Project Monitoring and

Evaluation
[MPM6133]

Dr. Jabir Mumtaz

Assistant Professor
CUST
 Introduction to
Monitoring & Evaluation

Lecture 1
14-Oct-2021
 What is Project Monitoring & Evaluation?
▪ There is increasing demand from multilateral
agencies, funding bodies as well as boards of private
companies, for strong demonstration that projects are
being monitored and evaluated effectively.
▪ Reliable and intelligent project monitoring allows
project teams to make appropriate decisions on a
day-to-day basis and ensures that projects are
carried out as planned.
▪ This course focuses on monitoring & internal/external
evaluations and shows how these processes are
used to measure the results of a project.

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 What is Project Monitoring & Evaluation?
▪ It provides a step-by-step guide on how to monitor &
evaluate projects & adapt them if & when necessary.
▪ The emphasis of the course is on monitoring &
internal evaluation, it also provides guidance on field
teams which can contribute to external evaluations.
▪ The course also contributes to the implementation
and practical use of Results-Based Management
(RBM) which is a management strategy that focuses
on performance and on the achievement of results
(outputs, outcomes and impacts).

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 Marks Distribution

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 Objectives

• Explain the difference between monitoring and

evaluation (M&E).
• Introduce the most common M&E terms.
• Review examples of each term.

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 Monitoring vs Evaluation

Monitoring Evaluation
• Data collected on • Data collected to answer
program activities specific questions
• Ongoing, routine • Periodic
• Focus on activities and • Focus on outcome,
output, compared to impact
target

Are we doing the work How effective were our

we planned? activities?
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 Project Monitoring & Evaluation?

▪ It is a process that helps improve performance

and achieve results of the project.
▪ Its goal is to improve current and future
management of outputs, outcomes and impact.

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 Monitoring or Evaluation?

 Local researchers conduct a study to determine

if there are more people with possible TB
symptoms coming to DOTS clinics as a result
of a media campaign to promote TB screening.

Evaluation

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 Monitoring or Evaluation?

 A district manager reports on how many nurses

were trained on interpersonal communication
skills for her quarterly donor report.

Monitoring

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 It Starts with QUESTIONS

• Monitoring and evaluation answer different

questions.

• If we do not ask good questions about our

activities, we will not get useful data!

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 What is a GOAL?

• The ultimate result of efforts at a broad,

population level.

• Achieved over the long term (years) and

through combined efforts of multiple projects.

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 What is an OBJECTIVE?

OBJECTIVES

Activities Activities

• How the results of your short-term program activities

contribute to the big goal.
• Several objectives can relate to the same goal.

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 INPUTS

• Resources needed to plan and implement in Project

• “Raw materials” of a project

Examples
• Money
• Staff
• Policies, guidelines
• Equipment
• Partners

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 ACTIVITIES
• The work that we do, what we implement
• Also called “processes”

Examples
• Training events
• Meetings
• Events
• Outreach
• Home visits

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 OUTPUTS

• Immediate results of activities

• What we can measure/count right after the activity

Examples

• Number of people trained

• Number of brochures produced
• Number of policymakers reached with
advocacy activity
• Materials distributed

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 OUTCOMES

• “Ripple effects” of project activities

• What changes after outputs are produced
• The results of the program or changes that occur both
immediately or some time after activities are completed

Examples

• Increased funding for individual activity

• Changes in knowledge, behavior, attitudes and skills
• Quality of project improved
• Clients develop and adhere to personalized risk-reduction
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and treatment strategy
 INDICATORS

• How we define our activities, outputs, or outcomes

• Signs/evidence we watch for to see if we’ve reached them

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 The Crow and the Pitcher

✓ Objective?
✓ Activity?
✓ Inputs?
✓ Outputs?
✓ Outcomes?

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 IMPACT

• More related to goal

• Very broad-scale result over long term

Examples

• Higher rate of project success

• Reduction in failure of activities

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 Monitoring vs Evaluation

So how does this relate to M&E?

Let’s back to our definitions…

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 What Do We Mean by M&E?

• Set of procedures & analytical tools to examine

• How projects are conducted (inputs &
activities)
• Their level of performance (outputs)
• Whether they achieved what they were
intended to achieve (outcomes & impact)
• Types of evaluation
• Monitoring (including process evaluation)
• Evaluation (outcome and impact evaluation)

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 Key M&E Questions

• Is the project being implemented as planned?

• Are things moving in the right direction?
• Did the project achieve its objectives?
• Can results be attributed to program efforts?
• Which program activities were more (or less)
important/effective?
• Did the target population benefit from the
program?
• At what cost?

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 Why Monitor & Evaluate?

• To make decisions about

project management and
service delivery
• To ensure effective and
efficient use of resources Project Share
and provide accountability with
to donors Improvement Partners
• To assess whether the
project has achieved its
objectives - has the Reporting/
desired effects Accountability
• To learn from our activities,
and provide information to
design future projects

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 Purpose/Importance of M&E

Timely and reliable M&E provides information to:

• Support project/program implementation with accurate,
evidence-based reporting that informs management and
decision-making to guide and improve project/program
performance.
• Contribute to organizational learning and knowledge
sharing by reflecting upon and sharing experiences and
lessons.
• Uphold accountability and compliance by demonstrating
whether or not our work has been carried out as agreed
and in compliance with established standards and with any
other stakeholder requirements

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 Purpose/Importance of M&E

• Provide opportunities for stakeholder feedback,.

• Promote and celebrate project/program work by
highlighting accomplishments and achievements, building
morale and contributing to resource mobilization.
• Strategic management in provision of information to
inform setting and adjustment of objectives and strategies.
• Build the capacity, self-reliance and confidence
stakeholders, especially beneficiaries and implementing
staff and partners to effectively initiate and implement
development initiatives.

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 Characteristics of M&E

Monitoring tracks changes in project performance or key

outcomes over time. It has the following characteristics:
• Conducted continuously
• Keeps track and maintains oversight
• Documents and analyze progress against planned program activities
• Focuses on program inputs, activities and outputs
• Looks at processes of program implementation
• Considers project results at output level
• Considers continued relevance of project activities to resolving the
focused problems
• Reports on project activities that have been implemented
• Reports on immediate results that have been achieved

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 Characteristics of M&E

Evaluation is a systematic approach to attribute changes in

specific outcomes to project activities. It has the following
characteristics:
• Conducted at important program milestones
• Provides in-depth analysis
• Compares planned with actual achievements
• Looks at processes used to achieve results
• Considers results at outcome level and in relation to cost
• Considers overall relevance of project activities for resolving problems
• References implemented activities
• Reports on how and why results were achieved
• Attributes project inputs & outputs to observe changes in project
outcomes and/or impact.
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 Key Benefits of M&E

• Provide regular feedback on project performance and

show any need for ‘midcourse’ corrections
• Identify problems early and propose solutions
• Monitor access to project services and outcomes by the
target population;
• Evaluate achievement of project objectives, enabling
the tracking of progress towards achievement of the
desired goals
• Incorporate stakeholder views and promote
participation, ownership and accountability

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 Key Benefits of M&E

• Improve project/program design through feedback

provided from baseline, mid-term, terminal and ex-post
evaluations
• Inform and influence organizations through analysis of
the outcomes and impact of interventions, and the
strengths and weaknesses of their implementation,
enabling development of a knowledge base of the types of
interventions that are successful (i.e. what works, what
does not and why.
• Provide the evidence basis for building consensus
between stakeholders

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 Fundamental Steps to Carry out M&E

• Agreement on the scope and objectives of M&E

plan with stakeholders
• Selection of Indicators
• Systematic & consistent collection of information
on the selected indicators
• Analyze the information gathered
• Compare results with project initial goals and
objectives
• Share results with stakeholders

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What Should be Monitored & Evaluated?

• M&E can measure each stage of your project

development: design, system development and
functioning, and implementation.
• After goals, objectives and activities are developed,
decision on about M&E at each stage is needed.
• M&E effort can measure each stage to determine how
the program is working and its impact on the target
population.

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 Monitoring & Evaluation Pipeline
Number of Projects Measuring each Component

Inputs
Outputs

Outcomes

Impact

All Most Some Few

Long-term effects
Short-term and
intermediate effects

• Behavior change
• Trained staff • Attitude change
• Resources
• Quality of services • Changes in trends
• Staff
• Funds
• Materials
• Facilities
• Supplies
• Training

Levels of Monitoring & Evaluation Efforts

Monitoring Criteria

• Project Monitoring & Control Cycle

To achieve effective control over project implementation, it is necessary
to assess the progress from time at regular intervals in terms of
physical completion of scheduled activities, actual cost incurred in
performing those activities ad achievement of desired performance
levels by comparing the status with the plans to find deviations.

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Project Monitoring & Control Cycle

Key Elements
• Project Status reporting
• Conducting a project review with stakeholders
• Controlling schedule variances
• Controlling scope and change requests
• Controlling budget
• Tracking and mitigating risks

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Types of Monitoring

A project/program usually monitors a variety of things according to its

specific informational needs.

Results Monitoring:
Tracks effects & impacts to determine if the project/program is on target
towards its intended results (inputs, activity, outputs, outcomes, impact,
assumptions/risks monitoring) and whether there may be any unintended
impact (positive or negative).

Process (activity) Monitoring:

Tracks the use of inputs and resources, the progress of activities, how
activities are delivered – the efficiency in time and resources and the
delivery of outputs.

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Types of Monitoring

Compliance Monitoring:
Ensures compliance with, say, donor regulations and expected results,
grant and contract requirements, local governmental regulations and
laws, and ethical standards.

Context (situation) Monitoring:

Tracks the setting in which the project/program operates, especially as it
affects identified risks and assumptions, and any unexpected
considerations that may arise, including the larger political, institutional,
funding, and policy context that affect the project/program.

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Types of Monitoring

Beneficiary Monitoring:
Tracks beneficiary perceptions of a project/program. It includes
beneficiary satisfaction or complaints with the project/program, including
their participation, treatment, access to resources and their overall
experience of change.

Financial Monitoring:
Accounts for costs by input and activity within predefined categories of
expenditure, to ensure implementation is according to the budget and
time frame.

Organizational Monitoring:
Tracks the sustainability, institutional development and capacity building
in the project/program and with its partners.

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Monitoring Questions & the LogFrame

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Evaluation Criteria for Projects

Relevance:
Was/is the project a good idea given the situation to improve? Was the
logic of the project, correct? Why or Why Not? -The validity of the Overall
Goal and Project Purpose at the evaluation stage.

Effectiveness:
Have the planned results been achieved? Why or Why Not? -The degree
to which the Project Purpose has been achieved by the project Outputs.

Efficiency:
Have resources been used in the best possible way? Why or Why Not? –
The productivity in project implementation. The degree to which Inputs
have been converted into Outputs.

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Evaluation Criteria for Projects

Impact:
To what extent has the project contributed towards its longer term goals?
Why or Why Not? Have there been any unanticipated positive or
negative consequences of the project? Why did they arise? -Positive and
negative changes produced, directly or indirectly, as a result of the
Implementation of the project.

Sustainability:
Can the outcomes be sustained after the project funding to ensure
continued impacts? Why or Why Not? -The durability of the benefits and
development effects produced by the project after its completion.

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Evaluation Criteria for Projects

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Evaluation Questions & the LogFrame

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Coming Up!!

✓ TYPES OF EVALUATION

✓ EVALUATION MODELS AND APPROACHES