Monitoring

1. Monitoring Monitoring forms part of the project cycle: • Project Identification • Planning • Appraisal - Decision • Implementation – Monitoring • Evaluation • Difference between Monitoring and Evaluation

2. Source: Sida Evaluation Manual

5. Planning spectra Strategic plans Short and medium term planning (e.g. annual budget of the GoM) Projects and Programmes

6. Monitoring Monitoring is carried out at different levels The concept monitoring is predominant in international co-operation

7. Monitoring for whom and for what? • Monitoring is primarily a management tool and the point of departure should be at the lowest level possible (practical) • The monitoring information gathered at lower levels must also serve the needs of higher levels • Too often lots of information is gathered and very little is ever used. – Wasting scarce resources! • Too often higher levels over-burden lower levels with demand for information! In some countries extension agents spend a major part of their time preparing reports!!!!

8. Some levels • Family (monitoring the activities of children) • Village level • District level • Provincial level • National level • SSA • Global Bottom-up approach very much needed!

9. For example • In a public extension system there may be 50 districts involved out of a total of ??. There may be 250 extension agents. Reaching how many families? • Each district would have to prepare a report for the national system. • The number of families, male/female farmers visited per month is obviously one way to monitor the extension system

10. Cont’d • At the district level there is a need to think about the impact of the programme. • What are the results of these visits? • At the national level (and higher levels) the impact of the programme is obviously an essential question. - Development objective(s) and immediate objectives (outcome) are of key concern.

11. Cont’d • In addition there must exist a functioning accounting system – simple in theory but difficult in practice • At the national level one would like to know that the increase in the standard of living of the families in district 1,2,3 … cost ?? MZM. Emerging focus on: Performance Monitoring and Evaluation

12. Performance monitoring and Evaluation - PME • The following is largely based on a short publication by USAID • The sub-title is Preparing a Performance Monitoring Plan - PMP • It is mainly designed for the various operating units (responsible for more than one project) • Can also be called on-going evaluation

13. PMP • A detailed definition of each performance indicator (objectively verifiable indicator) • The source, method, frequency and schedule of data collection • The office, team or individual responsible for ensuring data are available or on schedule • How the performance data will be analyzed • How it will be reported, reviewed, and used to inform decision makers

14. The indicators should be SMART • Specific • Measurable • Available at acceptable cost • Relevant • Time bound

15. Why are PMPs important? • assures that comparable data are collected, • on a regular and timely basis • it is important to think through data collection, analysis, reporting and review as an integrated process

16. Plans for data collection • A few key indicators for each strategic objective, strategic support objectives and special objectives and intermediate results (see LFA) • Furthermore, it is useful to include in the PMP lower-level indicators of inputs, outputs, and processes at the activity level, and how they will be monitored and linked higher level objectives. • Base line data should be available!

17. Performance Indicators • Detailed definition • Including unit of measurement • The definition should be detailed enough to ensure that different people at different times, given the task of collecting data for a given indicator, would collect identical types of data.

18. Data Source • Be as specific as possible (public entities, NGOs, private firms …) • Switching data sources often lead to inconsistencies • Strengthening capacity might be necessary

19. Data collection methods - consider • The unit of analysis (individuals, families, communities, clinics, wells …) • Need for disaggregating data (gender, age, location …) • Sampling techniques • Methods to be used for the sample

20. To be considered • Secondary data – provide and explain the method used, source • Quality and reliability. Secondary data often cheaper to obtain. • Provide sufficient detail on the data collection or calculation method to enable it to be replicated

21. Frequency • Management needs for timely information for decision-making • Frequency depends on the objective(s) – every six months – every 5 years. • Responsibilities have to be assigned.

22. Use of information The PMP should include data analysis, reporting, review and use How will the data be analyzed? Disaggregated data – how will they be compared? How will actual performance be compared with Past performance Planned or targeted performance Other relevant benchmarks

23. Cost effectiveness • Plan for using performance data to compare systematically alternative program approaches in terms of costs as well as results.

24. For discussion • There are many donors (bi- and multi-lateral) and NGOs active in Mozambique • Aid and emergency relief have become big business • There is a tendency for each actor to have: • Its own reporting system involving financial reporting and monitoring • Review teams • Evaluation teams