Basic Principles of M&E
May 2019
What is Monitoring and Evaluation?
MONITORING
Decide what information you want to collect to
monitor the project.
How do you know if the project was
implemented and that the activities were done as
planned?
Monitoring
Collection of routine data that measure progress toward achieving
program objectives.
Used to track changes in program performance over time.
Also called process evaluation:
Isthe program being implemented the way we intended it to be
implemented?
An ongoing, continuous process
Can be used to determine if activities need adjustment to improve
program
Monitoring
Examples of Monitoring:
Counting, tracking, collecting
Counting clients seen or health workers trained
Tracking items distributed
Measuring service coverage
Number of community awareness sessions given
Water points rehabilitated
Etc.
EVALUATION
Decide what information you want to collect to evaluate the project.
How do you know if the project had an IMPACT on the community?
How do you know if the project achieved its outcome?
Evaluation
Evaluation
Measures how well the program activities have met objectives
Measures if the program actually made an impact
Impact = difference between having the program vs. NOT having the
program
Requires data collection at the start of a program (baseline survey),
and at the end
A control or comparison group to measure the changes in outcomes
can be attributed to the program
A well-planned and rigorous study design
Note that program evaluations can be done in a variety of ways, but the
rigor of the evaluation will vary, depending on the study design
Session 1 7
Evaluation
Note that all impact evaluations use Quantitative Data Analyses,
though qualitative research is also used to supplement and
triangulate the data
Session 1 8
Design and implement a Monitoring and
Evaluation Plan
Design a M&E plan to track the project’s progress, and evaluate the impact on
the community.
How?
1. Decide what information you want to collect to Monitor and Evaluate the
program
2. Put in place a plan of how to collect the data and ensure data quality
3. Put in place a plan of how to manage the data, analyze it, and share it
Components of a M&E Plan
1. Introduction of the Project or Program
2. Goals and Objectives
3. Theory of Change and Logical Framework (or other Framework)
4. Indicators and Targets
5. Data Collection and Data Sources
6. Data quality assurance procedures
7. Data management
8. Data Analysis and Evaluation Plan
9. Reporting, Dissemination and Data Use
Data Quality Assurance
What is Data Quality?
Data is:
- accurate and timely
- comprehensive and cost effective
- locally relevant and also comparable with other countries
Potentially conflicting requirements: trade-offs, e.g.
accuracy versus timeliness
Perfection is unattainable
If we are not proactive, quality decreases over time
Data & the Information Cycle
Collect
Use Process
Interpret Analyze
Present
Data Quality affects each part of the cycle!!!
Why Data Quality Matters
Helps make efficient and effective use of resources
Helps improve accountability
Helps improve program results
Increases trust in data and in their use for decision-making
Helps be prepared for audits
Dimensions of Quality
Accuracy - they measure what they are intended to measure
Completeness - collected comprehensively
Reliability - repeated measurements using the same procedures get the same results
Timeliness - up-to-date & available on time
Confidentiality - clients’ data are not disseminated
Precision - have sufficient detail to use for decision-making
Integrity - protected from bias or manipulation
How Good does the Data Need to Be?
No data are perfect!
Use professional judgment
Data should be good enough to document performance and support decision-making
Document decisions and supporting information
Different objectives/indicators may require different levels of measurement quality
The expected change being measured should be greater than the margin of error
There are many expectations of data, including that they should be accurate,
relevant, scientifically sound, feasible, transparent, timely and many more.
In the real world, it is not possible to fulfill all those characteristics of good
quality data. Resources don’t usually allow for it, and it isn’t always necessary.
Functional Components of an M&E
System to ensure Data Quality
M&E
structures,
functions and
capabilities
Links with Indicator
national definitions &
reporting reporting
system guidelines
Data
Data Collection &
management reporting
processes forms and
tools
Data Verification
Purpose
Assess if sites are collecting and reporting data to measure
the selected indicator(s) accurately and on time
Cross-check the reported results with other data sources
(service delivery level only)
Follow the 3 C’s of M&E
Data should be:
COMPLETE
Make sure ALL the lines are filled out on a form. Name, Date, Location, etc.
Make sure the form has been SIGNED by the manager or someone who can verify the data.
If someone does not have the information, they should put “don’t know” or “Not Applicable” rather
than leave it blank.
CONSISTENT
Someone’s name should BE THE SAME ON THE FORM, IN THE DATABASE, etc. If multiple forms are
used, the data should be the same on all the forms
CORRECT
The data should be accurate and true.
If the data is being added or aggregated, the math must make sense. (Ex: you cannot have 5
beneficiaries receiving 20 buckets. UNLESS that is what actually happened).
