Project Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation

Project Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Dr Raghu Bista, NASC

Project Implementation • Once project is approved, budget is finalized and plan and design, project goes to implementation. • During the implementation, project activities are started and completed as per plan and schedule.

Project Implementation Cont.. • Choice of project organisation • Selection of project manager and assigning responsibilities • Project scope finalization, Preparing project schedule and budget • Hiring consultant to support the team • Remaining design finalized • Managing procurement functions, starting activities, and delivering outputs • Monitoring and controlling • Updating plan as per required • Reporting

Controlling and Moving Ahead • During implementation, activities are executed as per time, cost and quality related plan. • If we detect significant deviations from the project plan, it becomes necessary to engage in some form of corrective action to minimize or remove the deviations. Updating plan, speeding up activities, maintaining quality and moving ahead to complete project deliverables are regularly practiced.

चुरेबचाउ कार्यक्रम प्रभावकारी-भएन • काठमाडौँ, जेठ २१ गते । राष्ट्रपति डा. रामवरण यादवले चुरे संरक्षण कार्यक्रम राष्ट्रिय महìव र गौरवको विषय भएकाले यसको संरक्षणका लागि सम्बन्धित सम्पूर्ण निकाय र सरोकारवालाहरूको ध्यानाकर्षण हुनुपर्ने बताउनुभएको छ । • Source: http://www.gorkhapatraonline.com/राष्ट्रिय/14754-‘चुरे-बचाउ-अभियान-प्रभावकारी-भएन’.html, visited on June 4 2014

नेपाल वातावरण पत्रकार समूह (नेवापस)ले मङ्गलबार राष्ट्रपति भवनमा आयोजना गरेको ‘चुरे बुझौँ र बुझाऔँ’ नामक कार्यक्रमलाई सम्बोधन गर्दै राष्ट्रपति यादवले सो कुरा बताउनुभएको हो । आफ्नो रुचिको क्षेत्र स्वास्थ्य र शिक्षा भए पनि वातावरणीय सुरक्षा र महìव बुझेर चुरे क्षेत्रमा भइरहेको विनाश रोक्न राष्ट्रियस्तरको छलफल र बहसपछि तीन वर्षअघि राष्ट्रपति चुरे संरक्षण कार्यक्रम लागू गरेको सन्दर्भ जोड्दै राष्ट्रपति यादवले उद्देश्यअनुरूप संरक्षणको कार्यक्रमले सफलता नपाएकोमा चिन्ता व्यक्त गर्नुभयो ।

चुरे, भावर र तराई क्षेत्रमा आश्रित ६० प्रतिशत जनताको जीविकोपार्जनको सुरक्षासँग प्रत्यक्ष सरोकार राख्ने चुरे संरक्षणका कार्यक्रम कुनै व्यक्तिविशेषका लागि नभएर देश रहेसम्म नै रहिरहने गौरवको कार्यक्रम भए पनि सरकारको पहिलो प्राथमिकतामा पर्न नसकेको बताउँदै राष्ट्रपतिले पछिल्लो समय चुरे क्षेत्रको विनाशको अवस्था डरलाग्दो भएकाले यसको संरक्षणमा राष्ट्र््््््वयापी रूपमा नै कार्यक्रम तय गर्नुपर्नेमा जोड दिनुभयो ।

यस क्षेत्रको संरक्षणमा सम्पूर्ण सरोकारवालाहरूबीच प्रतिबद्धता र समन्वय आवश्यक भएको बताउँदै राष्ट्रपति यादवले भन्नुभयो, “चुरिया बचाउने अभियानका लागि मैले प्रधानमन्त्रीदेखि सम्बन्धित मन्त्रालयका सचिव र धेरै निकाय गुहार्दै लागिपरेको छु तर पनि प्रभावकारी हुन सकेन । ”

Monitoring and Control • Project monitoring is observing or checking on project activities to identify the current status of the project, identifying deviation of the project cost, schedule and quality with the plan and identifying potential problems. “ Monitoring is the collection, recording, and reporting of project information that is of importance to the project manager and other relevant stakeholders” (Samuel J Mantel, J R Meridith, S M Shafer and M R Sutton with M R Gopalan (2005). Project Management, Wiley India.)

Defining Monitoring • Monitoring is a continuous function that uses systematic collection of data on specified indicators to provide management and the main stakeholders of an ongoing development intervention with indications of the extent of progress and achievement of objectives and progress in the use of allocated funds. • Sources:World Bank(2011). Monitoring & Evaluation Capacity Development. The world Bank Group.http://go.worldbank.org/1FASV17EC0

Policy Monitoring • It is the process of examining whether the policy is being implemented as planned. It observes and checks whether policy related programs and activities are progressing as plan. It provides basis for corrective action

Project Control • Control uses the monitored data and information to bring actual performance into agreement with the plan. Clearly, the need to exert proper control mandates the need to monitor the proper activities and elements of the project. (Samuel J Mantel, J R Meridith, S M Shafer and M R Sutton with M R Gopalan (2005). Project Management, Wiley India.)

Purpose of Monitoring • To indicate at the earliest instance any shortcomings with regard to achieving intended objectives so that measures can be undertaken in good time • To monitor the development of the project as a whole, and its component projects, in relation to changes in the context and circumstances of their implementation. • To implement a rapid problem identification system as well as a system for internal communications to the various stakeholders.

Purpose of Monitoring Cont.. • To provides forecasts on cost, • To forecasts resources and schedule • To facilitate evaluation process during and after activities, through the definition of specific indicators.

Monitoring System • Monitoring system involves determining what data to collect; how, when, and who will collect the data, analysis of the data; and reporting current progress

Evaluation • Evaluation can be defined as a process by which general judgments about quality, goal attainment, project/program effectiveness, impact and costs can be determined. It can therefore be conceptualized as a review of the whole project/program in order to assess its overall value and effects.

Evaluation Cont.. • The aim of the evaluation is to determine the relevancy and fulfillment of objectives, efficiency, effectiveness, impacts and sustainability. It also aims to determine the worth or significance of an activity, policy, or programe • Evaluation is important in that we learn from experience so that what is planned for the future is better than what went on before.

Evaluation Type • Ex-ante Evaluation • Mid Term Evaluation • Completion Evaluation • Ex-post Evaluation (impact Evaluation)

Type of Evaluation Start of implementation Completion of intervention 2. Implementation of Intervention 4. 1. 3.

Impact Evaluation • The objective of this type of evaluation is to determine whether or not a given project is achieving the intended impacts. • Impact assessment on number of tourist arrivals • Impacts on income of people near buffer zone • Impacts of Habitat projects on number of tigers increment per year

Evaluation at Different Level • Evaluation is also classified by subject such as project level, program level, sector Level, policy level.

Difference between Monitoring and Evaluation • Monitoring is a continuing function that takes place throughout the implementation of a project/programme • It focuses on the implementation of the project comparing what is delivered with what is planned • Evaluation is assessing the entire project cycle. • Evaluation reviews the achievements of theproject/programme and considers whether the plan was the best one to achieve.

Difference between Monitoring and Evaluation Cont… • Monitoring is usually done by people directly involved in implementing the project/ programme • Evaluation looks for lessons to be learned from both success and lack of success, and also looks for best practices which can be applied elsewhere. • Evaluation is best conducted by an independent outsider who can be impartial in consulting with project/programme staff.

Selection of indicators of project outcomes • Indicators are “the variables used to measure progress towards goals” (Stem C., Margoluis, R., Salafsky, N and Brown, M. (2005), Monitoring and Evaluation in Conservation: A review of Trends and Approaches, Foundation of Success 4109, Meryland Avenue, Bethesda, USA.)

Indicators • An indicators indicates progress, success, and failure of a policy, program and project. Indicators are related: • How do I know the intended positive change has taken place? • What is the baseline situation? • What changes? In what way? (quantity, quality, time description of targets).

Developing Indicators for Monitoring and Evaluation • An indicator gives reliable and unbiased understanding about an object, a situation, a phenomenon, a happening, a motion, development process, etc. • It can be a simple number, a percentage, or ratio or rate, a ‘YES’ or ‘NO’ answer, a piece a data, a score…

Types of Indicators I • Input indicators • Process indicators • Output/outcome indicators • Impact indicators

Types of Indicators II • Time related indicator • Quantity related indicator • Cost indicators • Quality indicator

Steps to be taken to select indicators • Precisely identify what we want to monitor or examine • List down the questions that need answers • Identify the kind of indicators that can be used • Review the methodological basis and robustness of these indicators • Find out what data will be needed to derive each indicator, and where and how to get this data • Gather sample data and examine

Criteria to Select Indicators • Indicators should be; • relevant in concept to the aspect or issue to be examined • clear in defining the purpose and limitations • easily calculated • easily presented and interpreted • easily understood and used in planning and decision-making • Data should be timely available in and reliable • In summary, good indicators are clear, reliable specific, measureable and accurate.

SMART • Specific • Measurable • Achievable • Relevant • Time-bound

Quality Indicators exambles • Number of customer complaints on quality per day/month • Number of service requests for a failed service in a day/month

Baseline Data • Baseline data is needed to measure results before and after the projects intervention. • Baseline data of number of tigers • Fish population status of wetlands • Resource inventory before intervention

Project Monitoring: What data are collected? • What is the current status of the project in terms of schedule and costs? • Whether the inputs in the project are well utilized? • How much will it cost to complete the project? • When will the project be completed? • Are there potential problems that need to be addressed now?

Project Monitoring: What data are collected? Cont… • What, who and where are the causes for cost and schedule overrun? • What did we get for the Dollars spent? • If there is cost overrun midway in the project, can we forecast the overrun at completion? • The performance metrics you need to collect should support answering these questions.

Data Sources • Where can information on the status of each indicators be obtained? (secondary data) • Who provides the information? • How is the information Colleted (primary data)

Methods of Data Collection • Census • Sample Survey • Participatory Rural Appraisal • Focus Group Discussion • In-depth Interview • Field Observation

Timing of Research • When and How often to collect data necessary to provide information during monitoring progress

Data Collection and Reporting • It is necessary to collect data, analyze them and transform them into information.

60 40 Cumulative Budgeted Cost 20 Cumulative Actual Cost 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 5 Elapsed Time (in weeks) Budgeted Cost and Actual Cost Cumulative Cost ($ in thousands) $10,000 Negative Var

Data Analysis • Once data are collected, they are analyzed or processed for reporting. This may include averaging the data, calculating ratio, developing trends etc. Finally, the analysed data are reported in some form.

Project Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation