Given Hapunda

232 • Critical reflection can help to generate knowledge thorough critical thinking about ones practice. Knowledge generated from one’s experiences as a practitioner helps to improve practice. • Critical reflection can help to build a clear picture of the situation/event/process; by discussing data, contradictions and gaps can be identified. In so doing, critical reflection can be a useful tool for improving learning in the project. • Critical reflection ensures well-reasoned, meaningful action, and decisions are found to problems before disaster happens. Remember that projects cost money and any activity within the project has a budget line. • It facilitate action that has broad ownership of project through promotion of dialogue. Engaging in critical reflection helps practitioners to be more active in their organisations and work by expressing their opinion on how things are being done, and how they can be improved. Participants of Critical Reflection As noted above, critical reflection is a process of analysing practices or action against organisational objectives, milestones or long-term impact or goal, with the aim of drawing lessons and applying these lessons to improve action so that impact can be maximised. It should be noted that critical reflection is not a preserve of management or project implementers but all stakeholders (internal and external); project managers, monitoring and evaluation staff, recipients or primary beneficiaries, project implementers and all those interested or who have an interest in the project should participate. To maximise on impact or ensure that the project delivers the intended goal, stakeholders need to engage in critical reflection about what is happening; why it is happening; the impact of what is happening in meeting project deliverables or impact; questioning what the initial assumption and what the new understanding is; and what to do next. If critical reflection is practised, problems will be solved before they become worse and this will save organisational resources such as money and time. Imagine implementing something that does not lead to the desired impact/objective/output? Suffice to say that critical reflection can be done individually or it can be a shared activity among project staff in groups. For example, weekly staff meetings can be an important avenue or event for critical reflection. Project staff can reflect on their experiences, challenges, what they have learnt and what they would or should do differently. There are several opportunities within the life of the project which an organisation can take advantages of to engage in critical reflection. These moments are participatory