DEFINITION OF IMPORTANT CONCEPTS

Program Monitoring & Evaluation

MONITORING is a management technique in which extension agents, collects data on the

way in which the extension program is implemented and the problems it faces in trying to
stay on the right track (Van Den Ban & Higgins 1996). It is determining whether activities
are conducted, inputs are delivered & are used as intended, outputs are accomplished, and
other required actions are taken according to plan.
- Measures performance of a program

EVALUATION
- Comes from a latin word “valuare” meaning to find the worth of something.
- It is a program activity designed to obtain information about program or project activities
to assess their effectiveness, significance & efficiency.
-An assessment of the results of program to date, its current state & future risks.
In the context of agricultural extension, evaluation of agricultural extension is the process
of systematically examining & making judgments about the relevance of the objectives to
the purpose, the extent to which the objectives are being achieved, the effectiveness of the
methods being used & the efficiency of the use of resources.
Agricultural extension evaluation is the assessment of the overall effects of an agricultural
extension program or project in terms of production levels & farmers’ welfare.

Elements of a program evaluation:

1. Stakeholders – how stakeholders perceive the program
2. Benefits – the realized benefits & overall impact of the program
3. Financial – financial management & control. This may be focus on variance from planned
budget & cost benefits analysis
4. Risk – the effectiveness of the risk management & review of issues & unintended
consequences. A review of current risk may be relevant in deciding the future of the
program
5. Quality – quality of the deliverables & services including tangible things such as
reliability & intangible factors such as usability.
6. Schedule – delivery to committed dates
7. Recommendations – analysis of gaps, root causes & an action plan to correct problems

Kinds of evaluation:
1. Pre-test
2. Post-test
3. Formative – evaluates a program during development in order to make early
improvements. Helps to refine or improve program.
4. Summative – provides information on program effectiveness
- conducted after the completion of the program design
COMMUNITY SURVEY – is a way of collecting information that views the whole
community. Its immediate purpose is to get feedback or opinion from the residents in the
community about their problems or an issue. It identifies problems & needs by a
community through the information provided by the residents themselves.

Kinds of community survey

1. Written questionnaire – paper & pencil instruments

- Is the cheapest way to reach a lot of people. It also allows respondents to remain
anonymous, probably the questionnaires strongest advantage. However, response rate may
be low & this can lead to biased results. Furthermore, poorly constructed questions can
lead to inaccurate results.
2. Interview
a. Face to face – the interviewer works directly with the respondent. This is the most
costly in terms of time & money, however the interviewers can explain complex issues, ask
follow up questions & explore unanticipated responses.
b. Phone interview – cheaper & quicker than face to face interview. It also allows the
interviewer to explain questions & react to responses. However, personal observation is
not possible, some respondents may feel that survey call is an invasion of personal time,
this would inhibit honest, thoughtful answers.

PROGRAM PLAN
- Is written working plan that consists of a description of the general situation, needs &
problems of the people in the area; a statement of the objectives & goals; the strategies for
accomplishing the set of stated objectives & goals; the schedule of activities – when & how
they will be undertaken & by whom; an estimate of the budgetary requirement for
implementing the various activities; and a plan on how to determine or assess the various
accomplishments or changes made.
- It is developed by the community with the help and or guidance of the change agent. It is
the basis for undertaking extension or development activities in the area.
- Establish the organizations’ overall goals. Cover extended periods of time.

STRATEGIC VS. TACTICAL PLANNING

STRATEGIC PLANNING
- is an organizational management activity that is used to set priorities, focus energy &
resources, strengthen operations, ensure people are working toward common goals,
establish agreement around intended outcome/results, assess & adjust the organization
- an organizations’ process of defining its strategy, or direction & making decisions on
allocating its resources to pursue this strategy. It may also extend to control mechanisms
for guiding the implementation of the strategy.
Five steps process of strategic planning:
1. Write a vision statement
Vision statement – is a statement (typically 2-3 sentences) that gives the reader (more
importantly the organization) a mental picture of what the organization hopes to become
or what the organization hopes to achieve.
2. Write a mission statement
Mission statement – is an explanation of why an organization exists and the path it will take
to achieve its vision
3. Perform a gap analysis
Gap analysis – is a process an organization goes through to identify the gaps between its
current state & vision. To do a gap analysis, simply look at where the organization is &
compare it to where it hopes to be.
4. Write SMARTEST goals
5. Monitor progress
Goals should be monitored at least on a quarterly basis. This can be as simple as asking the
responsible person to give a status update on their goals for the quarter.

TACTICAL PLANNING
- A systematic determination & scheduling of the immediate or short-term activities
required in achieving the objectives of strategic planning.
- A short range (one year or less) planning that emphasizes the current operations of
various parts of the organization.

Points of comparison:
Strategic Planning
1. Upper management generally has
better understanding of the
organization as a whole – they
develop strategic plan
2. Difficult to gather facts since it
emphasizes analyzing the future of
the organization
3. Less detailed plans since it based
primarily on prediction in the future
4. Covers a long period of time
Tactical Planning
Lower management generally has better
understanding of the day-to-day
organizational operations, they develop
tactical plans
Easy to gather facts compared with
strategic since it emphasizes analyzing the
everyday functioning of the organization
Detailed plans since it focuses on
circumstances that exist within the
organization
Covers a short period of time