Delivery has improved the lives of millions in some countries, and been forgettable in others. What makes the difference?
Delivery can transform how governments achieve results, but its success is highly context-dependent. Across countries, some delivery efforts drive rapid progress, while others stall or fade away. Understanding why often comes down to the conditions that make or break momentum.
Three elements are especially important:
Delivering Early Wins
Delivery efforts need visible progress quickly. Small, tangible results build belief that change is possible among leaders, frontline teams, and citizens. Early wins create momentum and attract the political support needed to sustain reforms.
When delivery efforts focus only on long-term outcomes or take months to show results, they risk losing credibility. Without early wins, interest fades, attention shifts, and governments may quietly abandon the effort. Contexts where delivery can target achievable, visible improvements early are far more likely to succeed.
Recruiting the Right Team
Delivery depends on people as much as processes. Teams need the skills to analyse problems, use data effectively, and work collaboratively with ministries. The wrong team can undermine credibility, while the right team can unblock challenges and drive progress.
Crucially, recruiting the right team does not always mean hiring new staff. For governments, it often means assembling a team from across existing ministries or departments, bringing together people who combine technical expertise with an action-oriented mindset, which is needed to act as effective change agents.
Balancing Accountability With Support
Delivery can fail when it becomes a “name and shame” exercise. In lower-capacity environments, holding people accountable without giving them the tools, coaching, and problem-solving support to improve often leads to fear or superficial compliance.
A rigid focus on accountability alone rarely delivers long-term change. Contexts that allow space for mistakes, learning, and adaptation are far more likely to succeed. The best learning cultures are when teams start to learn from each other, rather than only from their managers or external advisors. The best managers help their teams solve problems. They don’t just report on them.
Why This Matters Now More Than Ever
These lessons are more important than ever. In a world of shrinking development budgets, donors are pushing vertical programmes to integrate with broader health systems, and governments are being forced to make tough prioritisation decisions within their existing budgets.
Delivery offers a practical way to do more with what already exists. It focuses scarce resources, coordination across programmes, and enables frontline teams to deliver visible, lasting results.
To learn more about making delivery last with limited resources, read our recent piece about creating sustainable delivery.
