MINISTRY OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES, WATER AND RURAL

DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION
EXECUTIVE CERTIFICATE IN AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
ZNQF level 4

ECA116: Farm Performance Monitoring and Evaluation

Authors:
Maruza Joshua: Vice Principal: MSc Food Security & Sustainable Agriculture (Policy), BSc Hon
Agriculture (Economics), Dip in Agriculture, Mlezu Agricultural College
Chavhundura Arnold: Lecturer: BSc. (Hons) Degree in Agribusiness Management; National
Diploma in Agriculture; Post Agriculture Diploma in Education: Kushinga Phikelela
Agricultural college.
Reviewed by:
Maruza Joshua: Vice Principal: MSc Food Security & Sustainable Agriculture (Policy), BSc Hon
Agriculture (Economics), Dip in Agriculture, Mlezu Agricultural College
Chavhundura Arnold: Lecturer: BSc. (Hons) Degree in Agribusiness Management; National
Diploma in Agriculture; Post Agriculture Diploma in Education: Kushinga Phikelela
Agricultural college.

December 2022

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Module overview
This module presents the principles of Design, Monitoring and Evaluation in an agriculture set
up. M&E is a critical element of development projects as it provides the information needed to
make decisions for management, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the interventions
and satisfy accountability requirements. This module will give you an understanding of the most
common processes, tools, techniques, and theories that are necessary to monitor and evaluate an
agricultural project. It examines the defining characteristics of monitoring and evaluation
techniques, and introduces the you to a variety of project management techniques that can be
applied in a development project context.

Module Objectives

● To explain the principles, objectives and processes of project monitoring and evaluation.
● To provide guidelines on the principal requirements of a successful project monitoring
and evaluation system.
● To highlight results-based monitoring and evaluation and the key steps for
implementation.
● To set out the key principles for developing indicators.
● To provide sufficient understanding of the role of monitoring and evaluation in rural
development, to be able to judge the effectiveness of existing project M&E systems, and
the appropriateness of proposed project M&E designs.

Module Learning outcomes

At the end of the module, you will;

● Become familiar with the methods and tools to design, monitor and evaluate an
agricultural project.
● Have an improved understanding of how M&E can improve the quality of projects while
promoting learning and accountability.
● Apply the principles of monitoring and evaluation in your project
● Develop a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation plan
● Build project results levels
● Use indicators and targets to measure success
● Monitor and track performance indicators over the life of the project
● Evaluate a project against key measures

Units in this module

● Overview of Monitoring and Evaluation

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 ● Key performance indicators in agriculture
● Main steps in monitoring and evaluation

Activities in the module

1. True or false?
Monitoring is useful for identifying problems early within the progress of a project.
Impact assessment can be considered to be a type of evaluation.
Evaluation can only be carried out at the mid-way point and end of a project.
2. List ten complementary roles that monitoring and evaluation can play – five for
monitoring and five for evaluation.
3. In your own words, state the difference between ‘monitoring’ and evaluation’.
4. From what you have learnt from the unit, what are the key ‘tips’ that you would share
with somebody just drawing up a plan for project monitoring and evaluation.
5. What are four main key reasons for conducting project M&E?

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Unit 1

Overview of monitoring and evaluation of farm operations

Introduction

This unit introduces you to M & E by explaining the nature and purposes of project monitoring
and evaluation, and the differences between these two complementary but distinct activities. This
unit explains the nature and purposes of project monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and the
differences between these two complementary but distinct activities. It discusses what can go
wrong with project M&E systems and sets out a framework of concepts and principles that can
aid the design and implementation of effective project M&E. In doing so it provides the core of a
‘guidance manual’ or ‘handbook’ for professional work in this field. How to plan and implement
a project M&E system is explained in some detail through a review of the main steps and
approaches required. The role of participation in M&E design and implementation is considered,
and the unit concludes with a discussion of how to create a learning environment for project
managers and for project implementation.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit, you should be able to:

● Understand what M&E is, and the difference between monitoring, and evaluation
● Have an awareness of why M&E is important
● Differentiate between monitoring and evaluation
● Identify key performance indicators of main agricultural projects

What is M&E?

M&E is a process of continual gathering of information and assessment of it in order to

determine whether progress is being made towards pre-specified goals and objectives, and to
highlight whether there are any unintended (positive or negative) effects from a project and its
activities. It is an integral part of the project cycle and of good management practice.
In broad terms, monitoring is carried out in order to track progress and performance as a basis for
decision-making at various steps in the process of an initiative or project. Evaluation, on the
other hand is a more generalised assessment of data or experience to establish to what extent the
initiative has achieved its goals or objectives.

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Important Tips

● Be strategic and prioritise. Our M&E systems can provide vast amounts of rich
information and potential for learning, but we often do not have the absorptive capacity
to take it all in. We need to make deliberate choices about what learning can contribute
most to our development objectives and what data will support us in that effort.
● Focus on openness. If you are experiencing barriers to learning from your M&E systems,
take a step back and assess where the roadblock lies. It could be a problem with the M&E
system itself, or it might arise from a challenge elsewhere in your processes (e.g.,
decision-making protocols). The strongest learning happens when there is openness to
talking about challenges and unexpected outcomes at all levels, including with
implementing partners and other stakeholders.
● Accountability and learning go together. You don’t have to choose between
accountability and learning—they go hand in hand. Develop your M&E efforts to support
these complementary objectives.
● Build collaboration around M&E. Generating buy-in from relevant stakeholders
(including different offices in USAID, implementing partners, host government, and
other donors) early and often can improve our ability to adapt based on learning
generated by our M&E systems. pen conversations about the findings of our monitoring
and evaluation efforts can build trust and provide a foundation for stronger collaboration.
● Timeliness matters. Timely M&E activities can go a long way to informing key decision-
making. Plan your M&E activities so that you have the relevant information in time and
current to make critical decisions.

Example of Monitoring and evaluation in pest management

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Figure 1: Pest management M &E

Benefits of monitoring & evaluation

Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) helps programme implementers to:

● Determine the extent to which the programme/project is on track and to make any needed
corrections accordingly;
● Make informed decisions regarding operations management and service delivery;
● Ensure the most effective and efficient use of resources;
● Evaluate the extent to which the programme/project is having or has had the desired
impact.
● Greater transparency and accountability
● Improved farm performance
● Effective resource allocation
● Promotes learning & data-driven decision making
● Systematic management of organization

Difference between monitoring and evaluation

Monitoring means tracking the key elements of programme performance on a regular basis
(inputs, activities, results). In contrast, evaluation is the episodic assessment of the change in

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targeted results that can be attributed to the programme/project intervention, or the analysis of
inputs and activities to determine their contribution to results.

Main components of Monitoring and Evaluation

● Clear statements of measurable objectives for the project and its components.
● A structured set of indicators covering: inputs, process, outputs, outcomes, impact, and
exogenous factors.
● Data collection mechanisms capable of monitoring progress over time, including
baselines and a means to compare progress and achievements against targets.
● Where applicable building on baselines and data collection with an evaluation framework
and methodology capable of establishing causation (i.e. capable of attributing observed
change to given interventions or other factors).
● Clear mechanisms for reporting and use of M&E results in decision-making.
● Sustainable organisational arrangements for data collection, management, analysis, and
reporting.
Causes of divergence between the theory of M&E and actual practice in the field
● Poor system design in terms of collecting more data than are needed or can be
processed
● Inadequate staffing of M&E both in terms of quantity and quality
● Missing or delayed baseline studies. Strictly these should be done before the start
of project implementation, if they are to facilitate with and without project
comparisons and evaluation
● Delays in processing data, often as a result of inadequate processing facilities and
staff shortages. Personal computers can process data easily and quickly but to
make the most of these capabilities requires the correct software and capable staff
● Delays in analysis and presentation of results. These are caused by shortages of
senior staff, and by faulty survey designs that produce data that cannot be used.
● It is disillusioning and yet common for reports to be produced months or years
after surveys are carried out when the data have become obsolete and irrelevant.
● This is even more the case when computer printouts or manual tabulations of
results lie in offices, and are never analysed and written up
● Even where monitoring is effective the results often remain unused by project staff

Project evaluation criteria

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Unit summary

Monitoring and Evaluation implemented properly can bring better outcomes from the
stakeholder and better return on investment. A better end to end monitoring and evaluation
platform can bring better results outlined in this article.

Unit 2

Monitoring and Evaluation indicators in Agriculture

Introduction

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This unit will give you an understanding of the most common processes, tools, techniques, and
theories that are necessary to monitor and evaluate an agricultural project. It examines the
defining characteristics of good indicators, and introduces you to a variety of key performance
indicators that can be applied in an agricultural context. Indicators are an essential component of
any effective M&E (monitoring and evaluation) system.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this unit, you should be able to:

● Track the performance of works that are undertaken during the development of an
adaptation plan.
● Track pre-identified risk thresholds/trigger levels which identify when adaptation actions
should be undertaken
● Determine the effectiveness of planned output and outcomes from adaptation actions.

Evaluations for improved performance

The extent to which the objectives of a project are consistent with farmer’s needs.

● To what extent were the objectives of the programme still valid?

● Relevance of the programme to the country’s needs and target group.
● Are the activities of the programme consistent with the overall goal and the attainment of
its objectives?
● Are the activities of the programme consistent with the intended impacts & effects?

Evaluations to Measure Efficiency

Efficiency is the extent to which the inputs (funds, expertise, time, etc.) were converted to
outputs economically.

Types of Indicators

Indicators can be classified as follows:

1. Quantitative Indicators (Output Indicators)
2. Qualitative Indicators (Outcome / Performance Indicators)
1. Quantitative Indicators / Output Indicators:
Indicators that tell us whether the activities and actions we have planned are actually happening
as intended are known as output indicators. These types of indicators will help you to monitor
whether you are doing what you planned (outputs) but do not give us an idea of the effect that is
brought about by these outputs. That is why it is important to monitor both the implementation of
our actions and the changes that we think are being produced as a result – positive or negative,
intended or unintended.

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Examples of Quantitative Indicators can be:
● The number of goats vaccinated
● The weight of fish harvested

● Number of breakages

● Number of fertilizer applications

● Rate of chemical discharge

● The average rice harvest per hectare

● The cost of transport to market

● Increase in per area income

● Calf mortality rate

2. Performance Indicators / Qualitative Indicators:
Qualitative indicators are usually indicators of change (outcomes). Answering these types of
questions give us information that indicates whether our work is leading to the changes in
people’s lives, power and rights that we want to achieve. Quantitative indicators can be defined
as measure of quantity, such as the number of people who own sewing machines in a village.
Qualitative indicators can be defined as people’s judgements and perceptions about a subject,
such as the confidence those people have in sewing machines as instruments of financial
independence.

Examples of Qualitative or Performance Indicators are as follows:

1. Greater conception rate
2. Ease of access to a facility
3. Increased irrigation efficiency
4. Women’s participation in decision making
5. Improved working relations among staff

Compare alternative approaches to achieving the same outputs.

● Were activities cost-efficient?

● Were objectives achieved on time?
● Was the programme/project implemented in the most efficient way, compared to
alternatives?

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Performance indicators on a farm

Characteristics of KPIs:
● Quantitative: They can be presented in form of numbers.
● Practical: They integrate well with present farm processes.
● Directional: They help to determine if a farm is getting better.
● Actionable: They can be put into practice to effect desired change.

Steps to follow when selecting indicators

Why use KPIs in agriculture?

Increase productivity and profit

KPIs are essentially, just a form of feedback. They tell you what you’re doing right and where
you’re going wrong. They’re vital pieces of information that let you know whether changes
you’re making on the ground have a positive impact or not.
You can probably see where this is going: the more feedback you have on operations on your
farm, the more you can tweak them. And the more that you can tweak them, the more profitable
and productive they can be. It’s a virtuous circle.
The effects on productivity can be remarkable. You could, for instance, set up an experiment.
One year, you might choose to use a particular type of fertilizer on your maize crop and then the
next year a different sort. You could then use KPIs, like yield of stock, to tell you which system
performs better.

Save time on your agriculture program

Time is a significant constraint on agricultural businesses. You only have a certain number of
hours in the day to get everything done. KPIs, however, can help save time on your agriculture
program. You can use them to figure out where you should be diverting your resources and
which areas are the most productive. You can also use them to tell whether some of your

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programs are unprofitable and if you should close them down. Knowing how you’re spending
your time and whether it’s generating significant revenue is worth knowing. Sometimes it’s not
worth engaging in particular activities because the marginal benefit to your business is minor.
Similarly, you may find that there are some aspects of your enterprise where you’re dedicating
too little labour, and it’s coming back to bite you. For instance, you may have decreased the time
you spend on animal hygiene which may have led to a decrease in livestock quality and issues
with disease.

Make more informed business decisions

Operating within the confines of reality is important. You want your business decisions to reflect
the conditions you face in the real world, not what your thoughts might tell you should be correct.
Agricultural businesses, just like everyone else, are prone to making decisions that are not
optimal when not based on evidence.
KPIs, however, tell you something about the state of your operations. KPIs are measurements
like you’d have in a scientific experiment, informing you about whether your practice is valid or
not. If your KPIs are weak, they’re telling you that you’re doing something wrong.

Examples of agriculture performance indicators

While the total number of agricultural KPIs is too extensive to list here, it’s worth looking at a
few examples of the types of metrics that the industry likes to monitor, if it does.

Some of the KPIs that should be considered in the agricultural sector are:
● The yield of stock. Agricultural businesses have a limited supply of resources,
● Wages to revenue. Ideally, you want to generate more revenue per dollar spent on salaries
compared to your competitors.
● Feed and water consumption. Feed and water are significant and costly farm inputs.
● Irrigated farming land
● Pesticides consumption
● Cost per hire
● On-farm trials and demonstrations
● Area of land cultivated
● Cost of harvesting

Farmers on a dairy farm should consider monitoring:

● Milk yield per cow
● Milk flow rate
● Dairy calves deaths under 1-month-old
● Daily cow replacement cost
● Concentrate cost per liter of milk produced

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 ● Cows managed per person employed

Land use indicators

● Acres of land under integrated pest management.
● Land use patterns.
● Agricultural land loss as a result of desertification.
● Total area in significant land-use categories.
● Acre of cropland that have been converted to developed land.
● Land area used for parks and wildlife reserves.
● Forest land acres.
● Loss of primary forests/ total primary forests remaining.
● Acres of environmentally sensitive areas.

Soil indicators
● Soil organic matter content.
● Soil erosion per acre of cropland.
● Area of land affected by soil erosion and salinity.

Surface water indicators

● Percentage of estuarine areas not suitable for shellfish harvesting.
● Quality of river water entering the country/quality leaving the country.
● Percentage of streams for clean drinking water.
● Index of watershed naturalness.
● Compliance with dissolved oxygen standards.
● River compliance with metals water standards.
Groundwater Indicators
● Water levels in acquifer wells.
● Monitored wells showing groundwater contamination.
● Groundwater quality index.
● New septic tank permits.

Wetlands Indicators
● Acres of natural and restored wetlands.
● Size and distribution of significant wetlands.

To monitor productivity and costs, farmers can use these KPIs:

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 ● Unit production time
● Energy costs per unit of production
● Energy used per unit of production
● Input waste materials
● Production per day

Crop and animal calendars

Crop calendar
The Crop Calendar is a tool that provides timely information about seeds to promote local crop
production. It contains information on planting, sowing and harvesting periods of locally adapted
crops in specific agro-ecological zones. It also provides information on the sowing rates of seed
and planting material and the main agricultural practices. This tool supports farmers and
agriculture extentionists across the world in taking appropriate decisions on crops and their
sowing period, respecting the agro-ecological dimension. It also provides a solid base for
emergency planning of the rehabilitation of farming systems after disasters.

Figure 2: Vegetable planting calendar

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Video for vegetable planting calendar

Figure 3: Field crops planting calendar

Figure 4: Animal calendar

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Vaccination calendar video
Tractor operating schedule
Manufacturers are continually improving the design of tractors to make them safer. However,
they are unable, as yet, to build in mechanisms which recognize unsafe conditions. Tractor
operators who know their machine and are aware of the hazards which may occur, are better
equipped to avoid a tractor mishap.

Table 1: Tractor operating schedule

Video of engineering design

Unit summary

Indicators are only one component of monitoring and evaluation. Care must be taken in
designing monitoring programs and in using the results to undertake evaluation. Further detail
on these important aspects is provided in monitoring and evaluation. Good indicators provide

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good information – i.e. accurate information, useful information, critical information – on
performance, achievement and accountability. More precisely, good indicators are quantitative
metrics that provide information to monitor performance, measure achievement and determine
accountability. They provide basic information on the past, present and possible future course of
an activity, programme and/or behaviour.

Unit 3

Main steps in monitoring and evaluation

Introduction

This unit has been developed to help you to acquire the skills in producing and implementing an
M & E system. You will be exposed to procedures used to design instruments needed to collect
M & E data, setting project base lines up to implementation of the M & E system you will have
created. Just enough information on baselines is provided to assist you in the task of producing a
M & E system. A wider reading on this area may help you to understand this concept better.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit, you should be able to:

● Develop a M & E system
● Develop data collection tools
● Implement a M & E system

Steps to creating an M & E system

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Step 1: Conduct an M & E system audit
This is an assessment of the organisation’s readiness to implement an M & E system. You should
check the following:

● Adequacy of funding
● Adequacy of staffing
● Responsiveness of tools, guidelines and procedures to strategies.
● Weakness and Strengths of the organisational structure, etc.
Step 2: Take corrective action on the weaknesses
When you have identified the weakness or elements of the monitoring and evaluation system that
should be there but aren’t, there is need to take deliberate efforts to solve those issues.
Step 3: Agreeing on outcomes to monitor and evaluate
There is need to set up key performance indicators to monitor and evaluate before
implementation of the project. These are usually found in Logical Framework.
Step 4: Developing M & E tools
These are instruments used when developing M & E activities, just like a builder or a
woodworker uses tools to fulfil their functions. These tools should be well aligned to the project
plan. In M & E we have three broad stages of activities which are planning, monitoring and
evaluation.
M & E tools are in two types which are Planning tools and data collection tools.

❖ Planning tools
Used to plan the interventions that we are going to fulfil and they are two vis: Problem and
solution approach and Logical Framework Analysis.

● Tool 1: Problem and Solution Approach

Define a problem and come up with solutions. Solutions are what feed into the design of
a project and help in coming up with activities that will fulfil the solution.
● Tool 2: Logical Framework Analysis.
Helps to understand in summary form, how your activities will translate into the goal that
you are going to achieve. The Logical Frame work gives a summary of everything that is
going to be implemented and what you should be monitoring.

❖ Data collection Tools

We will look at three tools which are questionnaires, Focus Group discussion and Visual
Aids.
● Questionnaires
The questions asked should supply relevant information to the project. Avoid collecting
data that is not going to be relevant to your organisation. Collect data that will be used to
make decisions. Such data should be related to what is in the Logical Framework.
● Focus Group Discussion / Key informant Interviews
● Visual Aids
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Steps in developing data collection tools
Using wrong tools or poor tolls likely results in a poor job. So take your time to design
appropriate data collection tools that will collect the data you require.
Step 1
Review the programme document and identify all the indicators. Remember, it is the
indicators that we use to monitor whether a project has succeeded or not.
Step 2
Identify the type of data that is required. (Primary data, Secondary data, Quantitative data
and Qualitative data). Note that this will help you in choosing the correct collection tool,
for example if you require secondary data you may use records. If you require qualitative
data (data that is linked to the attitudes and perceptions of people) so use Focus Group
Discussions or Key informant panels or Interviews
Step 3
Identify the appropriate data collection method to be used for each indicator.
Step 4
Pilot test the tool to identify its weakness because it affects the data quality.
Step 5: Setting the baseline

Video: How to set a project baseline

A project baseline provides a fixed reference point hence you are able to assess the project
performance. Components of a baseline are scope, schedule and costs.
1St Create the Scope of the project.
● Produce a scope statement
✔ Produce a scope statement
✔ Project objectives
✔ Project deliverables (and identify work to achieve the project deliverables and break it
into individual tasks.)
2nd Map out your project schedule
● Due dates
● Final deadline
3rd plan total cost of project
● Hourly rates
● Available resources
4th share project baseline with stakeholders.

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Step 6: M & E system plotting

Learning for future

Achievements for future project formulation.

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Figure 5: An overview of the M & E system

An M & E system refers to all indicators, tools and processes that you will use to measure if the
programme has been implemented according to plan (monitoring) and is having desired results
(evaluation).
Know your program
Before you start work on the M&E system it’s important that you understand as much as possible
about the program itself. You need to know:

● why the program was created,

● what the goals are,
● how the goals will be achieved?
● what all the activities, outputs and outcomes are.
This information should be available in documents such as the program logical frame, problem
tree.

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Choose your indicators
● decide which indicators you will use to measure the success of your program.
✔ indicators should cover each level of your program – outputs, outcomes and goals.
✔ there can be more than one indicator for each level, although you should try to keep
the total number of indicators manageable.
● try to involve as many people as possible to get different perspectives.
Each indicator should be:
● Directly related to the output, outcome or goal listed on the problem tree or logical
framework.
● Something that you can measure accurately using either qualitative or quantitative
methods, and your available resources.
● If possible, a standard indicator that is commonly used for this type of program. Using
standard indicators can be better because they are already well defined, there are tools
available to measure them, and you will be able to compare your results to other projects
programs or national statistics.
● Something that will be useful for decision making to improve the program. There is no
point measuring an indicator if the results won’t make any difference to your decisions.
Define how your indicators will be measured
● Once you have chosen your indicators you need to write a definition for each one. The
definition describes exactly how the indicator is calculated. If you don’t have definitions
there is a serious risk that indicators might be calculated differently at different times,
which means the results can’t be compared.
● After writing the definition of each indicator, you also need to identify how the data will
be collected, the frequency (monthly, quarterly, annually, etc.), which tool will be used,
where it will be reported, and how quality control will be managed.
● It’s a good idea to put all this information in one table for each indicator. An example of
program indicators is shown below.

Table 2: Sample indicator definition

Indicator Milk yields at the farm

Sum all the milk yields on a daily basis and divide by total no of cows being
Definition milked at the farm
Purpose To assess whether milk yield at the farm is improving over time.
Baseline Average yield: 15 liters
Target Average score: 20 liters
The milk man will collect milk yields records for all milking cows at the
Data farm. The milk man will record the yield of each cow soon after milking it.
Collection Cows not being milked on a day will be excluded.

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Tool Milk record sheets.
Frequency At each milking session
Responsible Milk man
The individual milk yield for each cow will be recorded on a weekly
progress report submitted by the section manager who in turn combine the
Reporting list to come up with a full list of cows and their milk yields. This will be
used to calculate the average score for all dairy cows at the farm. The
average score will be included in the report for the general manager
submitted every month who will in turn include a half yearly average score
for the farm owner.
All milkman will attend a one-day training course on how to complete the
milk record sheets. To verify the accuracy of the milk yields submitted by
Quality the milk man the Section Manager will randomly select a number of cows
Control every month to audit. This audit will involve taking a recording of milk
yield of all the cows selected at the farm and comparing the results to the
average seven-day milk yields of the selected cows and to results submitted
by the milkman for each cow.

Find or create the tools to measure the indicators

When defining your indicators, you will need to identify which tool will be used to collect data
on that indicator. Common tools include check-lists, forms and surveys.
Wherever possible you should use or adapt existing tools that are known to work or create your
own tool.
Define responsibilities, data flow and data management
After creating the tool for each indicator, you need to decide who will be responsible for each
step in the process. This includes who will be responsible for using the tool to collect the data,
who will enter the data into the computer, who will analyse it and who will create the final report.
I often find that it’s useful to create a flow chart (like the one below) showing how the data will
flow from the point where it is collected up to the final end user.

6 Monthly Programme
Reports

Survey Reports
Monthly Activity reports

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 Survey questionnaires

Figure 6: Data flow chart

You will also need to consider how all the

data from the indicators will be
managed. This includes where it will
be stored (on a computer, in hard copy files, in a database, etc.), what
software will be used to analyse it, and how privacy will be maintained.\

Put everything into the M&E plan template

There are many different formats for depicting a M&E system. Two examples are shown in the
tables below.
Example one: Table 3 shows an empty template of how of a M&E system could be visually
presented. It shows parts of the Logical Framework but goes a step further to cover the frequency
at which the indicators will be monitored, the responsible person and where the information will
be presented.

Table 3: Blank template depicting a M & E system

Indicator Definition Baseline Target Data Frequency Responsible Reporting

How it is What is What source How often
conducted the is the How will will it be Where
current Target it be measured? will it be
value? value? measured? reported?
GOAL Who will
measure it?
Outcomes
Outputs

The illustration in Table 3 is a ‘M&E System’ template that goes beyond just giving more insight
into the Logical Framework. This template touches on how data will be stored, the learning
mechanisms and other practical issues.

Table 4: Example 2.

Area of M & E system Narrative

Planning Systems:
(Planning approaches, tools , methodologies, templates)
Setting objectives:
(how are objectives set within an organisation, what they look like, how
they are linked and how they are linked together between different levels)

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Indicators:
(the selection, collection and use of indicators)
Baseline Information:
(the collection, use and analysis of information that shows the situation at
the beginning of a piece of work in order to compare progress at a later
date)
Tools:
The different mechanisms that are used for recording, generating and
analyzing information, ranging from straightforward techniques such as
interviews and observations to more complex methodologies such as Most
Significant Change (MSC) and outcome mapping.
Participation:
(who will participate, in different M&E processes, how and why)
Information discipline:
(the use of evaluations, impact assessments, appraisals, assessments,
situational analysis, research studies, and other disciplines. This area is
concerned with how and when these exercises are carried out, and how
they are linked.)
The use and analysis of Data:
(how information is used for different purposes at different levels of an
organization)
Reports:
(the range of reports generated at different levels of an organization from
simple reports outlining activities, undertaken through to more complex
analysis reports.)
Source: Simister (2009)

Once you have completed all the previous steps you need to write up everything in one document.
This document is often called the M&E plan, but it can also be called the M&E procedures,
M&E standard operating procedures (SOP), or M&E system documentation. Regardless of the
name the content is usually similar.

Step 7: M & E implementation

Roles and responsibilities
Roles and responsibilities should be agreed upon from the early planning stages. Roles and
responsibilities identify who is responsible for collecting data for which indicator. During an
emergency, when multiple partners work together, determining clear roles and responsibilities
becomes even more important to ensure effective collaboration and the sharing of accurate
information in a coordinated and timely fashion to monitor and inform the emergency response.
Importantly, assigning roles and responsibilities should be agreed upon with partners and
stakeholders who are involved in the communication response.

Data analysis and reporting plan

The data analysis and reporting plan provides details on what data will be analysed and how the
results will be presented. This defines the methods that will be used and who will be responsible
for performing the analysis. During an emergency certain indicators will need to be reported

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regularly and frequently, such as the number of cases affected by the emergency. Key
information can be presented in table format with statistics for each relevant indicator and shared
among all partners in the emergency coordination cell. Graphs and charts can be used to present
data in a visual way and quickly see trends over time. Qualitative information about possible
rumours, misinformation and at-risk behaviours is also important for shaping the communication
response, and careful attention must be given to preparing this information in culturally sensitive
ways.
The dissemination plan describes how and to whom the data will be disseminated. Questions to
consider when establishing a dissemination plan include:
● How often will the monitoring data be shared with partners, stakeholders and audiences?
● How will the M&E data be used to inform staff and stakeholders about the progress and
success of the communication response?
● How will the M&E data be used to inform the necessary adjustments to stay on track of
the program goal?
● How will the M&E data be used to improve program effectiveness?
The M&E plan should include a plan both for internal dissemination among partners and for
external dissemination among other stakeholders. The internal dissemination plan is particularly
important during an emergency as this enables monitoring of how the situation is evolving and
supports collaboration and coordination of activities among partners. Especially in the initial
phases of an emergency, internal dissemination of M&E information among response partners
should occur at least on a weekly basis.
Some information may need to be shared more frequently, and both the frequency and in what
form it is shared should be agreed upon in partnership with relevant stakeholders from the onset.
As the emergency stabilizes, the frequency of information sharing may reduce; however, it
should still happen on a regular basis as this can also act as an early warning system should the
situation change. Post-emergency, evaluation data will be disseminated internally and externally
among stakeholders and donors to highlight successes, lessons learned and promising practices.
For both internal and external dissemination, involving affected communities through a
participatory approach is recommended. Keeping communities informed of progress and
providing them with feedback on the successes, challenges and areas of improvement of the
emergency response has several important functions, including:
● Increasing accountability and building trust among communities
● Promoting community ownership of activities and long-term changes
● Supporting community engagement
● Aiding the healing process and supporting communities to rebuild post-emergency
Once you have developed your M&E objectives, you can assess whether they are SMART and to
identify how to improve them

Unit Summary

The unit has prepared you in the process of coming up with a Monitoring and Evaluation System
for a project. In doing so, you have been exposed to vital skills of selecting appropriate indicators
for measuring project success and the designing of instruments needed to collect data used in the
planning and designing of the M&E system.

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Module summary
The module was designed to equip you with relevant skills needed to design a M&E system for a
project. All effort was made in the use of agriculture related videos, M & E system diagrams,
tables and other areas. Such learning materials were selected to enhance your understanding of
concepts therefore we urge you to study them carefully.

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References:
How to design a monitoring and evaluation framework for a policy research project
(2016), Tiina Pasanen and Louise Shaxson
Developing M&E Systems for Complex Organisations: A Methodology (2009), Nigel
Simister

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