INTRODUCTION TO

MONITORING AND
EVALUATION
Monitoring and Evaluation

The National Democratic Institute

 INTRODUCTIONS/
GROUND RULES
• Introductions
• Ground Rules
• Ice Breaker Exercise
 INTRODUCTION TO
MONITORING AND EVALUATION
OBJECTIVES
• To understand the importance of
monitoring and evaluation, key
concepts and frameworks
• To consider how gender can be
incorporated into M&E
 TOPICS
• What is M&E?
• Why engage in M&E?
• Gender and M&E
• Logical framework approach
• Project lifecycle
• Data collection and analysis
• Evaluation design
 KEY TERMS
• Indicator • Goal
• Input • Target
• Output • Baseline
• Intermediate result • Impact
• Outcome • Gender
• Objective
EXERCISE: WHAT IS MONITORING
AND EVALUATION (M&E)?

Image: www.pixabay.com
 MONITORING
• Continuous internal management
activity
• Ensures that project is on track
• Measures progress towards objectives
• Identifies problems
 EVALUATION
• Assessing whether a project is achieving
its intended objectives
• Conducted periodically
• Internal or external
• Focuses on outcomes and impacts
 WHY IS M&E IMPORTANT?
• Tracking resources
• Feedback on progress
• Improving project effectiveness
• Informing decisions
• Promoting accountability
• Demonstrating impact
• Identifying lessons learned
 GENDER AND M&E
• Gendered priorities, constraints and
impact
• Failure to address gender leads to
inefficient and unsustainable results
and exacerbates inequities
 GENDER ANALYSIS
• Can be undertaken at any stage but
most effective if included in design
• Systematic way of analyzing different
roles and impacts
• Asks the “who” questions
• How this will affect women and men?
 MEASURING WOMEN’S
PARTICIPATION AND IMPACT
• Lack of reliable data on basic facts
• Keeps us from getting the most out of
investments
• “What gets measured gets done”
• Not enough invested in collecting data
nor in quantifying how equality yields
benefits

Photo: Getty Images

EXAMPLE: MEASURING IMPACT
Women’s representation/leadership on
Indian local councils:
• Better access to drinking water and
immunizations
• Higher career aspirations and
educational attainment for girls

Photo: Keith Bedford, International Herald Tribune

 LOGICAL FRAMEWORK
Goal

Strategic
Objectives

Intermediate
Results

Outputs

Activities
LOGICAL FRAMEWORK
 LOGICAL FRAMEWORK
EXAMPLE

IF
THEN
IF
THEN

IF
THEN

IF
THEN
IF
 EXERCISE: LOGFRAME RACE
Put the logframe components in the right order

Photo: David Mark, www.pixabay.com

 INDICATORS
• Outcome versus process indicators
• Qualitative versus quantitative
• SMART
– Specific
– Measurable
– Achievable
– Relevant
– Time-bound Photo: www.pixabay.com
 BASELINES AND BENCHMARKS
• Baseline
– Situation before project
– Demonstrates change
over time
• Benchmarks
– What you hope to
achieve by the end
• Targets Photo: www.pixabay.com

– Intermediate
benchmarks
 SEX-DISAGGREGATED
INDICATORS
• Sex-disaggregated indicator measures
change for men and women separately
• Gender indicator measures gender-
related changes
GENDER AND THE LOGFRAME

Goal

Evaluation Objective

Intermediate
results

Activities
Monitoring

Inputs
PROJECT LIFE CYCLE
Relating the logframe to the results chain
The logframe matrix
Monitoring questions and the
logframe
Monitoring and Evaluation throughout the
lifespan of an operation
 The purpose of a new framework on
monitoring and evaluation
• Greater accountability in the use of resources
• Greater focus on the achievement of results
• A clearer basis for decision-making, and
• The promotion of institutional learning and
knowledge sharing.
 The approach to results-oriented
monitoring
• Operation objectives that are clearly defined and
stated in a logical framework that identify beneficiary
population and delivery to a set of standards.
• A minimum set of results indicators, both quantitative
and qualitative, for each objective and critical
assumption that are feasible to collect and analyse;
• An assessment of the capacity for monitoring; and an
assessment of training needs when capacity needs to
be strengthened;A plan for data collection and
analysis, including baseline and ongoing data; the plan
is to include a combination of techniques such as
report review, field visits and special studies and
surveys;
 The approach to results-oriented
monitoring
• A plan for data collection and analysis,
including baseline and ongoing data; the plan
is to include a combination of techniques such
as report review, field visits and special
studies and surveys;
• A reporting and feedback system that allows
for timely decision-making by management on
monitoring findings; identify who is
responsible for ensuring actionable
intervention; and
 The approach to results-oriented
monitoring
• A monitoring and evaluation plan and budget
summarising information needs, data collection
and analysis, information use, reporting and
presentation. It must identify who will be
responsible and the time frame for key tasks is
also noted and updated regularly. The budget
must include funds for staff, consultants,
travel, relevant meetings and workshops,
baseline data collection, data management,
special reports and studies, and where training
is envisaged, funds for capacity-building;
 The approach to results-oriented
monitoring
• An annual review meeting attended by key
stakeholders that will allow a participatory
annual assessment of performance and results
obtained to date as well as planning next
year’s monitoring and evaluation activities.
 The approach to results-oriented
monitoring
• self-evaluations - undertaken by operation
managers;
• non-mandatory evaluations - undertaken by
independent consultants and managed by National
Societies;
• mandatory independent evaluations undertaken
by independent consultants and managed by M&E
Division
– Any operation once the cumulative budget of all phases
exceeds USD$5 million or more;
– Special operation, sectoral or thematic evaluations as
requested by the Governing Board.
Design a Monitoring and Evaluation
System
Checking Operation Design
 Checking Operation Design
• How clearly are the objectives stated?
• Have external factors been taken into account?
• Will indicators effectively measure progress? - An
indicator is a quantitative or qualitative factor that
provides a simple and reliable means to measure
achievement or to reflect the changes connected to a
project/programme
• Common weaknesses in indicator selection are as
follows:
- Too many indicators are selected –
- Don’t select overly complex indicators
- Don’t over-concentrate on physical progress indicators
 Beneficiary Contact Monitoring
(BCM) Indicators
• Beneficiary Contact Monitoring (BCM) is defined as a
systematic investigation to monitor the beneficiaries'
perceptions
• Provide an effective means of validating whether the
output strategy is working
• Include information about beneficiary access to, use
of, and satisfaction with operation outputs
• Seek feedback directly from the women, men, and
children
• Are referred to in the Logframe Manual as leading
indicators
Beneficiary Contact Monitoring (BCM)
and the Logframe
Examples of BCM indicators
 Assessing Capacity for Monitoring and
Evaluation
• How to determine M&E capacity
• 1. Is there a unit or defined organisation with the
responsibility to do monitoring and evaluation?
• - If yes, how many staff and what are their current
responsibilities for data collection, processing,
analysis and report preparation?
• - If no, who will be assigned responsibility for
conducting and undertaking monitoring functions?
What skills and experience do the proposed or
existing staff have?
 Assessing Capacity for Monitoring and
Evaluation
• How to determine M&E capacity
• 2. What are the resources available to the M&E unit
or responsible unit?
-Take into account items such as vehicles, computers
(hardware and software) as well as recurrent funding for
operations.
• 3. Are there any established procedures for doing
monitoring and evaluation, including:
- Specification of targets in plan documents,
- Regular and ad hoc surveys, and reporting and
dissemination of findings
 Assessing training needs
• How do you conduct a training needs analysis prior to or
after the M&E plan has been prepared and budgeted?
• The behaviour and performance of staff is determined by:
i) Their knowledge and skills
ii) Their motivation to fulfil their responsibilities
iii) The organisational environment within which they
operate. You need to assess training needs at three
different levels: Organisational: assessing the general
weaknesses of the organisation in carrying out monitoring –
where is training most needed? Occupational: assessing the
skills required to undertake M&E activities – what skills are
needed to do the job? Individual: assessing the skills of
individuals within identified sections and occupations
against their job requirements – who needs training in what?
Examples of BCM indicators
GENDER MAINSTREAMING AND
THE PROJECT LIFE CYCLE
Knowledge sharing
1. Design

Gender-sensitive Gender analysis/needs

M&E assessment

Gender expertise
4. M&E Adequate 2. Start-up
resources

Gender-specific Gender planning

action/capacity building

3. Implementation
 GENDER MAINSTREAMING
STRATEGIES/TOOLS
• Involve women and men in
consultations
• Include sex-disaggregated data
• Strive for gender balance in
staff/experts
• Enable women and men to participate
and benefit equally
 PROJECT DESIGN QUESTIONS
• Goals and objectives gender-sensitive?
• Input from men and women?
• Baseline incorporates gender analysis?
• Consultations on targets?
• Activities reflect gender sensitivity?
 PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
QUESTIONS
• Gender and sex-disaggregated data?
• Comparing data to baseline?
• M&E data used to adjust project?
• Women’s groups monitoring progress?
• Findings disseminated?
• References to gender in reports?
• Women involved in activities?
• Women accessing services?
 PROJECT EVALUATION
QUESTIONS
• Differences in access? Why?
• Differences in impact? Why?
• How can differentials be addressed?
• How do results compare to targets?
• How did beneficiaries respond?
• Are results sustainable?

Photo: Sanja Gjenero, RGBstock.com

 DATA COLLECTION AND
ANALYSIS
• Forms and procedures for data
collection
• Data collection plan by indicator
• Trained staff with clear roles and
responsibilities
• Database
• Regular reflection sessions
 SECONDARY DATA SOURCES
• Regional or country MDG reports
• UNDP Human Development reports
• State Department Human Rights reports
• World Bank reports
• World Economic Forum
• Donor and NGO reports
EXERCISE: INTEGRATING GENDER
• Are the indicators gender aware?
• Are they input, output, outcome or impact
indicators?
• Are they quantitative or qualitative?
• How would you make them more gender-
aware?
• Identify 3 additional indicators and how data
would be collected.

Photo: World Bank

 EVALUATION DESIGN
• Identify research questions
• Identify methods for data collection
• Develop and test data collection
instruments and protocols
 EVALUATION CRITERIA

• Relevance
• Effectiveness
• Efficiency
• Impact
• Sustainability
Photo: Sanja Gjenero, RGBstock.com
 INTRO TO M&E REVIEW
• Improve project effectiveness,
demonstrate impact, and identify lessons
learned
• Must address and mainstream gender
• Logframe with sex-disaggregated and/or
gender-specific indicators
• System for data collection and analysis
• Evaluate relevance, effectiveness,
efficiency, impact, and sustainability