MONITORING & EVALUATION

An Introduction

by
Nelson Chanza
 Why M & E?
Effectiveness
Did we do what we said we would do?
Efficiency
Did we do it in a cost effective manner?
Relevance
Was it the right thing to do?
Impact
What difference will it make to the lives of the people?
Sustainability
Will the benefit go beyond the life of the project?
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 Why M & E?
Impact:
The changes in the condition of pple and/or envt, as perceived by
them and their partners, as a result of the project.
Changes can be positive or negative, intended or unintended.
Relevance:
The extent to which the objectives are in line with priorities of primary
and sec stakeholders
Sustainability:
The likelihood that positive effects of a project will persist for an
extended period after the external assistance ends.
Effectiveness:
The extent to which a project attains its objectives at relevant levels
Efficiency:
A measure of how economically inputs (funds, expertise, time, etc) are
converted into outputs
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 Monitoring
What is Monitoring?
M is the regular observation and recording of activities taking
place in a project or prog.
It is a process of routinely gathering information on all aspects
of the project.
It is the regular periodic measurement of progress towards
policy or project objectives.
To monitor is to check on how project activities are
progressing.
Also involves giving feedback about the progress of the
project to the donors, implementors and beneficiaries of the
project.
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 Evaluation
A systematic approach for assessing whether a policy
intervention, prog or project has achieved its objectives,
measuring the impact of initiatives, and importantly
establishing good practices and lessons learned for the
ultimate purpose of improving future initiatives.
Also important in relation to accountability of rs used.
Policy and prog designers and implementers should fulfill
their accountability responsibilities to official funding bodies,
public supporters, and especially to the pple affected by the
intervention.

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 Evaluation
Evaluation can be done:
(a) Before
(b) During
(c) After implementation.

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 Types of Evaluation
Before project implementation
Evaluation is needed in order to:
a) Assess the possible consequences of the planned project(s)
to the people in the community over a period of time;
b) Make a final decision on what project alternative should be
implemented; and
c) Assist in making decisions on how the project will be
implemented.

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 Types of Evaluation
During project implementation:
Evaluation should be a cts process and should take place in all
project implementation activities.
This enables the project planners and implementors to
progressively review the project strategies according to the
changing circumstances in order to attain the desired activity
and project objectives.

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 Types of Evaluation
After project implementation:
This is to retrace the project planning and implementation
process, and results after project implementation.
This further helps in:
Identifying constraints or bottlenecks inherent in the
implementation phase;
Assessing the actual benefits and the number of people who
benefited;
Providing ideas on the strength of the project, for replication;
and
Providing a clear picture of the extent to which the intended
objectives of the project have been realized.
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 Purpose of M & E
Important in project planning and implementation.
Provides information that will be useful in:
Analysing the situation in the community and its project;
Determining whether the inputs in the project are well
utilized;
Identifying problems facing the community or project and
finding solutions;
Ensuring all activities are carried out properly by the right
people and in time;
Using lessons from one project experience on to another; and
Determining whether the way the project was planned is the
most appropriate way of solving the problem at hand.
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 Purpose of M & E
An important mgt tool that helps managers to:
1. measure progress of interventions on target grp
2. assess whether the targets have been met
3. account for rs use - were rs used efficiently and effectively for
the purposes intended?
4. improve project performance during implementation by
allowing care to be taken so that policy/project goals are
achieved effectively and efficiently

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 Approach to Monitoring
There are many ways to monitor.
The approach taken will depend on the circumstances, pple,
skills, rs available, etc.
M should take place from 2 different perspectives:
1. M progress towards achieving project goals and objectives -
have we achieved our goal?
2. M the implementation process - how did we go about
achieving our goals?
Both perspectives require us to set targets (goals) & develop
indicators to measure progress towards meeting those
targets.
When M progress towards goals & objectives, indicators must
be developed that track the delivery of specified outputs
(activities) & outcomes (impacts)
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 Approach to Monitoring
When M progress towards goals and objectives,
indicators must be developed that track the delivery of
specified outputs (activities) and outcomes (impacts).
When M the implementation process,
targets and indicators must be developed that track the
extent to which the process is being addressed (gender
responsiveness).

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 Approach to Monitoring
The implementors and planners have to agree on monitoring
indicators.
Monitoring indicators are quantitative and qualitative signs
(criteria) for measuring or assessing the achievement of
project activities and objectives.

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 Approach to Monitoring
M the process will :
allow u to identify problems and gaps in the process that can
immediately be addressed
allow u to improve the design of future initiatives
document obstacles that can later be addressed in the wider
institutional context
Qns that can be considered in the M process might include
a) are men and women equally participating and fitted with
equal respect as decision makers, implementers and
participants.
b) are those involved in policy /project implementation
continually motivated to maintain a genderly perspective.
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 Approach to M & E
Important M & E information
Baseline Information
Wherever possible it is important and helpful to obtain
baseline info.
Baseline info tells us what the situation is in the current
moment b4 the project is implemented
BI is especially helpful in:
a) setting realistic targets and indicators (bcoz we know the
starting point and this helps us to decide what is possible
during the implementation and M period)
b) assessing the performance and impact of the project by
telling us the b4 and after story (if we dont have a specific
baseline it is difficult to measure achievements).
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 Approach to M & E
Monitoring Indicators are of 4 types, namely;
1. Input indicators: describe what goes on in the project
e.g., number of bricks brought on site and amount of money
spent
2. Output indicators: describe the project activity
e.g., number of classrooms built
3. Outcome indicators: describe the product of the activity
e.g., number of pupils attending the school
4. Impact indicators: measure change in conditions of the
community
e.g., reduced illiteracy in the community.

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 Approach to M & E
Quantitative indicators
Measures of quantity (total numbers, %, etc), such as popn
figures, labour force figures, school attainment rates, etc.
Useful for showing what the average outcome is, or the
degree to which a goal or objective can be attained.
Numerical measurements of change, such as number of
women visiting a pre-natal counseling centre.

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 Approach to M & E
Qualitative indicators
Peoples judgments, perceptions, and opinions about a
subject.
Useful for understanding processes, but they tend not to show
how typical or widespread the views expressed are.
Peoples perceptions, such as opinions regarding alterations in
social relations, authority or status.
They can be quantified - the no. of women in the project area
who consider that their status has improved can be added up
to provide a numerical measure of a qualitative indicator.
Qualitative analysis is used for understanding social processes:
- why and how a particular situation came into being
- how this situation nelson
can chanza,
be changed in the future.
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 Approach to M & E
Targets
Describe what the situation is expected to be like at the end
of the project/activity
We set targets so that we can keep an eye on the price -
targets make our goals concrete and therefore increase the
possibility that there will be attained.
Concrete targets also increase the possibility that concrete rs
(human, financial) will be allocated /delivered in order to
achieve those targets.

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 The M & E Framework

Finances
Activities Trained people
Outcomes Env/Socio-
Human Training Changes in economic
workshops capacity
Behavior change

Inputs Outputs Impacts

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 Complimentarity of roles
Monitoring Evaluation
Clarifies program objectives Analyses why intended results were
or were not achieved
Links activities and their resources to Assesses specific causal contributions
objectives of activities to results
Translates objectives into Examines implementation process
performance indicators and set
targets
Routinely collects data on indicators, Explores unintended results
compares actual results with targets
Reports progress to the managers Provides lessons, highlights significant
and alerts them of problems accomplishment or program potential
and offers recommendations for
improvement
Focuses on project inputs, outputs Establishes causality and attribution
and outcomes
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 THE END

THANK YOU

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