The capacity building process includes a detailed list of activities that helps in identifying the stakeholders as well as the need and strategies for capacity based on the programme objectives.  Capacity building for social accountability can be dynamic and is based on the specific tool used to assess accountability. The process given below is a set of generic step-by-step activities suggested by UNDP that can help in building the capacities based on the requirement and need.

1. Step 1 – Engaging Partners and Building Consensus: It is important to discuss and reach an agreement on what are the key development challenges and how those can be addressed through capacity building. Based on this consensus one can define the scope, focus and the boundaries for capacity building.
2. Step 2 – Capacity Needs Assessment: Based on the target stakeholders and scale of the activity to be taken up, a capacity needs assessment helps identify the exact capacity requirement.
3. Step 3 – Define Capacity Building Strategies: This step includes defining capacity building strategies, methodologies adopted and also the cost requirement for such capacity building identified.
4. Step 4 – Implementing the Capacity Building Strategies: The primary activity at this stage includes grounding the capacity building strategies identified. Creating and establishing a cadre of trainers and advisory teams would help in efficient implementation and facilitate capacity building of the community, civil society institutions and networks.
5. Step 5 – Monitoring and Evaluating Capacity Building Strategies: Monitoring the progress of capacity building pogrammes, conducting impact evaluations and also obtaining regular feedback on capacity building activity can help in redesigning and redrafting strategies and adopt newer approaches for capacity enhancement.

The key step in the process is the capacity needs assessment stage, which helps in identifying the exact requirement for capacity building. Capacity needs assessment can be a useful tool in identifying the key stakeholders, assessing the current levels of capacity among them, additional capacities required and developing suitable strategies. While developing capacity building strategies one should ensure that:

• it defines the required capacities clearly
• it identifies and engages national, state and local level stakeholders
• it is rigorous and systematic in approach
• it provides a structure for discussion to develop the scope and scale
• it facilitates generation of qualitative and quantitative data to support further development
• it is flexible and easy for adoption
• it is in confirmation and consensus with the project goals
• it is dynamic and encourages learning