MONITORING & EVALUATION:

CONCEPTS AND KEY DEFINITIONS

Stakeholder Workshop to outline an M&E
Framework for the Education Sector
26 & 27 April, 2010
Kingston, Jamaica
Elizabeth Lloyd, Senior M&E Officer, CHRC

Basic Principles: Monitoring & Evaluation

The term Monitoring and Evaluation tends to get run
together but they are two distinct sets of
organisational activities which are related but not
identical.
The common ground between them is they enable
you to learn from what you are doing and how you
are doing it by focusing on Efficiency, Effectiveness
and Impact.

Monitoring

Monitoring and evaluation is a

fundamental component of all health
programs. It involves collecting key data
related to program objectives and
operations and analyzing these data to
guide policy, programs, and practices.

Monitoring

Program monitoring collects data at a number of

points during program implementation to ensure that
the program is running smoothly and achieving its
objectives according to plan
By tracking changes in performance, managers can
fine-tune program operations to reach desired
outcomes most efficiently and effectively

Evaluation

Evaluation involves a systematic, objective analysis

of a projects outcome and impact in relation to its
goals & objectives
Evaluation involves:
Looking at what the organisation/department intended
to achieve- what difference did it make? What impact
did it want to make?
Assessing its progress towards what it wanted to
achieve, its impact targets

Evaluation

Program evaluation generally involves more rigorous

research methods than does monitoring.
The purpose of evaluation is often to determine the
degree to which changes in health outcomes, such as
increased knowledge or improved prevention
methods are the result of program activities.

Evaluation

Evaluations typically include measures

both at the beginning and the end of a
program and, when possible, include a
control or comparison group to help
determine whether changes in outcomes
result from program activities themselves,
not from other influences outside the
program

M&E Planning

Important part of any M&E process is M&E Planning

M&E Plan:
A

document that describes the M&E

system which links strategic information
obtained from various data collection
systems to decisions that will improve
health programs.

Why M&E Plans

Need to monitor progress toward achievement of

strategic plan goals
Need to monitor progress of programmes & specific
projects
MUST be linked to your National Strategic Plan

M&E Plan: Functions

States how program will measure achievements

Accountability

Documents consensus
Transparency
Responsibility

Guides M&E implementation

Standardization
Coordination

Preserves institutional memory

An M&E plan is a living document that needs
to be adjusted when a program is modified

M&E Frameworks

A critical first step in M&E Planning is the

development of an M&E Framework
The main reason we are here
Framework has been drafted, your input is now
critical as we move to implement a strong M&E
system for the education sector

THANK YOU