2013 PROJECT MONITORING AND EVALUATION

Overview

This course familiarizes participants with project monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems and tools that focus on results in international development. The course offers participants both a conceptual framework and practical skill development

Course Outline 

Results-Based Management (RBM) in International Development

• Understanding and distinguishing between monitoring and evaluation in the context of RBM
• Results Chain: inputs, processes, outputs, outcomes and impacts for development projects, programs or strategies
• Importance of feedback and lessons learned
• Role of partners and stakeholders
• Significance of "soft" assistance
• Implications for country offices

Planning for and Executing on the Monitoring and Evaluation Processes

• Key principles for overall work planning
• Purpose and timing (including ex-post) of monitoring and evaluation
• Involving key partners and stakeholders
• Building monitoring and evaluation teams with defined roles and strong capabilities
• Establishing a hierarchy of project objectives
• Defining scope of monitoring and evaluations
• Selecting analytical tools, methodologies or approaches enabling measurement and attribution
• Importance of data quality and collection and baseline data
• Measuring and assessing project/program output relevance, efficiency and effectiveness in achieving outcomes
• Measuring and assessing level, sustainability, innovativeness, replicability and scalability of impacts from project/program outcomes on physical and financial assets; human assets; social capital and people's empowerment; food security; environment and communal resource base; institutions, policies and regulations
• Budgeting
• Managing monitoring and evaluation processes
• Anticipating and resolving problems

Tools, Methods and Approaches Facilitating Monitoring and Evaluation

• Performance indicators and common rating systems 
• Logical framework approach (Log Frame)
• Theory-based evaluation 
• Formal surveys
• Rapid appraisal methods
• Participatory methods
• Field visits
• Public expenditure tracking surveys
• Economic analysis, including cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis
• Project evaluations
• Impact evaluation analysis
• Evaluation and tracking plans
• Annual reviews and reports
• Comparative overview of other tools, methods and approaches used by leading global institutions

Knowledge and Learning

• Learning from evaluative evidence and applying recommendations from feedback
• Publication of evaluative evidence and feedback material
• Improving evaluation feedback
• Knowledge management
• Institutionalization of learning

Course Advisor

Mr. Robert Ross is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC) with more than 30 years of experience serving as a senior executive and officer in both private industry and consulting organizations. He focuses on improving business process execution, increasing profitability, and mitigating business risk exposure. Mr. Ross recently provided consulting services in support of USAID/US State Dept. initiatives to strengthen contract and project management capacity in several ministries for the Government of Iraq.