Developing and Implementing a

Monitoring & Evaluation Plan

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 Objectives of the Session

By the end of this session, participants should be able to:

• Describe the resources and capacity necessary for developing and implementing an
M&E plan
• Understand the key steps in the process of developing & implementing an M&E
plan
• Describe how M&E findings can be effectively disseminated and utilized
• Assess how an M&E plan is working

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 Overview of the Session

• Standards for an M&E plan

• Resource & capacity for an M&E plan
• Steps in developing &implementing an M&E plan
• Disseminating and using M&E findings
• Assessing how well the M&E plan is working

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 What is an M&E Plan
A guide as to what you should monitor & evaluate, what information you need,
and who you are evaluating for
• Outlines key monitoring and evaluation questions
• Allows you to identify the information you need to collect, and how you can collect
it
• Persons responsible for different tasks, as well as timelines are identified
• The plan be clear as to what is happening in terms of monitoring and evaluation

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 Standards for an M&E plan

• Utility - serve practical information needs of intended users

• Feasibility - be realistic, prudent, diplomatic and frugal
• Propriety - conducted legally, ethically, and with regard to those involved
in and affected by the evaluation
• Accuracy - reveal and convey technically accurate information

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 Capacity and Resources for M&E
• Technical capacity for M&E
• M&E unit
• Strategically located individuals who are motivated, committed, competent and interested in
M&E

• Scale of program funding and resources for M&E

• 10 percent of resources devoted to M&E
• Costs related to data collection systems & information dissemination
• Costs may be higher during the first year
• Other resources include indicator guides, manuals, communication tools
NB :Something that often is neglected when preparing to develop an M&E plan is to assess the M&E
technical capacity of a program/project.When preparing the M&E plan, you must at least consider the
existing data collection systems and staff capacity in M&E.

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Key Steps in Developing & Implementing an M&E Plan

Developing and implementing an M&E plan is a fluid process; program

changes can and will occur and this will affect the M&E plan and will require
periodic adjustments to it.

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 Step 1:STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION & PARTICIPATION
Consider the following steps when developing an M&E plan
• Evaluation audience includes the people or organizations that require an
evaluation to be conducted
• There may be multiple audiences, each with their own requirements e.g the
funding agency, and may also include partner organizations, the project
team, and the project’s participants or target group
• Evaluation is generally undertaken for accountability, or learning, and
preferably both together

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 Stakeholder Consultation
• Advocate for the need for M&E
• Understand program goals and objectives
• Identify user needs and perspectives
• Learn about existing data collection systems & their quality
• Understand indicators that are being collected and used (or not
used)
• Determine capacity for collecting and using data

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 Stakeholder Participation
• Developing M&E framework
• Selecting indicators
• Setting targets
• Reviewing results
► Requires building consensus & commitment and maintaining effective
relationships with intended users
Step2 :Translating Program Goals and
Objectives  M&E Frameworks
• Translate problem statement, program goal and objectives into
frameworks that can be objectively measured
• What do we want to know at the end of the program?
• What do we expect to change by the end of the program?

• M&E framework outlines the scope of the M&E plan

• Links program activities to expected outputs, outcomes, and population-
level impacts
 Informs types of information to be collected/used by different levels of
the system
 Identifies what needs to be measured to guide indicator selection
 Step 3: Identify Monitoring Questions
 In order to answer evaluation questions, monitoring questions
must be developed that will inform what data will be collected
through the monitoring process

 Monitoring questions are quite specific in what they ask,

compared to evaluation questions

Example, for an evaluation question of "What worked and what did

not?" you may have several specific questions such as "Did the
workshops lead to increased knowledge on energy entrepreneurship?" or
"Did participants initiate income generating activities".
 Elements to be Monitored & Evaluated
 Monitoring:
 Resources (inputs)
 Quality of service
 Service statistics
 Service coverage
 Client/patient outcomes (behavior change/morbidity)
 Impact evaluation:
 Attributing the change in outcomes to the program

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 Developing M&E Framework
• Review program documents with stated goals and objectives
• Ensure that key factors that may influence program
implementation and success are identified
• Achieve consensus among stakeholders

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 Step 4: Identify Indicators & Data Sources
• Identify what information you need to answer your
monitoring questions (indicators) and where this
information will come from (data sources).
• Consider data collection in terms of the type of data and
any types of research design
• Decide on the most appropriate method to collect the data
from the data source.
 Defining Indicators & Identifying Data
Sources
Indicators must be:
• SMART
• Linked to M&E framework
• Useful for program decision-making
• Consistent with international standards & other reporting
requirements (as appropriate)
• Realistic to collect (feasible)

Data sources:
• Existing vs. new

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 Determining M&E Methodology

 Assess information systems capabilities to address strategic information

needs

 Determine methods by which data will be collected, analyzed and

reported
 E.g., RHIS, surveys, sentinel surveillance systems, project information
systems/records, new data collection

 Determine whether any special studies will be conducted and what

design will be used
 E.g., Qualitative, quantitative or combination of both

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 Step 5: Identify who is responsible for
data collection and timelines
 Assign responsibility for the data collection so that everyone
is clear of their roles and responsibilities

 Collection of monitoring data may occur regularly over

short intervals, or less regularly, such as half-yearly or
annually. Assigning timelines limits the excuse of ‘not
knowing’

 Note any requirements that are needed to collect the data

(staff, budget etc).
Data Collection Plan/Matrix

 Indicators
 Who responsible
 Timing
 Data quality notes

19 DRAFT
 Assigning M&E Responsibilities:
Implementing the M&E Plan
Monitoring data
 Who will collect data?
 Who will analyze data?
 Who will report data?
Special studies
 Who will oversee data collection?
 Who will conduct analysis and reporting?
 Is anyone else planning a similar evaluation?

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 Step 6: Identify who will evaluate the data,
how it will be reported, and when
 Identify who will undertake the evaluation of the program

 These would be the project team, but in some cases, you may involve
other stakeholders including the target group or participants.

 You may also consider outsourcing a particular part of the evaluation

to an external or independent party
 Role of the M&E Unit
 Consensus building among all stakeholders
 Coordination
 between various program components
 between other stakeholders (avoid duplication of data
collection)
 Data manipulation
 Reporting
 Information dissemination and review

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 Setting Targets
 Focus on what the program should achieve
 Orient stakeholders to the task to be accomplished
 Motivate individuals
 Monitor whether anticipated progress is being made

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 Factors to Consider When Setting Targets
►What can realistically be achieved given the resources and
the program context?
 Baseline levels
 Past trends
 Needs and gaps in services
 capacity and logistics

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 Approaches to Setting Targets
 Establish final target then plan progress in between

 Establish annual/intermediate targets

► Assess progress in attaining targets and readjust, if necessary

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 Useful Information for Setting Targets
 Past trends
 Expert opinions
 Research findings
 What has been accomplished elsewhere
 Client expectations

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 Step 7 Developing a Data Dissemination &
Utilization Plan
 Define users of M&E findings

 Define feedback mechanism to meet user needs

 Strategically timed user meetings/workshops
 Annual report and review meeting
 Database to manage data and facilitate access and use (e.g.
PIMS, SPSS)

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 Step 8 Planning for Mid-Course Adjustments
 Program changes can affect the M&E plan performance
monitoring and impact evaluation
 Internal M&E capacity facilitates adjustments
 Flexibility and regular review of program results necessary
 Use questions in the next slide to inform mid-course
adjustments

28 DRAFT
 How Well is the M&E Plan Working?
 Are M&E activities progressing as planned?
 Are the evaluation questions being answered sufficiently?
 Have other evaluation questions been raised and should they be
incorporated into the plan?
 Are there any methodological or evaluation design issues that need to be
addressed?
 Are there any outside factors (political, environment) that are affecting the
plan?
 Are appropriate staff and funding still available to implement the M&E plan?
 Are M&E finding being disseminated and used by stakeholders for decision
making and program improvement?

29 DRAFT
Step 9: Review the M&E Plan
• Once you have completed your M&E plan, highlight
data sources that appear frequently. For example, you
may be able to develop surveys that fulfill the data
collection requirements for many questions
• Also consider re-ordering the M&E plan in several
ways, for example, by data source, or by data collection
timeframe.
• Finally, go through this checklist in the next slide
 Checklist for Reviewing the M&E Plan
Does your M&E plan:
 Focus on the key evaluation questions and the evaluation
audience?
 Capture all that you need to know in order to make a
meaningful evaluation of the project?
 Only asks relevant monitoring questions and avoids the
collection of unnecessary data?
 Know how data will be analyzed, used and reported?
 Work within your budget and other resources?
 Identify the skills required to conduct the data collection and
analysis?
 Remember that an M&E plan is a living document and needs to
be adjusted when a program is modified

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Summary: The Basics
 Start early
 Involve stakeholders at all stages in the process
 Assess strategic information needs for intended users
 Assess current capacity and use what is already available
 Avoid duplication of data collection and reporting
 Do not collect information that will not be used
 Review progress/results regularly and make adjustments to
M&E plan, if necessary

33 DRAFT
References
Jenny Hughes and Loek Niewenhuis,A Project Manager’s Guide
to Evaluation. Evaluate Europe Handbook Series Volume 1,ISSN
1861-6828. 2005

Randolph and Posner, Getting the Job Done! Managing Project

Teams and Task Forces for Success, Prentice-Hall, 1992

Managing for Impact in Rural Development. A Guide for Project

M&E . International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)