Turning Learning Agendas into practice at LuxDev

Development projects produce large quantities of monitoring data, but the greater difficulty lies in making effective use of it—this involves posing better questions, testing assumptions, sharing reflections with others and altering direction when appropriate. For LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency, this was the aim that lay at the heart of its Eureka initiative, an undertaking to create a culture in which evidence and experience are used more systematically to enhance project management and decision-making.

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As part of that initiative, LuxDev wanted to integrate Learning Agendas into its project cycle. These Learning Agendas are structured tools which enable teams to go beyond mere monitoring for the purpose of accountability and instead focus on learning that promotes adaptation and knowledge sharing. In order to make this approach feasible for its staff, LuxDev asked MDF Netherlands to design and provide a full learning package. The assignment ran from December 2025 to June 2026 and focused on LuxDev's project and field teams: technical assistants, thematic experts, MEL staff and programme managers.

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MDF started by consulting with LuxDev's Knowledge Management team about the object of the initiative, the intended audience, the current MEL guidelines and the way in which Learning Agendas link to LuxDev's project cycle. The objective was to make sure that the training would match the way LuxDev teams currently plan, monitor, reflect and report – not have it as a separate activity alongside their existing work.

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The design of the training was based on the principles of adult learning by using actual project situations and addressing practical questions rather than relying just on theory—for example, what do we need to learn? Which assumptions are most important? What evidence is required and when should reflection take place? The sessions included brief conceptual explanations together with exchange among peers, group work and practical exercises. The participants worked on learning how to formulate learning questions, how to identify learning activities and how to explore qualitative data collection methods.

The full package included:

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• A two-day face-to-face pilot training on Learning Agendas
• A detailed trainer's guide and training materials
• Practical exercises and handouts
• A microlearning module (English version) in English, French and Spanish
• An animated explainer video
• Training of Trainers webinars for LuxDev staff
• Coaching and support for internal trainers
• Advisory support on linking Learning Agendas to MEL, project cycle management and adaptive decision-making

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A key aspect of the assignment was the Training of Trainers element.  Instead of positioning MDF as the sole deliverer of training, the assignment supported LuxDev colleagues to become confident facilitators of the Learning Agendas content themselves, using webinars, individual coaching and practical facilitation guidance. The microlearning module being developed in three languages extended its reach and thus made the material accessible in all of LuxDev's teams and in each of its country contexts.

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What comes next

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The Learning Agendas package provides LuxDev with practical tools for planning learning activities, for guiding reflection and for incorporating evidence into both annual planning and adaptive management. LuxDev's internal trainers are now equipped to facilitate future sessions independently, extending the reach of the work beyond the assignment itself.