TOOL T-21 | Design Guide | Module 6: Grievance Redress System

System Builder

WHEN TO USE At project inception; reviewed and updated at each major phase transition.

How to Use It

1. Define GRM objectives for the project: what types of concerns must the system handle? What outcomes must it produce?

2. Design intake channels: identify all channels through which concerns can be raised and assign a designated receiver for each.

3. Define roles and responsibilities: who receives, logs, categorizes, assigns, responds, and closes each concern?

4. Define escalation pathways: what happens when a concern cannot be resolved at the frontline level?

5. Define response timelines: Routine, Urgent, and Sensitive categories with specific response commitments.

6. Design the feedback loop: how will stakeholders be informed of outcomes?

7. Communicate the GRM to communities: how will affected groups know the system exists and how to use it?

8. Document the system design and review at each phase transition.

Purpose

A step-by-step guide for designing a complete and context-appropriate GRM, including channels, roles, escalation pathways, response timelines, and feedback loops. The System Builder ensures that GRM design decisions are made deliberately and documented before the system is activated.

Field Rationale

In several sites, GRM systems existed in principle but had not been designed in a way that matched community context. Channels that were formally designated were not known to communities. Roles were assumed rather than assigned.