessible and practical format.

Understanding how learning and innovation work.

Being able to bring practical solutions to challenges.

A recognition that people are the key to success.

An ability to place the organisation in a larger and multi-layered context.

Understanding that in complex emergent systems, simple solutions usually are not enough.

What follows are some experiences that speak to the issues mentioned above.

Project Coordination

Between 2001 and 2004 I coordinated a project in low-income urban areas (slums) in the City of Guatemala from inception to closure. The project was developed through Médecins Sans Frontières Switserland and aimed to reduce the vulnerability toward landslide and flooding in communities. Work was done on structural improvements and strengthening the local capacity of the community.

Project Coordination Cont’d…

The project team consisted of 19 staff, and the project was developed in close collaboration with communities, local authorities, and other organisations. The project was developed over two years and had a total budget of 1.1 Million USD. Four communities were covered by the upgrades. Over 5 km of dirt footpaths and stairs were improved and consolidated with concrete, to both improve access and act as rainwater drainage systems. Over 3 km of protection/ consolidation walls were built, 2.5 km of sewerage pipes were installed, and 2 communal halls were built. Local emergency committees were formed, trained, provided with basic equipment and tools, and integrated in the larger disaster response system run by the authorities.

General Project Coordination and working through the Project Approach
This is one of the two large formal projects overseas that I have directly coordinated. I have been in charge of countless small, often less formal, projects. Active in project teams since 1996, I have defined and developed countless project proposals, worked as project team member, and provided external technical and organisational support to many projects.

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Process Management

In 2005 and 2006 I worked as logistics coordinator for all projects of Médecins Sans Frontières Holland in Congo Brazzaville. The programme consisted of 3 project teams and one capital team. Part of the responsibilities were the operation and maintenance of the vehicle fleet that consisted of 19 vehicles. Roads were poor and when I arrived there were issues with vehicle maintenance, operational security, organisation, and skill levels in the team operating and servicing the vehicles. There was no workshop where vehicles could be maintained, and tools and the stock of spare parts was limited.

Process Management Cont’d…

Together with the team, we identified key issues and came up with a set of requirements to effectively operate the vehicle fleet. With the help of an external mechanics expert, the skill levels of the mechanics team were strengthened, and needs in tools and spare parts identified. Processes and standards were documented and staff were trained in their use. A repair workshop was built, and in 6 months the systems were streamlined and requirements met. Processes and preventable operational issues dropped drastically after the changes were made.

General Process Management
To understand how an organisation functions, it is important to grasp the systems and processes that make it work. I have early on started to take a systems approach to understanding organisations and how they operate.

Capacity Building

While I worked as Disaster Risk Reduction Coordinator for CARE Nederland from 2009 to 2012, I was the focal point in a training programme around community risk reduction that organised 9 regional training events. These international events were 3-4 days long, and had on average 25-35 participants coming from different countries in Asia and Africa. Some of the trainings were given in English, while others were in French.

Capacity Building Cont’d…

I was in charge of most of the training activities, and developed and used a proprietary scenario-based approach using 3 dimensional maps to make the training content both practical and engaging. These activities were very interactive and well received by participants.

General Capacity Building, Training and Coaching
In addition to managing a significant part of this training Programme, I have been directly involved in a large number of trainings, coaching activities and development of tools and guidance materials since 2006.

Integrated Approach to Challenges

In Angola in 1997 I was in charge of a team of 70 workers rehabilitating a small local hospital. Conditions were basic, and it was challenging to obtain construction materials and tools. We needed to develop a hand-dug well to secure a water supply for the hospital. And for this we needed to have concrete rings, which we couldn’t find locally.

We could get cement, and we did have two sheets of plywood. So based on the materials, tools, and skills we had locally, I designed a mold to be able to pour concrete rings. This solution worked very well, and the team were able to produce the rings we needed for the water well.

General Integral Approach

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. A team may be held back by issues at several levels: operational, tactical, strategic or political. It may be facing internal or external challenges. It may be technical nuts-and-bolts, organisational, process, regulatory, skill level, organisational culture, supply chain, and many more.

To solve issues, it is important to understand where the difficulties lay, and address these at the right level and the right approaches. This asks for understanding systems and how they work, and how they interact with, and operate within a larger environment.

I am a systems thinker, a practical person, and curious how things work and interact at all levels. I am able to connect with most persons at the level they work with.

Various Additional Elements

Over the course of my professional life I have worked on, and with, many different elements.

Here a couple of relevant highlights:

Developing a framework and guidance materials around the Characteristics of Resilient Water and Sanitation Systems in Urban Areas

Producing the study ‘A divergent perspective on the future: Global conditions and trends, implications and recommendations‘, an analysis to assist an international organisation to strategically positioning itself.

Policy and Strategy documents development for an international organisation with a large number of interested parties.

Presentation ‘Vulnerability and the need for Learning Organisations‘ at the World Water Week in Stockholm.

Producing a scoping study on ‘Green Response‘: on how to integrate environmental considerations into emergency response actions.

Setting up and conducting Evaluation and Monitoring systems for projects and programmes.

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Project, bridge destroyed in flash flood

Project Proposal Development

Between 2018 and 2023 six full proposals for overseas emergency response and development projects were developed for three different donor organisations. Several of these projects had budgets of well over 1 million EUR. One call for proposals was cancelled due to degrading security conditions in the target areas. Of the 5 project proposals that were ultimately submitted, 4 were retained by the donors and obtained funding.

Project Proposal Development Cont’d…

While it was my responsibility to write the proposals, the work of developing the proposals was a collaborative effort, often with many experts providing input that needed to be integrated in a coherent and balanced way into the document.

General Proposal Development
The first project proposal I developed was in 2000, and I have written countless proposals since.

Success rate
since 2018

Books Published

Two guidelines were developed:

‘Controlling and Preventing Disease: The role of water and environmental sanitation interventions‘, published in 2013. Authors: Erik Rottier and Margaret Ince. Published by the Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) part of Loughborough University. The document is a 292-page manual covering background and causes of infections related to water, sanitation and hygiene, and how to prevent these. The target audience for the manual is on-the-ground practitioners working in developing countries.

‘Disaster Risk Reduction and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene – Comprehensive guidance’, Author: Erik Rottier. Developed for the Global WASH Cluster, a working group led by UNICEF that coordinates collaboration and effectiveness of humanitarian action in water, sanitation and hygiene. The 91-page guideline covers the integration of risk reduction in water and sanitation infrastructure and systems. The target audience is practitioners working in water, sanitation and hygiene projects, infrastructure and systems. The guideline has a summary companion, and has been translated into French.

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