WHO'S DOING WHAT, WHERE

5.1 Overview and Function

The Who’s Doing What, Where (3W) tool is a practical component of information management for coordination purposes and activity gap analysis. In many cases, other Ws are added such as When, Why and for Whom which expands the tool to 6Ws. At the emergency stage the 3W should be kept simple and potentially expanded as the situation evolves. The raw data from a 3W can also contribute to emergency programme monitoring and is a key component in overall gap analysis representing capacity, which is then compared to needs

Creating, maintaining and sharing a 3W with external partners highlights the coordination and communication role of UNHCR in information management throughout an emergency.

5.2 How-to Guide

5.2.1 Responsibility and reporting

The Information Manager will need to create the format for and maintain a continuously updated 3W format, as well as oversee the dissemination of related information both internally and externally to partners.

Setting up a regular and predictable clearance and dissemination plan for the 3W is important, as partners need to know what to expect and when to expect it. The Representative should be regularly briefed on the 3W, and should agree to a frequent 3W dissemination schedule, externally and internally, of at least two to three times a month.

Once cleared by the UNHCR Representative, and as illustrated in the Mapping section of this Toolkit, the 3W may also be mapped and uploaded on the web portal. Where possible, incorporate creative dissemination techniques – using mass SMS and e-mail lists – and ensure that hardcopies are available at information kiosks, included in briefing kits, etc.

5.2.2 Key Information, sources and maintenance

A 3W is populated through networking at meetings, humanitarian briefings, sectoral working groups, monitoring done by field staff and though informal contacts. The 3W will track information on sector and sub-sector actors, location of activities, funding and whether the information is public.

Whenever there are new attendees at coordination or sectoral meetings, establish communication and gather necessary information for inclusion on the 3W, a copy of which should be shared with new colleagues. If a UNHCR Portal is established information should be consolidated and updated on this platform as soon as possible. You may need to support this with offline 3W matrixes, which are included with this Section of the Toolkit as Annexes 1 and 2.

Under the guidance of senior management, criteria for inclusion and exclusion from the 3W should be decided at the national level. For example, should donors or only implementers appear on a 3W? Should activities that have been planned but not started be included on a 3W, or only those that have begun? Should only those activities that have been authorized by the Government appear on a 3W?

All of these questions should be explicitly considered when deciding who and what to track in the 3W matrix. It is possible to add columns and filters to the spreadsheet template to sort through different types of humanitarian activities – planned vs. started, donor vs. implementer, Government authorized vs. not – and then to produce different 3W matrices for different purposes. If this is done, senior management should make it clear which 3W matrices should appear on very public domains, such as the web portal.

Early in a refugee emergency, it may be difficult to obtain detailed data on activities and locations, as this information remains quite fluid during the first phases of an emergency.  However, if more detailed information on activities and location is required for reporting or coordination purposes, use Annex 1, the Simplified 3W Reporting and Coordination Template, referenced below, to track and follow-up accordingly with the activity focal point.