Use this page to quickly browse the essential tools and templates for carrying out key actions from the CRS project management standards.
Note: The results in this section are limited to the resources that appear under "Tools and Templates" on Compass key action pages. Use the Keyword Search for a more general search of all Compass guidance and resources.
A template for improvement-oriented action planning for sub-recipient partners who score below 75 percent for a given functional area in the checklist for the assessment conducted under CRS' Sub-Recipient Financial Management Policy (SRFMP) assessment checklist. See Tab 2 of the Subrecipient Financial Assessment Checklist.
A form used to count the inventory of a warehouse. This is an attachment to the CRS Inventory Counts Policy (POL-OOD-GSCM-001).
A template and corresponding guidance for documenting, analyzing, and reflecting actions taken and the status of project issues: unresolved decisions, situations, or problems that have occurred that will significantly impact the project.
A tool from CRS' Global Supply Chain Management team to plan and document the findings of a rapid logistics assessment.
A document providing guidance on communicating and reporting on a project evaluation.
A document providing guidance on managing and implementing a project evaluation.
A document providing guidance on preparing for a project evaluation.
An eight-week online learning experience that equips CRS supervisors and managers with foundational skills to become more effective in their roles. Offered regularly by CRS' Talent Development Team. Visit CRS Learns for more information
A guidance manual and tools for evaluation managers to manage and implement a project evaluation.
A draft template for developing an inventory of assets and property for an office or program. A tool from CRS' Emergency Field Operations Manual.
A checklist used to help in developing the MEAL budget for a project. From CRS' MEAL Policies and Procedures resource site.
Guidance and tips on writing effective memorandums, especially those that go in the Award file for an institutional donor-funded project.
A template for a memorandum to file, recommended for use in documenting to file key decisions or situations impacting a project funded through an award from an institutional donor.
A summary of the minimum standards for agreement financial terms with donors.
A list of tasks for CRS staff to complete when performing monitoring of sub-recipient partners per CRS' Sub-Recipient Financial Management Policy.
Templates and examples to support the monitoring of sub-recipient financial management, including sub-recipient liquidation templates. This is an attachment to the sub-recipient financial monitoring policy (SRFMP).
A guide for CRS supervisors to understand their role in employee onboarding and access onboarding resources.
This site supports new staff and their supervisors in ensuring that the onboarding process is thoughtful and comprehensive.
Guidance for an in-person, facilitated process to help CRS and a partner reflect on their relationship. This tool helps to assess the health of a partnership, with the intention of maintaining strong relationships or strengthening and improving ones that might be facing challenges.
A web-based tool that allows CRS and its partners to assess partnership performance and use that data to improve the partnership.
A brief overview of steps required to plan a detailed implementation planning (DIP) workshop.
Templates to map out coverage of emergency project positions, to manage staffing changes in situations of frequent TDYs and R and R, and to identify and address any staffing gaps. This tool can also be modified for use in development projects. A tool from the Emergency Field Operations Manual.
The Preliminary Rapid Edition of the Holistic Organizational Capacity Assessment Instrument (PRE-HOCAI) for Proposals is an adaptation of CRS’ HOCAI designed for use during the design phase of the project cycle to rapidly assess an organization’s capacity strengthening needs to manage United States Government donor funds and to integrate these needs into the project proposal design framework, staffing plan and budget.
Examples of country program procurement plans.
A template for developing a project charter that defines the governance structure for a project including the roles and responsibilities, and norms of the governance structure, and establishes project tolerances and decision-making authority.
A tool for developing a budget for project MEAL activities. From CRS' MEAL Policies and Procedures site.
An infographic that highlights important meetings and events during project start-up.
A library of project sub-award agreement templates for various donors.
A checklist to ensure that all donor requirements for the proposal content and format are considered from an early stage and communicated to everyone involved in developing and/or reviewing the proposal. Part of CRS' PREPARE! Regional Proposal Review Guidance.
A template for developing a timeline for the project design process. From CRS' ProPack I guidance for project design.
An example of a proposal development timeline. From CRS' Technical Application Guidance (2007).
A template for a proposal development timeline. Part of CRS' PREPARE! Regional Proposal Review Guidance.
An example checklist of documents included in the Proposal Handover Zip File for a project.
A checklist of documents included in the Proposal Handover Zip File.
Guidance to support the orderly handover of project information and files from the proposal team to the start-up/implementation team.
A checklist for project design/proposal development team members to review the draft proposal before sending for wider CRS review. From CRS' ProPack I guidance for project design.
Template with guidance and tips for constructive reviews and a common template for structuring comments from the review of a proposal.
A list of proposal team roles with a description of their corresponding responsibilities. From CRS' Technical Application Guidance (2007).
Examples of types of cost share for potential inclusion in CRS proposals for public donors, including examples of ways to document these various types of cost share.
A template for summarizing key details and documenting follow-up actions from project quarterly meetings.
A checklist of questions to guide budget updates during project start-up and for general project financial management.
A checklist of questions to guide budget updates during project start-up and for general project financial management.
A guide to help project managers or chiefs of party to plan for and lead project review and planning meetings.
Guidance and tools to support the recruitment and hiring of national staff, including development of the hiring strategy, pre-screening, interviewing, candidate evaluation, and reference checks.
A guide to help hiring managers recruit more consistently, effectively, and compliantly.
A set of prompt questions for reflecting on project start-up staffing needs related to institutional donor-funded projects.
A job aid outlining practical steps to repair a relationship with a partner that is broken or at risk.
A document to support MEAL Advisors' review of MEAL design documents (theory of change, results framework, proframe, MEAL narrative, and MEAL budget) before they are submitted to the donor, per CRS MEAL Policies and Procedures.
A template for the project manager/chief of party (PM/CoP) to record the results of project risk analysis and risk response planning.
A draft agenda for an initial meeting to establish the governance structure for a new project.
A draft agenda for recurring meetings of members of the project governance structure throughout the life of the project.
Templates, tips, and examples for developing a scope of work for temporary staff. These resources are from CRS' Emergency Field Operations Manual, but can also be adapted for use in development projects.
A tool for calculating shared costs for inclusion in a project cost application (budget) at proposal phase.
A guide on how to use the Shared Cost Calculator tool for developing proposal budgets.
Checklists and guidance for completing the sub-recipient financial management capacity assessment for organizations designated as small sub-recipients, per CRS' Sub-Recipient Financial Management Policy (SRFMP). The workbook includes separate checklists for the 8 assessment areas required for a small sub-recipient, a summary sheet tallying results in all assessment areas, and a template for the Internal Control Improvement Plan.
This manual supports a facilitator to plan and run the SMILER+ workshop.
Checklists and guidance for completing the standard sub-recipient financial management capacity assessment. The workbook includes separate checklists for the 11 assessment areas, a summary sheet tallying results in all assessment areas, and a template for the Internal Control Improvement Plan. From CRS' Sub-Recipient Financial Management Policy (SRFMP).
A guide for organizing and sequencing content to be covered in a project start-up workshop.
A guide for budget managers to organize a timely and complete review of partner liquidation reports and coordinate effectively with finance staff in the process.
A step-by-step guide for project managers to convert donor budgets to CRS financial system budgets.
CRS' template for sub-recipient financial liquidation reports. See Tabs 1 or 2 of the Monitoring Materials for CRS' SRFMP.
A list of documents required for a sub-recipient financial management assessment, for CRS to share with sub-recipients prior to the assessment. From CRS' Sub-Recipient Financial Management Policy (SRFMP).
Templates and examples of reports detailing the status of project goods for distribution, including goods received, goods distributed, balances, and explanation of variances.
CRS' core resource for supply chain management across the project management cycle. Resources for close-out include templates for Certificate of Destruction, Certificate of Sale, Certificate of Donation, and the Inventory Disposal Report.
A template for capturing decisions related to stakeholder involvement in project design. From CRS' ProPack I guidance for project design.
A table of project design team members' roles and responsibilities in activities scheduling and budgeting. From CRS' ProPack I guidance for project design.
Talent Pool is a CRS database that gathers information on external candidates interested in future positions with CRS. Talent Pool is specifically focused on the following key personnel positions: Chief of Party, Technical Director, Finance & Administration Director, Monitoring & Evaluation Director or Operations & Logistics Director. Your recruiter in the HR Talent Acquisition Group can search the Talent Pool database – reach out to your recruiter early in the recruitment process.
Templates for establishing a scope of work for Temporary Duty (TDY) staff.
A detailed example of guidance for technical reviewers of project design documents (e.g. concept note/early technical design, technical narratives in full proposals, etc.). This document, developed a CRS regional team, provides guidance on key areas to focus on and the type of feedback to provide at different stages of technical review.
A template for preparing a high-level agenda and plan for a donor field visit that can be shared with the donor.
A template for preparing an internal briefing document for use in discussions with key CRS staff preparing for a visit or meeting with a donor or prospective donor.
A list of ideas for transparently communicating the news of your organization's departure to those who have been involved in your emergency response project. These ideas may be useful to build on and adapt for other project close-out scenarios, for both emergency and development projects.
A list of tips to help develop a budget for project design and proposal development.
A list of tips to assist in setting a realistic timeline for high-quality proejct design and proposal development process. Guidance is applicable to both discretionary and institutional donor-funded opportunities.
A template for developing a project information retention, archive and disposal (RAD) plan and a list of potential project documents, records and data for retention and archiving.
Guidance for individuals planning project review and learning events. The document presents three interactive approaches for helping individuals to internalize data and evidence, to facilitate data interpretation and ultimately, data use.
Resources for staff developing reports for the USAID Office of Food for Peace.
An example of a trip report for a USDA visit. Available on request. Reach out to your point of contact in the IDEA Project Support Unit for a copy.
A checklist from CRS' Global Supply Chain Management team for inspecting the interior and exterior building conditions, inventory management processes, and document management processes of warehouses.
A customizable template for conducting an online survey of CRS staff, to help CRS offices and project teams identify and create appropriate work incentives that promote the well-being and retention of project staff.