GARISSA UNIVERSITY

NAME :FOWZA ABDIAZIZ HAJI

REG.NO :A300/817/22

UNIT CODE :CRU 822

UNIT NAME : DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF COMMUNITY

PROJECTS

SUPERVISOR:DR. KARENYI
 Importance of Monitoring and Evaluation for Community Projects
Introduction
Many third world countries have numerous projects in an attempt to improve their infrastructure
and this improves the standard of living of its citizens. Huge sums of money are put into this
activity and it is important to get value for money. Two aspects that would contribute towards
ensuring these are monitoring and evaluation. Monitoring is viewed as a process that provides
information and ensures the use of such information by management to assess project effects –
both intentional and unintentional – and their impact. It aims at determining whether or not the
intended objectives have been met.

Evaluation draws on the data and information generated by the monitoring system as a way of
analyzing the trends in effects and impact of the project. Monitoring data might reveal significant
departure from the project expectations, which may warrant the undertaking of an evaluation to
examine the assumptions and premises on which the project design is based.
M&E are important for the successful implementation of community projects. Both should be
carried out on a continuous basis and periodically.

Projects are monitored so as to assess the stakeholders’ understanding of the project, minimize
the risk of project failure; promote systematic and professional management; and assess progress
in implementation.
One needs to recognize the role played by the various stakeholders in monitoring. These players
include the financiers, implementing agencies, project teams, interested groups such as churches,
environmentalists, etc. It should further be recognized that, to be an effective management tool,
monitoring should be regular but should take into account the risks inherent in the
project/programme and its implementation.

M&E provides the only consolidated source of information showcasing project progress; it
allows actors to learn from each other’s experiences, building on expertise and knowledge; it
often generates (written) reports that contribute to transparency and accountability, and allows
for lessons to be shared more easily; it reveals mistakes and offers paths for learning and
improvements; it provides a basis for questioning and testing assumptions; it provides a means
for agencies seeking to learn from their experiences and to incorporate them into policy and
practice; it provides a way to assess the crucial link between implementers and beneficiaries on
the ground and decision-makers; it adds to the retention and development of institutional
memory; it provides a more robust basis for raising funds and influencing policy. Monitoring and
evaluation are essential to any project or program. Through this process, organizations collect
and analyze data, and determine if a project/program has fulfilled its goals. Monitoring begins
right away and extends through the duration of the project. Evaluation comes after and assesses
how well the program performed. Every organization should have an M&E system in place. Here
are ten reasons why:

M&E results in better transparency and accountability: Because organizations track, analyze, and
report on a project during the monitoring phase, there’s more transparency. Information is freely
circulated and available to stakeholders, which gives them more input on the project. A good
monitoring system ensures no one is left in the dark. This transparency leads to better
accountability. With information so available, organizations need to keep everything above
board. It’s also much harder to deceive stakeholders.

M&E helps organizations catch problems early: Projects never go perfectly according to plan,
but a well-designed M&E helps the project stay on track and perform well. M&E plans help
define a project’s scope, establish interventions when things go wrong, and give everyone an
idea of how those interventions affect the rest of the project. This way, when problems inevitably
arise, a quick and effective solution can be implemented.

M&E helps ensure resources are used efficiently: Every project needs resources. How much cash
is on hand determines things like how many people work on a project, the project’s scope, and
what solutions are available if things get off course. The information collected through
monitoring reveals gaps or issues, which require resources to address. Without M&E, it wouldn’t
be clear what areas need to be a priority. Resources could easily be wasted in one area that isn’t
the source of the issue. Monitoring and evaluation helps prevent that waste.

M&E helps organizations learn from their mistakes: Mistakes and failures are part of every
organization. M&E provides a detailed blueprint of everything that went right and everything
that went wrong during a project. Thorough M&E documents and templates allow organizations
to pinpoint specific failures, as opposed to just guessing what caused problems. Often,
organizations can learn more from their mistakes than from their successes.

M&E improves decision-making: Data should drive decisions. M&E processes provide the
essential information needed to see the big picture. After a project wraps up, an organization
with good M&E can identify mistakes, successes, and things that can be adapted and replicated
for future projects. Decision-making is then influenced by what was learned through past
monitoring and evaluation.

M&E helps organizations stay organized: Developing a good M&E plan requires a lot of

organization. That process in itself is very helpful to an organization. It has to develop methods
to collect, distribute, and analyze information. Developing M&E plans also requires
organizations to decide on desired outcomes, how to measure success, and how to adapt as the
project goes on, so those outcomes become a reality. Good organizational skills benefit every
area of an organization.

M&E helps organizations replicate the best projects/programs: Organizations don’t like to
waste time on projects or programs that go nowhere or fail to meet certain standards.
The benefits of M&E that we’ve described above – such as catching problems early, good
resource management, and informed decisions – all result in information that ensures
organizations replicate what’s working and let go of what’s not.

M&E encourages innovation: Monitoring and evaluation can help fuel innovative thinking and
methods for data collection. While some fields require specific methods, others are open to more
unique ideas. As an example, fields that have traditionally relied on standardized tools like
questionnaires, focus groups, interviews, and so on can branch out to video and photo
documentation, storytelling, and even fine arts. Innovative tools provide new perspectives on
data and new ways to measure succes

M&E encourages diversity of thought and opinions: With monitoring and evaluation, the
more information the better. Every team member offers an important perspective on how a
project or program is doing. Encouraging diversity of thought and exploring new ways of
obtaining feedback enhance the benefits of M&E. With M&E tools like surveys, they’re only
truly useful if they include a wide range of people and responses. In good monitoring and
evaluation plans, all voices are important

Specific Purpose of Evaluation

Evaluation has several purposes, which include the following:
• It assists to determine the degree of achievement of the objectives.
• It determines and identifies the problems associated with programme planning and
implementation.
• It generates data that allows for cumulative learning which, in turn, contributes to better
designed programmes, improved management and a better assessment of their impact. The key
words in this scenario are “lessons learned
• It assists in the reformulation of objectives, policies, and strategies in projects / programmes.

• Interim evaluation
This normally takes place at some point during the life of a programme, usually mid-term.
• Terminal evaluation
This assesses the progress made towards the achievement of the pre-determined objectives at the
end of the programme and provides a basis for decisions on future action. Its findings and
recommendations are often
used to decide whether or not to stop the project or when a new phase is under consideration.
• Ex-post evaluation
This is conducted after a sufficient number of years (depending on the project) have elapsed
since project completion so as to measure the impact.
It is generally accepted that, if the evaluations are to be objective, they have to be undertaken by
external consultants. However, there is a general feeling that at times external consultants are
overused. They recommended that external consultants should work in a conductive environment
to facilitate the transfer of knowledge to their counterparts. Governments should take the lead in
promoting this aspect.
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Monitoring and evaluation when carried out correctly and at the right time and place are two of
the most important aspects of ensuring the success of many projects. Unfortunately, these two
although known to many project developers tend to be given little priority and as a result they are
done simply for the sake of fulfilling the requirements of most funding agencies without the
intention of using them as a mechanism of ensuring the success of the projects.
Each project may have unique requirements for this and that in such circumstances, project
managers and developers should attempt to develop suitable monitoring and
evaluation mechanisms. It is recommended that further education be given to many project
manager sin aspects of monitoring and evaluation so as to encourage them to use these tools
often and correctly.

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