This document discusses program monitoring and evaluation (M&E). It defines monitoring as the routine collection of data during a project to determine if objectives are being met. There are different types of monitoring including process, technical, assumption, financial, and impact monitoring. Evaluation assesses outcomes and impacts. The document outlines 10 steps to design an M&E system including defining the purpose and questions, identifying indicators, assigning roles, integrating the system, and piloting it before full implementation. Effective M&E is important for improving management and accountability while allowing flexibility for unexpected results.

1. Module 7:
Program Monitoring
and Evaluation

2. Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) is used to assess
the performance of projects, institutions and
programmes set up by governments, international
organizations and NGOs. Its goal is to improve
current and future management of outputs, outcomes
and impact. This topic focuses on the students’
understanding and learning the effective and efficient
process on the latter.
Introduction

3. Monitoring is the systematic and routine
collection of data during project
implementation for the purpose of
establishing whether an intervention is
moving towards the set objectives or project
goals. In this case, data is collected
throughout the life cycle of the project.
MONITORING

4. Process monitoring/ physical progress monitoring
• In process monitoring, routine data is collected and
analyzed in order to establish whether the project
tasks and activities are leading towards the intended
project results. It authenticates the progress of the
project towards the intended results. This kind of
monitoring measures the inputs, activities and
outputs.
Types of Monitoring in M&E

5. Technical monitoring
• this involves assessing the strategy that is
being used in project implementation to
establish whether it is achieving the required
results. It involves the technical aspects of
the project such as the activities to be
conducted.
Types of Monitoring in M&E

6. Assumption monitoring
• Any project has its working assumptions which have to be
clearly outlined in the project log frame. These assumptions
are those factors which might determine project success or
failure, but which the project has no control over. Assumption
monitoring involves measuring these factors which are
external to the project. It is important to carry out assumption
monitoring as it may help to explain success or failure of a
project.
Types of Monitoring in M&E

7. Financial Monitoring
• refers to monitoring project/ program expenditure and
comparing them with the budgets prepared at the planning
stage. The use of funds at the disposal of a
program/project is crucial for ensuring there are no
excesses or wastages. Financial monitoring is also
important for accountability and reporting purposes, as well
as for measuring financial efficiency (the maximization of
outputs with minimal inputs).
Types of Monitoring in M&E

8. Impact Monitoring
• is a type of monitoring which continually
assesses the impact of project activities
to the target population. Indeed, impacts
are usually the long term effects of a
project.
Types of Monitoring in M&E

9. TYPES OF EVALUATION
1. Participatory
• Evaluation in which
representatives of agencies and
stakeholders work together in
designing, carrying out and
interpreting an evaluation.

10. TYPES OF EVALUATION
2. Process based
• an evaluation of the internal dynamics
of a project, its policy instruments, its
service delivery mechanisms, its
management practices, and the
linkages among these.

11. TYPES OF EVALUATION
3. Outcome based evaluation
• it facilitates the asking if the
organization is doing right
activities to bring about the
expected outcomes.

12. 10 Steps To Design a Monitoring
and Evaluation (M&E) System
Step 1: Define the scope and purpose
• This step involves identifying the
evaluation audience and the purpose of
the M&E system. M&E purposes include
supporting management and decision-
making, learning, accountability and
stakeholder engagement.

13. 10 Steps To Design a Monitoring
and Evaluation (M&E) System
Step 2: Define the evaluation questions
• Evaluation questions should be developed up-front
and in collaboration with the primary audience(s)
and other stakeholders who you intend to report to.
Evaluation questions go beyond measurements to
ask the higher order questions such as whether the
intervention is worth it or if it could have been
achieved in another way.

14. 10 Steps To Design a Monitoring
and Evaluation (M&E) System
Step 3: Identify the monitoring questions
• The monitoring questions will ideally be answered
through the collection of quantitative and qualitative
data. It is important to not start collecting data
without thinking about the evaluation and monitoring
questions. This may lead to collecting data just for
the sake of collecting data (that provides no relevant
information to the programme).

15. 10 Steps To Design a Monitoring
and Evaluation (M&E) System
Step 4: Identify the indicators and data sources
• In this step you identify what information is
needed to answer your monitoring questions
and where this information will come from (data
sources). It is important to consider data
collection in terms of the type of data and any
types of research design.

16. 10 Steps To Design a Monitoring
and Evaluation (M&E) System
Step 5: Identify who is responsible for data
collection, data storage, reporting, budget and
timelines
• It is advisable to assign responsibility for
the data collection and reporting so that
everyone is clear of their roles and
responsibilities.

17. 10 Steps To Design a Monitoring
and Evaluation (M&E) System
Step 6: Identify who will evaluate
the data and how it will be
reported
• It is important to present the
findings in a format that is
appropriate to the audience.

18. 10 Steps To Design a Monitoring
and Evaluation (M&E) System
Step 7: Decide on standard forms and procedures
• Once the M&E system is designed there will be a need
for planning templates, designing or adapting information
collection and analysis tools, developing organisational
indicators, developing protocols or methodologies for
service-user participation, designing report templates,
developing protocols for when and how evaluations and
impact assessments are carried out, developing learning
mechanisms, designing databases

19. 10 Steps To Design a Monitoring
and Evaluation (M&E) System
Step 8: Use the information derived from Steps
1- 7 above to fill in the 'M&E System ‘template
• You can choose from any of the templates
presented in this article to capture the
information. Remember, they are templates,
not cast in stone. Feel free to add extra
columns or categories as you see fit.

20. 10 Steps To Design a Monitoring
and Evaluation (M&E) System
Step 8: Use the information derived from Steps
1- 7 above to fill in the 'M&E System ‘template
• You can choose from any of the templates
presented in this article to capture the
information. Remember, they are templates,
not cast in stone. Feel free to add extra
columns or categories as you see fit.

21. 10 Steps To Design a Monitoring
and Evaluation (M&E) System
Step 9: Integrate the M&E system
horizontally and vertically
• Where possible, integrate the M&E system
horizontally (with other organizational
systems and processes) and vertically (with
the needs and requirements of other
agencies). Simister, 2009

22. 10 Steps To Design a Monitoring
and Evaluation (M&E) System
Step 10: Pilot and then roll-out the system
• Once everything is in place, the M&E
system may be first rolled out on a small
scale, perhaps just at the Country Office
level. This will give the opportunity for
feedback and for the ‘kinks to be ironed out’
before a full scale launch.

23. In conclusion, a good M&E system should
be robust enough to answer the evaluation
questions, promote learning and satisfy
accountability needs without being so rigid
and inflexible that it stifles the emergence of
unexpected (and surprising!) results.
Conclusion

24. Thank
You