PSP3329: Programe Monitoring and Evaluation

COURSE TITTLE: PROGRAMME MONITORING AND EVALUATION

COURSE CODE: PSP 3329

Public Health/BSc Community Health & Development.

Prepared by:

Dr. Charles Nyamori Orora

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What is Program Management vs. Project Management

A program is a large project that is made up of several smaller projects that are
dependent on each other. Since programs are so large, they are often managed by a
team of people, with projects and tasks delegated across team member. Some
functions involved in launching a successful program might include outlining
objectives, planning execution, managing operations, and reporting on status.
Projects are bundled together into a program when the benefits of managing the
collection outweigh managing projects as individual units.

Projects are generally smaller and often come with cost, date, and resource
constraints. Project goals are normally short term, whereas the objectives of a
program are focused on carrying out a company mission or overarching goal.

Program Management

A program manager needs to articulate the goals and objectives of the program and
how it will impact the business. Program management is mapping out and defining
the list of dependent projects that need to be completed to reach an overall goal.
When it comes to the program, a program manager needs to focus on strategy and
implementation, and how to delegate projects appropriately.

Project Management

Project management involves managing the operations of an individual project

within the program. The project manager coordinates time, budget, resources and
delegates tasks across the team. He reports to the program manager on progress
and changes made to the initial project plan. Project management is a bit more
tactical than program management: it mainly focuses on the operational elements
of the project such as meeting deadlines, staying within budget, and completing
deliverables.

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Project: Types, Objectives and Organization

Meaning of Project:

If there is one single quality which sets a project apart from routine commercial or
industrial operations, it is its novelty. No two projects are ever exactly alike. A
project is always a journey into the unknown, fraught with risk. Projects typically
demand the use of resources that are scarce or expensive, but which have to be
deployed over a most complex frame work of tasks.

Project Management:

The purpose of project management is to minimize, contain or counter the risks,

and organize and direct the resources so that the project is finished in time, within
budgeted costs and with the functional or other design objectives fulfilled.

If the purpose of project management is to meet the functional, cost and timescale
objectives, then clearly these objectives must be properly defined from the outset.
The technical or performance specification usually originates from a customer’s
stated requirements. There must be in clear text the scope and technical
performance of the project, supported by whatever drawings are necessary.

Since any eventual contract between the customer and the contractor will be based
on this specification, it’ is important that no significant element of the project is
omitted. After contract award, the sales specification becomes the definitive
project specification. Project definition is a process which continues after contract
award, right up to the final stages of commissioning.

Objectives of Project:

A project usually has three objectives:

(1) Function or Performance:

The final result must satisfy the requirements of the end user. Considering a project
to develop a racing car, the objectives must be to produce a vehicle that satisfies
specified standards for performance, Reliability and safety.

(2) Containment of Expenditure within Budget:

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This is another criterion for project success. Continuing with the racing car
development example, if the development costs were to exceed those planned, then
their recovery from car sales could result in the selling price having to be increased
too far above prices charged by competitors for their rival products. Projects must,
therefore, be completed within their budgeted costs.

(3) Time Scale is the Third Factor:

In the motor car example, the car should be fully developed and proven in time for
launch at the motor show.

Project Organisation:

Obviously the person at the head of the project (project manager; should, ideally,
be technically experienced and qualified in the type of work involved. Note that
there may be more than one project manager working on the same project. This has
been seen in large projects with more than one participating contractor, or where
subcontractors are employed.

Cost Estimating and Budgeting of Project:

Once the scope of a project has been defined clearly in a sales specification, it is
necessary to estimate the likely costs of fulfilling all the work. Cost estimates form
the basis of subsequent budgets for management control. They also provide a
foundation for pricing.

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Planning and Scheduling of Project:

Every project must be controlled from a plan of working. Ideally the promised
project delivery or completion date will have resulted from careful planning. Large
projects must be broken down in smaller packages or groups of tasks for the
purpose of planning and control. This procedure should result in the identification
of sub-projects that can be delegated to the responsibility of managers with
relevant experience.

The next stage in project planning is to assemble all the tasks in a practical
working sequence. This is possible for small projects using a Bar chart or with a
Critical Path Network diagram. The critical path method provides an excellent
notation for the purpose.

The addition of estimates for the duration of each task enables the planner to add
up all the expected durations in the work sequence to arrive at a planned project
completion date. A plan of action is not complete until the use of resources has
been taken into account. This is the process of resource scheduling. Critical Path
Analysis is a most powerful tool in this respect, because it allows a degree of
criticality (float) to be assigned to each activity.

Controlling Progress and Costs of Project:

From time to time it is necessary to gauge Progress in terms of the value (cost) of
work achieved. The contractor is required to submit regular report of progress to
his client. Regular meetings may take place to review progress.

The purpose of such meet is to short-circuit the usual communication routes in an

organization and get key people together so that progress data can be reviewed,
disputes debated, and agreements reached on the spot. An essential in Cost control
is to start with an approved budget, related item by item to each job or purchase,
and with the timing of expenditure calculated to agree with the project work
schedules.

When a project proceeds as per schedule, the costs will tend to take care of
themselves. But if a project runs late, total costs will also overrun and there may
also be expensive contractual penalties. Time is money!

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Project Management Cycle (PMC), Its Phases and Characteristics

What is Project Management Cycle

 Project management cycle (PMC) is the process of planning, organizing,

coordinating, and controlling of project effectively and efficiently from start
to the end in order to achieve pre-defined objectives.
 Project management cycle involves the series of activities that is followed
through stages of project completion to achieve its goal.

Phases of Project Management Cycle (PMC):

 In general, Project Management Cycle consists of four major phases.

However, some methodology also uses the fifth phase, known as monitoring.
Here, we have included this fifth phase under the execution and closure.
 Four phases of PMC are:

1. Initiation Phase
2. Planning Phase
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3. Execution Phase
4. Closure/Termination Phase

1. Initiation Phase:

 This is the beginning phase of the project.

 Project has not been formed yet.
 This is the phase where literatures review and secondary data analysis is
done.
 It includes information such as:
 Purpose, vision and mission of the project
 High level project description

 Summary milestones of the project

 Here, the idea of project is seeded.
 The problem is identified and checked if the project can solve it.
 Basically, the feasibility of the project is assessed and identified.
 Things to complete during this phase include:
 Undertaking the feasibility study of the study
 Assessing the scope of work of the project
 Identifying the deliverables

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 Identifying stakeholders of the project

 Comparing the potential costs and benefits of the project

2. Planning Phase:

 Planning phase is an important phase of project. The better the plan, easier
will be the execution.
 Planning phase begin after the project in the initial phase gets confirmation to
launch
 In this phase, we need to break down larger activities into smaller tasks.
 It is the phase where the plans for conducting the project are formed in detail.
 Project planning involves two parts:
 Strategic Planning: Here, we develop overall approach to the project
 Implementation Planning: Here, we figure out the details of how the
project will be implemented
 SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timebound) goals
and objectives are set.
 It includes planning of resources, risk, finances etc.
 Roles and responsibilities of the staffs are clearly defined
 At the end of this phase, the plan is documented for the future purpose.
 Things to complete during this phase include:
 Project plan

 Resource (3M- Money, Manpower and Materials) plan

 Budget and financial plan
 Quality plan
 Risk plan (Anticipating the risks)
 Acceptance plan
 Communication plan
 Procurement plan

3. Execution Phase:

 Project execution is the phase where plan is now brought into action, after the
final approval and completion of all planning.
 This is very intimidating phase of project where we can see the actual work
happening.
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 A series of activities is carried out to meet the goals.

 Earlier drafted plan acts as the guide to all the action.
 Monitoring of the work goes side by side during execution. Monitoring is
done to ensure that the activities are moving on track, as planned. Moreover,
it will also involve immediate rectification and changes required to meet the
overall goal and objective of the project
 This phase also involves mid-term evaluation of the project.
 Steps for project execution phase includes:
 Creating tasks and organizing workflow
 Provide necessary guidance, briefing and trainings to the team members

 Regular communication with the team members

 Monitoring the quality of work

 Managing budget

 Things to ensure during this phase include:

 Time management

 Cost management
 Quality management
 Change management

 Risk management
 Issue management etc.

4. Termination Phase:

 This phase is also known as the closure step or closure phase.

 As the project is temporary it has to come to an end
 By this time all the activities have been carried out
 The contractors hired, staffs of the project are terminated
 At the end evaluation report is created that would evaluate the overall success
of the project and are useful for future reference as well.

 Things to ensure during this phase include:

 Analysis of project performance regarding its goals and objectives
 Analysis of team performance
 Documentation of project closure

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 Conducting a final analysis of the project

 Closing the finances and budgetary aspects of the project

Characteristics of a Project Management Cycle:

Irrespective of the size and modality of the project, all projects/project

management cycle must have following characteristics:

a) Consistency:

 No matter what project you are doing consistency needs to be maintained.

 There are the certain standards that are to be met during project cycle.
 Consistency at all stages of PMC helps in maintaining the quality of the
project.
 Consistency regarding success standards are also important.

b) Flexibility:

 Project has to be consistent but it doesn’t mean that PMC is rigid.

 PMC needs to be amended depending upon the nature of the project.
 To acknowledge the project and its peculiarity, PMC is flexible.

c) Transparency:

 It is the most important feature of the project.

 All works at all stages of PMC needs to be transparent
 Transparency needs to be maintained especially at the time of resource
planning
 Transparency would help in avoiding the conflict in the project.

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Advantages of the PMC:

1. Goal achievement

 The main objective is to achieve the goal of project and the whole PMC
works to achieve
 The plan, execution all helps to meet the goals in give time frame.
 Also, the goals are made SMART


2. Effective use of time and resources

 The PMC helps in optimum utilization of resources and time

 The resource plan done at the beginning helps in effective utilization

3. Better Communication

 All the staffs come together in planning and brain storming the ideas which
fosters the better communication
 Pre-identified roles and responsibilities helps to avoid the unwanted tension
 Project is the team work and performed as one

4. Risk assessment

 One of the major features of the PMC is risk assessment.

 It is done at the planning phase.
 Risk when assessed earlier and staying prepared helps to tackle them.

Disadvantages and Limitations of PMC:

1. High cost

 With already limit in project budget, conducting and ensuring the details of
all sessions of the cycle can increase the cost.

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2. Complex

 PMC can make the project look more complex, as there are many steps and
activities to follow.
 Rigidity in plan, can create the stressful environment.

3. Lack of creativity

 PMC sometimes can suppress the creativity

 The deadlines, stressful environment pre-defined activities and procedure
may not let the creativity of the staff to sprout out.

Project Management: Tools & Techniques

Introduction

Problems arise in every organization. Such problems as what products/systems to

develop, should capacity be expanded, or should a computer be purchased are just
a few of an endless number of continuing problems about which management must
concern itself if the firm is to survive. These problems and their alternative
solutions establish some elements of change around which the organization must
adapt. Projects are generally established to carry out these changes and someone is
always responsible for each project's successful completion.

Every project is unique in terms of the problems that arise, the priorities and
resources assigned it, the environment in which it operates, and the project
manager's attitude and style used to guide and control project activities. Therefore,
the organizational structure for the project must be designed to fit within that
project's operating constraints. The organizational structure implemented may not
be the same structure used throughout the life cycle of the project due to changes in
priorities, available resource, project personnel, laws, and other contingencies.
Regardless of the project management structure chosen, management must realize
that a dynamic state of equilibrium between limited personnel and financial
resources and the objectives of the project will be necessary if project management
is to be successful in their particular organization.Before touching on the major
tools and techniques of project management, let's get to the bottom of what project
management truly is. Later, I will list the benefits that the tools and techniques of
project management bring to the systems analysis process.

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Projects

Nearly every activity within an organization could be labeled as a project possessing

unique characteristics and varying levels of importance to the organization. A project
is defined as a planned undertaking of related activities to reach an objective that has a
beginning and an end. All projects solve some type of problem, but projects may also
be established simply to determine and define feasible alternative solutions to
problems. Seven primary characteristics of a project include:

1. Objective: Each has a specific goal to reach.

2. Schedule: Point in time in which they must be accomplished.
3. Complexity: Does the technology exist to achieve the project objectives?
4. Size and Nature of Task: Step-by-step plan of action.
5. Resources: Labor, personnel, equipment, materials, facilities, etc.
6. Organizational Structure: The 'meshing' of project requirements into the
existing organization.
7. Information and Control Systems: These must be structured to handle problems
through the typical lines of authority

Project Management

In the past, a company typically decided to undertake a project effort, assigned the
project and the "necessary" resources to a carefully selected individual and assumed
they were using some form of project management. Organizational implications were
of little importance. Although the basic concepts of project management are simple,
applying these concepts to an existing organization is not. Richard P. Olsen, in his
article "Can Project Management Be Defined?" defined project management as "…the
application of a collection of tools and techniques…to direct the use of diverse
resources toward the accomplishment of a unique, complex, one-time task within
time, cost, and quality constraints. Each task requires a particular mix of these tools
and techniques structured to fit the task environment and life cycle (from conception
to completion) of the task."

Employing project management technologies minimizes the disruption of routine

business activities in many cases by placing under a single command all of the skills,
technologies, and resources needed to realize the project. The skills required depend
on each specific project and the resources available at that time. The greater the
amount of adjustments a parent organization must make to fulfill project objectives,
the greater chance exists for project failure. The form of project management will be
unique for every project endeavor and will change throughout the project.

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The project management process typically includes four key phases: initiating the
project, planning the project, executing the project, and closing the project. An outline
of each phase is provided below.

Initiating the Project

The project management techniques related to the project initiation phase include:

1. Establishing the project initiation team. This involves organizing team

members to assist in carrying out the project initiation activities.
2. Establishing a relationship with the customer. The understanding of your
customer's organization will foster a stronger relationship between the two of
you.
3. Establishing the project initiation plan. Defines the activities required to
organize the team while working to define the goals and scope of the project.
4. Establishing management procedures. Concerned with developing team
communication and reporting procedures, job assignments and roles, project
change procedure, and how project funding and billing will be handled.
5. Establishing the project management environment and workbook. Focuses on
the collection and organization of the tools that you will use while managing
the project.

Planning the Project

The project management techniques related to the project planning phase include:

1. Describing project scope, alternatives, and feasibility. The understanding of the

content and complexity of the project. Some relevant questions that should be
answered include:
o What problem/opportunity does the project address?
o What results are to be achieved?
o What needs to be done?
o How will success be measured?
o How will we know when we are finished?
2. Divide the project into tasks. This technique is also known as the work
breakdown structure. This step is done to ensure an easy progression between
tasks.
3. Estimating resources and creating a resource plan. This helps to gather and
arrange resources in the most effective manner.
4. Developing a preliminary schedule. In this step, you are to assign time
estimates to each activity in the work breakdown structure. From here, you will
be able to create the target start and end dates for the project.

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5. Developing a communication plan. The idea here is to outline the

communication procedures between management, team members, and the
customer.
6. Determining project standards and procedures. The specification of how
various deliverables are produced and tested by the project team.
7. Identifying and assessing risk. The goal here is to identify potential sources of
risk and the consequences of those risks.
8. Creating a preliminary budget. The budget should summarize the planned
expenses and revenues related to the project.
9. Developing a statement of work. This document will list the work to be done
and the expected outcome of the project.
10. Setting a baseline project plan. This should provide an estimate of the project's
tasks and resource requirements.

Executing the Project

The project management techniques related to the project execution phase include:

1. Executing the baseline project plan. The job of the project manager is to initiate
the execution of project activities, acquire and assign resources, orient and train
new team members, keep the project on schedule, and assure the quality of
project deliverables.
2. Monitoring project progress against the baseline project plan. Using Gantt and
PERT charts, which will be discussed in detail further on in this paper, can
assist the project manager in doing this.
3. Managing changes to the baseline project plan.
4. Maintaining the project workbook. Maintaining complete records of all project
events is necessary. The project workbook is the primary source of information
for producing all project reports.
5. Communicating the project status. This means that the entire project plan
should be shared with the entire project team and any revisions to the plan
should be communicated to all interested parties so that everyone understands
how the plan is evolving.

Closing Down the Project

The project management techniques related to the project closedown phase include:

1. Closing down the project. In this stage, it is important to notify all interested
parties of the completion of the project. Also, all project documentation and
records should be finalized so that the final review of the project can be
conducted.

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2. Conducting post project reviews. This is done to determine the strengths and
weaknesses of project deliverables, the processes used to create them, and the
project management process.
3. Closing the customer contract. The final activity is to ensure that all contractual
terms of the project have been met.

The techniques listed above in the four key phases of project management enable a
project team to:

 Link project goals and objectives to stakeholder needs.

 Focus on customer needs.
 Build high-performance project teams.
 Work across functional boundaries.
 Develop work breakdown structures.
 Estimate project costs and schedules.
 Meet time constraints.
 Calculate risks.
 Establish a dependable project control and monitoring system.

Tools

Project management is a challenging task with many complex responsibilities.

Fortunately, there are many tools available to assist with accomplishing the tasks and
executing the responsibilities. Some require a computer with supporting software,
while others can be used manually. Project managers should choose a project
management tool that best suits their management style. No one tool addresses all
project management needs. Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) and Gantt
Charts are two of the most commonly used project management tools and are
described below. Both of these project management tools can be produced manually
or with commercially available project management software.

PERT is a planning and control tool used for defining and controlling the tasks
necessary to complete a project. PERT charts and Critical Path Method (CPM) charts
are often used interchangeably; the only difference is how task times are computed.
Both charts display the total project with all scheduled tasks shown in sequence. The
displayed tasks show which ones are in parallel, those tasks that can be performed at
the same time.A graphic representation called a "Project Network" or "CPM
Diagram" is used to portray graphically the interrelationships of the elements of a
project and to show the order in which the activities must be performed.

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PERT planning involves the following steps:

1. Identify the specific activities and milestones. The activities are the tasks of the
project. The milestones are the events that mark the beginning and the end of
one or more activities.
2. Determine the proper sequence of activities. This step may be combined with
#1 above since the activity sequence is evident for some tasks. Other tasks may
require some analysis to determine the exact order in which they should be
performed.
3. Construct a network diagram. Using the activity sequence information, a
network diagram can be drawn showing the sequence of the successive and
parallel activities. Arrowed lines represent the activities and circles or
"bubbles" represent milestones.
4. Estimate the time required for each activity. Weeks are a commonly used unit
of time for activity completion, but any consistent unit of time can be used. A
distinguishing feature of PERT is it's ability to deal with uncertainty in activity
completion times. For each activity, the model usually includes three time
estimates:
o Optimistic time - the shortest time in which the activity can be
completed.
o Most likely time - the completion time having the highest probability.
o Pessimistic time - the longest time that an activity may take.

From this, the expected time for each activity can be calculated using the
following weighted average:

Expected Time = (Optimistic + 4 x Most Likely + Pessimistic) / 6

This helps to bias time estimates away from the unrealistically short timescales
normally assumed.

5. Determine the critical path. The critical path is determined by adding the times
for the activities in each sequence and determining the longest path in the
project. The critical path determines the total calendar time required for the
project. The amount of time that a non-critical path activity can be delayed
without delaying the project is referred to as slack time.

If the critical path is not immediately obvious, it may be helpful to determine

the following four times for each activity:

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o ES - Earliest Start time

o EF - Earliest Finish time
o LS - Latest Start time
o LF - Latest Finish time

These times are calculated using the expected time for the relevant activities.
The earliest start and finish times of each activity are determined by working
forward through the network and determining the earliest time at which an
activity can start and finish considering its predecessor activities. The latest
start and finish times are the latest times that an activity can start and finish
without delaying the project. LS and LF are found by working backward
through the network. The difference in the latest and earliest finish of each
activity is that activity's slack. The critical path then is the path through the
network in which none of the activities have slack.

The variance in the project completion time can be calculated by summing

the variances in the completion times of the activities in the critical path.
Given this variance, one can calculate the probability that the project will be
completed by a certain date assuming a normal probability distribution for
the critical path. The normal distribution assumption holds if the number of
activities in the path is large enough for the central limit theorem to be
applied.

6. Update the PERT chart as the project progresses. As the project unfolds, the
estimated times can be replaced with actual times. In cases where there are
delays, additional resources may be needed to stay on schedule and the
PERT chart may be modified to reflect the new situation. An example of a
PERT chart is provided below:

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Benefits to using a PERT chart or the Critical Path Method include:

 Improved planning and scheduling of activities.

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 Improved forecasting of resource requirements.

 Identification of repetitive planning patterns which can be followed in other
projects, thus simplifying the planning process.
 Ability to see and thus reschedule activities to reflect interproject
dependencies and resource limitations following know priority rules.
 It also provides the following: expected project completion time, probability
of completion before a specified date, the critical path activities that impact
completion time, the activities that have slack time and that can lend
resources to critical path activities, and activity start and end dates.

Gantt charts are used to show calendar time task assignments in days, weeks or
months. The tool uses graphic representations to show start, elapsed, and
completion times of each task within a project. Gantt charts are ideal for tracking
progress. The number of days actually required to complete a task that reaches a
milestone can be compared with the planned or estimated number. The actual
workdays, from actual start to actual finish, are plotted below the scheduled days.
This information helps target potential timeline slippage or failure points. These
charts serve as a valuable budgeting tool and can show dollars allocated versus
dollars spent.

To draw up a Gantt chart, follow these steps:

1. List all activities in the plan. For each task, show the earliest start date,
estimated length of time it will take, and whether it is parallel or sequential.
If tasks are sequential, show which stages they depend on.
2. Head up graph paper with the days or weeks through completion.
3. Plot tasks onto graph paper. Show each task starting on the earliest possible
date. Draw it as a bar, with the length of the bar being the length of the task.
Above the task bars, mark the time taken to complete them.
4. Schedule activities. Schedule them in such a way that sequential actions are
carried out in the required sequence. Ensure that dependent activities do not
start until the activities they depend on have been completed. Where
possible, schedule parallel tasks so that they do not interfere with sequential
actions on the critical path. While scheduling, ensure that you make best use
of the resources you have available, and do not over-commit resources.
Also, allow some slack time in the schedule for holdups, overruns, failures,
etc.
5. Presenting the analysis. In the final version of your Gantt chart, combine
your draft analysis (#3 above) with your scheduling and analysis of

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resources (#4 above). This chart will show when you anticipate that jobs
should start and finish. An example of a Gantt chart is provided below:

<="">

Benefits of using a Gantt chart include:

 Gives an easy to understand visual display of the scheduled time of a task or

activity.
 Makes it easy to develop "what if" scenarios.
 Enables better project control by promoting clearer communication.
 Becomes a tool for negotiations.
 Shows the actual progress against the planned schedule.
 Can report results at appropriate levels.
 Allows comparison of multiple projects to determine risk or resource
allocation.
 Rewards the project manager with more visibility and control over the
project.

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Tools and Techniques for Project Management:

Following are the important tools and techniques for effective project
management:

1. Project selection techniques.

(a) Cost-benefit analysis.

(b) Risk and sensitivity analysis.

2. Project implementation (execution) planning techniques.

(a) Work breakdown structure (WBS-),

(b) Project implementation plan,

(c) Project responsibility matrix.

(d) Project management manual(s),

3. Project scheduling techniques.

(a) Line of balance (LOB) (b) Bar charts,

(c) Network techniques (CPM/PERT),

4. Project Monitoring Techniques.

(a) Progress measurement technique.

(b) Performance monitoring technique,

(c) Updating, reviewing and reporting technique.

5. Project cost and productivity techniques.

(a) Value engineering,

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(b) Budgetary control,

(c) Cost/WBS,

6. Project communication techniques,

(a) Computerised information system

Benefits from Project Management:

The potential benefits from project management are:

1. Identification of responsibilities to ensure that all activities are accounted for.

2. Minimizing the need for continuous reporting.

3. Identification of time limits for scheduling.

4. Measurement of accomplishment against plans.

5. Early identification of problems so that corrective actions can be taken.

6. Improved estimating capability for future planning.

7. Knowing the circumstances when objectives cannot be achieved.

Following are the common obstacles which are required to overcome for
achieving the above mentioned benefits:

(i) Project complexity.

(ii) Customer’s special requirements.

(iii) Organisational restructuring.

(iv) Changes in technology.

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Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)

This section provides a brief introduction to what M&E is, together with a
selection of recommended reading and further links to help you get started.

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Monitoring is the systematic and routine collection of information from projects

and programmes for four main purposes:

 To learn from experiences to improve practices and activities in the future;

 To have internal and external accountability of the resources used and the
results obtained;
 To take informed decisions on the future of the initiative;
 To promote empowerment of beneficiaries of the initiative.

Monitoring is a periodically recurring task already beginning in the planning stage

of a project or programme. Monitoring allows results, processes and experiences to
be documented and used as a basis to steer decision-making and learning
processes. Monitoring is checking progress against plans. The data acquired
through monitoring is used for evaluation.

Evaluation is assessing, as systematically and objectively as possible, a completed

project or programme (or a phase of an ongoing project or programme that has
been completed). Evaluations appraise data and information that inform strategic
decisions, thus improving the project or programme in the future.

Evaluations should help to draw conclusions about five main aspects of the
intervention:

 relevance
 effectiveness
 efficiency
 impact
 sustainability

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Information gathered in relation to these aspects during the monitoring process

provides the basis for the evaluative analysis.

Monitoring & Evaluation

M&E is an embedded concept and constitutive part of every project or programme

design (“must be”). M&E is not an imposed control instrument by the donor or an
optional accessory (“nice to have”) of any project or programme. M&E is ideally
understood as dialogue on development and its progress between all stakeholders.

In general, monitoring is integral to evaluation. During an evaluation, information

from previous monitoring processes is used to understand the ways in which the
project or programme developed and stimulated change. Monitoring focuses on the
measurement of the following aspects of an intervention:

 On quantity and quality of the implemented activities (outputs: What do we

do? How do we manage our activities?)
 On processes inherent to a project or programme (outcomes: What were the
effects /changes that occurred as a result of your intervention?)
 On processes external to an intervention (impact: Which broader, long-term
effects were triggered by the implemented activities in combination with
other environmental factors?)

The evaluation process is an analysis or interpretation of the collected data which

delves deeper into the relationships between the results of the project/programme,
the effects produced by the project/programme and the overall impact of the
project/programme.

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Different Types of Evaluation

 Formative
o Definition
 Evaluates a program during development in order to make early
improvements
 Helps to refine or improve a program
o Uses
 When starting a new program
 To assist in the early phases of program development
o Examples
 How well is the program being delivered?
 What strategies can we use to improve this program?

 Summative
o Definition
 Provides information on program effectiveness
 Is conducted after the completion of the program design
o Uses
 To help decide whether to continue, end, or expand a program
o Examples
 Should funding continue for this program?
 Should service expand to other after-school health programs in
the community?

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 Process
o Definition
 Focuses on program implementation
 Determines whether specific program strategies were
implemented as planned
o Uses
 To determine why an established program has changed over
time
 To address inefficiencies in program delivery
 To accurately portray program operations to outside parties
(e.g., for replication elsewhere)
o Examples
 Did your program meet its goals for participant recruitment?
 Did participants receive the specified number of service hours?
 Outcomes
o Definition
 Focuses on the changes in comprehension, attitudes, behaviors,
and practices that result from program activities
 Can include both short- and long-term results
o Uses
 To decide whether an activity affected participants’ outcomes
 To establish and measure clear benefits of the program
o Examples
 Did your participants report the expected changes after
completing a program cycle?
 What are the short- or long-term results observed among (or
reported by) participants?
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 Impact
o Definition
 Focuses on long-term, sustained changes as a result of program
activities, both positive and negative and intended and
unintended
o Uses
 To influence policy
 To see impact in longitudinal studies with comparison groups
o Examples
 What changes in your program participants’ behaviors are
attributable to your program?
 What effects would program participants miss out on without
this program?

Methods & Tools for Collecting M&E Data

During the planning process of the M&E study that you are going to conduct you
will need to decide what data and information to collect to support you in
measuring and assessing the progress. Also devise way of how you will collect the
data using these methods. Data collection methods will depend on the kind of
indicators and the key questions that you have identified and other required
information.

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There are many tools and methods for the collection of data and they might differ
from one type of data (Quantitative or qualitative) to another. Following are a few
methods categorized on the basis of Quantitative data and Qualitative Data

Quantitative Data

 Before/after surveys, questionnaires, measurements, and analyses

 Central data sources
 Government officials, departmental and agency reports and statistical
records
 Local government official statistics
 Academics and university departments
 Think-tanks, policy institutes, research and advocacy organisations
 Trade association civic unions and business groups
 Trade unions
 Private firms (health suppliers)
 Specialised international and national NGOs
 International donors and research organizations
 Published legal cases, parliamentary records
 Published articles (in newspapers, journals, magazines)
 Land records, deed and land title registries

Qualitative Data:

 Field observation visits

 Stakeholder meetings
 Interviews
 Group discussions, focus group discussions

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 Case studies
 Stories of change
 Action research
 Citizen report cards
 Most significant change
 Diaries
 Participatory video
 Timelines
 Spider diagrams

Evaluation Standards

This is a set of 30 standards assesses the quality of evaluation activities,

determining whether a set of evaluative activities are well-designed and working to
their potential. These standards, adopted from the Joint Committee on Standards
for Educational Evaluation, External answer the question, “Will this evaluation be
effective?”. The standards are recommended as criteria for judging the quality of
program evaluation efforts in public health.

The 30 standards are organized into the following four groups:

1. Utility standards ensure that an evaluation will serve the information needs
of intended users.
2. Feasibility standards ensure that an evaluation will be realistic, prudent,
diplomatic and frugal.

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3. Propriety standards ensure that an evaluation will be conducted legally,

ethically and with due regard for the welfare of those involved in the
evaluation, as well as those affected by its results.
4. Accuracy standards ensure that an evaluation will reveal and convey
technically adequate information about the features that determine worth or
merit of the program being evaluated.

Utility Standards

The utility standards are intended to increase the extent to which program
stakeholders find evaluation processes and products valuable in meeting their
needs.

 Evaluator Credibility Evaluations should be conducted by qualified people

who establish and maintain credibility in the evaluation context.
 Attention to Stakeholders Evaluations should devote attention to the full
range of individuals and groups invested in the program and affected by its
evaluation.
 Negotiated Purposes Evaluation purposes should be identified and
continually negotiated based on the needs of stakeholders.
 Explicit Values Evaluations should clarify and specify the individual and
cultural values underpinning purposes, processes, and judgments.
 Relevant Information Evaluation information should serve the identified
and emergent needs of stakeholders.
 Meaningful Processes and Products Evaluations should construct
activities, descriptions, and judgments in ways that encourage participants to
rediscover, reinterpret, or revise their understandings and behaviors.

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 Timely and Appropriate Communicating and Reporting Evaluations

should attend to the continuing information needs of their multiple
audiences.
 Concern for Consequences and Influence Evaluations should promote
responsible and adaptive use while guarding against unintended negative
consequences and misuse.

Feasibility Standards

The feasibility standards are intended to increase evaluation effectiveness and

efficiency.

 Project Management Evaluations should use effective project management

strategies.
 Practical Procedures Evaluation procedures should be practical and
responsive to the way the program operates.
 Contextual Viability Evaluations should recognize, monitor, and balance
the cultural and
political interests and needs of individuals and groups.
 Resource Use Evaluations should use resources effectively and efficiently.

Propriety Standards

The propriety standards support what is proper, fair, legal, right and just in
evaluations.

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 Responsive and Inclusive Orientation Evaluations should be responsive to

stakeholders and their communities.
 Formal Agreements Evaluation agreements should be negotiated to make
obligations explicit and take into account the needs, expectations, and
cultural contexts of clients and other stakeholders.
 Human Rights and Respect Evaluations should be designed and conducted
to protect human and legal rights and maintain the dignity of participants
and other stakeholders.
 Clarity and Fairness Evaluations should be understandable and fair in
addressing stakeholder needs and purposes.
 Transparency and Disclosure Evaluations should provide complete
descriptions of findings, limitations, and conclusions to all stakeholders,
unless doing so would violate legal and propriety obligations.
 Conflicts of Interests Evaluations should openly and honestly identify and
address real or perceived conflicts of interests that may compromise the
evaluation.
 Fiscal Responsibility Evaluations should account for all expended resources
and comply with sound fiscal procedures and processes.

Accuracy Standards

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The accuracy standards are intended to increase the dependability and truthfulness
of evaluation representations, propositions, and findings, especially those that
support interpretations and judgments about quality.

 Justified Conclusions and Decisions Evaluation conclusions and decisions

should be explicitly justified in the cultures and contexts where they have
consequences.
 Valid Information Evaluation information should serve the intended
purposes and support valid interpretations.
 Reliable Information Evaluation procedures should yield sufficiently
dependable and consistent information for the intended uses.
 Explicit Program and Context Descriptions Evaluations should document
programs and their contexts with appropriate detail and scope for the
evaluation purposes.
 Information Management Evaluations should employ systematic
information collection, review, verification, and storage methods.
 Sound Designs and Analyses Evaluations should employ technically
adequate designs and analyses that are appropriate for the evaluation
purposes.
 Explicit Evaluation Reasoning Evaluation reasoning leading from
information and analyses to findings, interpretations, conclusions, and
judgments should be clearly and completely documented.
 ACommunication and Reporting Evaluation communications should have
adequate scope and guard against misconceptions, biases, distortions, and
errors.

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Evaluation Accountability Standards

The evaluation accountability standards encourage adequate documentation of

evaluations and a meta evaluative perspective focused on improvement and
accountability for evaluation processes and products.

 Evaluation Documentation Evaluations should fully document their

negotiated purposes and implemented designs, procedures, data, and
outcomes.
 Internal Meta evaluation Evaluators should use these and other applicable
standards to examine the accountability of the evaluation design, procedures
employed, information collected, and outcomes.
 External Meta evaluation Program evaluation sponsors, clients, evaluators,
and other stakeholders should encourage the conduct of external met
evaluations using these and other applicable standards.

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