Monitoring and Evaluation

Dr. Fred Mugambi Mwirigi JKUAT

Introduction

• Monitoring and evaluation are invaluable internal management tools.

• If you don’t assess how well you are doing against targets and indicators, you may go on using resources to no useful end, without changing the situation you have identified as a problem at all.

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M&E is important if:

1. You are setting up systems for data collection during the planning phases of a projector organization;

2. You want to analyze data collected through the monitoring process;

3. You are concerned about how efficiently and how effectively you are working;

4. You reach a stage in your project, or in the life of your organization, when you think it

5. would be useful to evaluate what impact the work is having;

6. Key stakeholders ask for an evaluation of your organization and or work.

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So….• If you do not measure results, you can not tell

success from failure• If you can not see success, you can not

reward it• If you can not reward success, you are probably

rewarding failure• If you can not see success, you can not learn from

it• If you can not recognize failure, you can not

correct it• If you can demonstrate results, you can win

shareholder support

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What is M&E?

Monitoring • The systematic collection and analysis of information as a

project progresses.• It is aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of a

project or organisation. • It helps to keep the work on track, and can let management

know when things are going wrong. • If done properly, it is an invaluable tool for good

management, and it provides a useful base for evaluation. • It enables you to determine whether the resources you

have available are sufficient and are being well used, whether the capacity you have is sufficient and appropriate, and whether you are doing what you planned to do

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What is M&E?

Evaluation• the comparison of actual performance impacts

against the agreed strategic plans.• looks at what you set out to do, at what you have

accomplished, and how you accomplished it. • It can be formative (taking place during the life of a

project or organization, with the intention of improving the strategy or way of functioning of the project or organization).

• It can also be summative (drawing learnings from a completed project or an organization that is no longer functioning).

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Comparisons Monitoring Evaluation

Clarifies program objectives Analyzes why intended results were or were not achieved

Links activities and their resources to objectives

Assesses specific causal contributions of activities to results

Translates objectives into performance indicators and set targets

Examines implementation process

Routinely collects data on these indicators, compares actual results with targets

Explores unintended results

Reports progress to managers and alerts them to problems

Provides lessons, highlights significant accomplishment or program potential, and offers recommendations for improvement

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What does M&E achieve?

• Helps you identify problems and their causes;• Suggests possible solutions to problems;• Raises questions about assumptions and strategy;• Pushes you to reflect on where you are going and

how you are getting there;• Provides you with information and insight;• Encourages you to act on the information and

insight;• Increases the likelihood that you will make a positive

development difference.

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Why M&E?

M&E enhances • Efficiency• Effectiveness• Impact (any difference achieved?)• Learning

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Who uses M&E?

• Organizational managers • Stakeholders • Financiers • Any other interested party

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Types of Evaluation

1.Self-evaluation: • This involves an organization or project

holding up a mirror to itself and assessing how it is doing, as a way of learning and improving practice.

• It takes a very self-reflective and honest organization to do this effectively, but it can be an important learning experience.

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Types of Evaluation contd.

2. Participatory evaluation: • This is a form of internal evaluation. • The intention is to involve as many people

with a direct stake in the work as possible. • This may mean project staff and beneficiaries

working together on the evaluation.

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Types of Evaluation contd.

3. Rapid Participatory Appraisal: • This is a qualitative way of doing evaluations. • Semi-structured and carried out by an

interdisciplinary team over a short time. • It is used as a starting point for understanding a

local situation and is a quick, cheap, useful way to gather information.

• Involves the use of secondary data, direct observation, semi-structured interviews, key informants, group interviews, games, diagrams, maps and calendars.

• It is flexible and interactive.04/20/23 13

Types of Evaluation contd.

4. External evaluation: • This is an evaluation done by a carefully

chosen outsider or outsider team.

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Types of Evaluation contd.

5. Interactive evaluation: • This involves a very active interaction

between an outside evaluator or evaluation team and the organization or project being evaluated.

• Sometimes an insider may be included in the evaluation team.

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Planning for the M&E Process

• Monitoring and evaluation should be part of your planning process.

• It should be among the first things that a project plans for

• It is very difficult to go back and set up monitoring and evaluation systems once things have begun to happen.

• You need to begin gathering information about performance and in relation to targets from the word go.

• The first information gathering should, in fact, take place when you do your needs assessment

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First things…

• Understand project/organizational goals (especially the core goal)

• Understand the central values (e.g. do we exist to serve the disadvantaged?)

• Understand who the key beneficiaries are, their interest in the project, their expectations and their power over the project process and outcomes

• Map out the project process against expected outcomes

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Key Evaluation Questions

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“Why” Questions – What caused the changes we are monitoring

“How” Questions – What was the sequence or processes that led to successful (or not) outcomes

“Compliance/ Accountability Questions”

Process/Implementation Questions

– Did the promised activities actually take place and as they were planned?

Was the implementation process followed as anticipated, and with what consequences

The progression

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Output

Activity

Input

Outcome

Impact

Results Monitoring

Implementation Monitoring (Means and Strategies)

Imp

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Thank you

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