Introduction
This ten-day course is aimed at providing an overview of results-based monitoring and evaluation methods with practical applications of tools and methods. This course will provide participants with m&e tools, techniques, and resources needed for planning, organizing, and/or managing programs and projects. Through exercises and group work, participants will learn the links between results-based measurement, monitoring, and program evaluation. Time will be allotted for practical exercises and informal question and answer sessions around common m&e problem areas. Participants will also be provided with additional resources for further study and research in the m&e field.
Duration
10 days
Who should attend?
The course is designed for representatives from government, project teams, ngos, multi and bilateral development organizations, consultancies, etc, that are typically employed as project managers and directors, m&e specialists, technical specialists, and researchers.
Learning objectives
- Participants will gain confidence to apply the acquired skills and knowledge to their m&e work
- Participants will be able to share and learn from other country experiences to strengthen their m&e systems.
- Participants will have an improved understanding of how m&e can improve the quality of their projects while promoting learning and accountability
- Participants will also learn how to be better managers and consumers of evaluations conducted by others
Topics to be covered
What is monitoring and evaluation?
- Definition of m&e
- Why is m&e important
- M&e and the project cycle management
- Step to implementing m&e in a project/programme
- Type of evaluations
- Methods and tools for m&e
- Challenges in m&e
Trends towards result based m&e
- Managing for development results (mfdr)
- Mfdr core principles
- Mfdr and result-based management (rbm)
- What is rbm?
- The emergence of rbm and its development
- Seven phases of rbm
- Performance measurement, performance indicators, and performance monitoring
- Logical framework and results framework
Introduction to result based m&e
- Result based m&e outline
- Essential actions to build result based m&e
- Result based m&e cycle
- The power of measuring results
Situation analyses/needs assessment
- Formative research
- Situation analysis
- Needs assessment
- Tools to conduct a needs assessment
- Illustrative examples of situation analysis and mappings
Designing the m&e system
- The result chain
- Impact pathways
- Logical framework vs theory of change
- Developing a theory of change
- Components of a theory of change
M&e frameworks
- Why are m&e frameworks important?
- Considerations when developing an m&e framework
- Steps in developing an m&e framework
- Results frameworks
- Logical frameworks
Designing indicators and evidence
- What are indicators?
- Characteristics of good indicators
- Challenges and considerations when selecting indicators
- How many indicators are enough?
- Process versus result/impact indicators
- Process indicators
- Result indicators
- Output indicators
- Outcome indicators
- Impact indicators
- Developing internationally comparable indicators
M&e plans
- What does an m&e plan include?
- Important considerations for an m&e plan
- When should m&e be undertaken?
- When monitoring activities should be carried out?
- When should evaluations be conducted?
- Can m&e plans be amended?
Evaluation techniques
- Evaluation questions
- Steps to developing evaluation questions
- Illustrative examples
- Designing evaluations for stakeholder benefit and use
- Choice and use of qualitative and quantitative collection instruments
- Participatory data analysis
- Communicating findings meaningfully for comprehensive stakeholder learning
Baseline assessments
- What is baseline data and how is it collected?
- Needs assessment versus baseline study
- Questions to ask about a baseline plan
- What kind of baseline data is necessary, useful and practical to collect?
- Examples of baseline surveys
Data collection and analysis
- Quantitative data
- Methods for collecting quantitative data
- Challenges and limitations of quantitative methods
- Qualitative data
- Methods for collecting qualitative data
- Pre/post intervention focus group discussions
- Pre/post intervention interviews
- Illustration and example with selected participatory methods
Communicating m&e information
- Developing a communications strategy based on evaluation findings.
- Communicating findings to bring about change.
- Presenting m&e results using different media.
Use of m&e results
- Different uses of m&e results
- To whom to give feedback
- When to give feedback
- How to give feedback
- Embedding learning for the personal and organizational benefit
- Becoming change agents for m&e.
- Becoming an m&e champion
