This document provides an introduction to monitoring and evaluation for interns. It defines monitoring as the routine collection and analysis of project data to provide information on progress, while evaluation assesses a project's achievements against its objectives and identifies lessons learned. Several tools for monitoring and evaluation are described, including Gantt charts, timelines, and logical frameworks. The presentation emphasizes that monitoring and evaluation are important project management processes that help ensure quality, allow for course corrections, and provide lessons for future projects.

1. Monitoring and Evaluation
A Brief Presentation for Interns
Jubair Ahmad Musazay
Monitoring and Evaluation Engineer
General Directorate of Policy, Monitoring and Evaluation of Afghanistan National
Development Strategy | Ministry of Economy | Kabul Afghanistan
January 7th, 2015

2.  To have an idea about Monitoring and Evaluation
(M&E)
 To know what is the difference between M&E
 To know the reason behind M&E (Why M&E is
carried out)
 To know some of the tools of M&E (how M&E is
carried out)
Objectives of this presentation

3. Monitoring and Evaluation – Generally
What is it “generally”?
An important process of
project/program/strategy
management
Interrelated/related but uniquely
different. Not really the famous
saying of “two sides of one coin”
A project/program
management

4. What is Monitoring?
A systematic approach of collecting, analyzing and using
of data to provide detailed information for all the
stockholders about the progress, stagnation or regress of
an ongoing intervention or an undertaking
Real-time (routine)
Continuous (from the beginning till the end of a
project/program)

5. Monitoring involves (but not
limited to the following)
 Establishment of indicators
Developing a mechanism to collect relevant information
of the established indicators
Collection and recording of data or information
Analyzing the collected data
Reporting based on the analyzed data for all the relevant
stakeholders

6. What is Evaluation?
Evaluation is a systematic assessment of an ongoing or
completed project, program, or policy, strategy and etc.
usually based on monitoring records
Assessment of actual work progress or an intervention
impact (achievements) with respect to planned targets
(objectives)
Lessons for future interventions

7. Evaluation involves (but not limited to
the following)
What did the project/program/organization plan to
achieve or what impact did it want to create
Was the target achieved? Was the impact created?
Did the program have a strategy? Did it work? If not,
what went wrong? Where? When? How? Why?
Efficiency? Effectiveness? Impact?
What recommendation/suggestions to consider for
future?

8. Monitoring vs. Evaluation (Differences)
Monitoring Evaluation
Continuous Periodical
More focused on QC More focused on QA
Records real-time data Carried out based on
monitoring data (usually)
Internal (usually) External (usually)
Continuous analysis of a
project/program progress
Assessment of efficiency,
impact, sustainability and so on
A tool for preventive measures,
better decision making,
ensuring quality and so on
A lesson for future plans and
maybe the ongoing project
(formative evaluation)

10. Why Monitoring & Evaluation?
To make this crystal clear, we use the famous example of Two Corn
Farmers and explain it with this example
Farmer A Farmer B
Both plant corn for this year with exactly
same initial conditions

11. Planting cornPlanting corn
Comes regularly for checking
(Monitoring)
Does not come for checking or
monitoring

12. The disease are left unnoticedNotices some diseases
Studies his options and takes
preventative measures
Does not know what is going
on in his farm
This is a kind of
formative
evaluation

13. Harvesting timeHarvesting time
High yield (return) Low yield (maybe not even
enough for next year’s seeds)

14. Evaluation Process
• No records to
evaluate
• Did not only lose this
year’s yield but also
doesn’t know what
precautions to take
for a better yield next
year
• Nothing to build upon
• No lesson to learn (or
maybe a lesson
learnt) 
Evaluation Process
• Amount of seeds
• Amount of required water
• Amount of fertilizer
• Type of fertilizer
• Scale of yield based on
seeds
• Time of disease, if any
• Type of pesticide used
• Duration of the disease
• Etc.…
• Better prepared for next
year
Recordings/
Logs
No records/
nothing

15. M&E entire process
Plan Implement Evaluate
Monitor
Time
Cost
Work progress
Quality
Quantity
Strength
Weakness
Adjustments
Etc…
What we did?
What we had
planned to do?
What went wrong?
Results? Impacts?
Effectiveness
Efficiency
Building upon
success
Avoiding mistakes
Etc…
Periodical/Informative
Evaluations
Future Plans

17. Monitor/Track
Time Cost Work/progress
Quality/
Quantity
Strength/
Weakness
Adjustments
• Gantt Chart
• Network
Diagram
(sequence)
• Timeline
• PERT
• Etc…
• S-Curve
• BQ
• Etc…
• Logical
framework
• Performance
indicators
• Specifications or
project documents
• Monitoring and
evaluation matrix
• Etc…
• Quality
Control (QC)
• Quality
Assurance
(QA)
• BQ
• Other
methods
Using analysis
methods
• SWOT
• C&B
• SMART
• Reflect
• Analyze
• Redesign
• Stop
• Etc. …
These are management tools and they are interconnected. Their tasks usually overlap so
one can be used instead of other or for multi-purpose, depending on the situation

18. Some examples of these management tools
A simple Gantt Chart – Taken from NRRCP

19. Some examples of these management tools
Variations of Gantt Charts – Taken from the internet

20. Some examples of these management tools
Variations of Gantt Charts – Taken from internet

21. Some examples of these management tools
Network Diagram

22. Some examples of these management tools
Timeline – mainly for milestones – from internet

23. Some examples of these management tools
Another example of timeline – from internet

24. Some examples of these management tools
An example of S Curve
S Curve (Planned)
Case 1 (Actual)
Case 2 (Actual)
More than 80%
of the cost
A reporting date
for example
today

25. Some examples of these management tools
S Curve for tracking cost and work
Combined S-Curves
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Elapsed Time in Days
%Cost
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
140%
160%
180%
200%
%Work
Actual
Planned

26. Some examples of these management tools
A sample of Logical Framework
Overall
Objectives
Indicators Means of
verification
Assumptions/
Risks
Purpose
Outcomes
Expected
results
Outputs
Activities

27. Some examples of these management tools
Logical Framework
Very important
Most commonly used tool for Monitoring and Evaluation
of development projects
Apparently it was developed and used for the first time
by USAID
Widely used for ANDS

28. Summing Up (Conclusion)

29. Thank You!
Wishing you a great career ahead!
Cynicism does not “AND” can not take you very long into the future.
Hope is the key and the way forward. You may “AND” will face a lot
of difficulties along the way, but always remember that:
“After every difficulty there comes relief. Verily, after every difficulty
there comes relief.”
Chapter 94, Verses 5-6, The Holy Quran