This document provides guidance on developing an effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plan. It defines monitoring as measuring progress against targets and milestones, while evaluation assesses success in meeting goals and lessons learned. Key elements of an M&E plan include activities, efficiency, effectiveness, impact, outcomes, and sustainability. The document outlines different types of evaluations based on process (internal, external, self) and character (formative, summative, goal-based). It also provides templates for developing an M&E plan, including a logical framework matrix to define objectives, indicators, and assumptions. Regular monitoring and evaluation against indicators is important for accountability and learning.

1. How to develop effective
monitoring & Evaluation Plan
Amutha Pannerselvam

2. Understand the terminology
Monitoring:
 Monitoring refers to setting targets and milestones to
measure progress and achievement, and whether the inputs
are producing the planned outputs.
“In other words, monitoring sees whether the project is
consistent with the design”
Evaluation:
 Evaluation is a structured process of assessing the success
of a project in meeting its goals and to reflect on the lessons
learned.
Amutha Pannerselvam

3. Difference between M & E
 The key difference between
monitoring and evaluation is,
evaluation is about placing a value
judgment on the information gathered
during a project, including the
monitoring data.
Amutha Pannerselvam

4. Need of M&E
 To assess whether a project has achieved its
intended goals
 To understand how the project has achieved
its intended purpose, or why it may not have
done so
 To identify how efficient the project was in
converting resources (funded and in-kind)
into activities, objectives and goals
 To assess how sustainable and meaningful
the project was for participants
 To inform decision makers about how to build
on or improve a project.
Amutha Pannerselvam

5. Elements of M&E/ Points being
considered in M&E process
 Activities
 Efficiency
 Effectiveness
 Impact
 Qualitative
 Quantitative
 Outcome
 Relevance
 Sustainability
Amutha Pannerselvam

6. Key principles in M&E
Qualitative as well as
quantitative
Both dimension of participation must be included in the
evaluation in order for the outcome to be fully understood
Dynamic as opposed to
static
The evaluation of participation demands that the entire process
over a period of time be evaluated and not merely a snapshot.
Conventional ex post facto evaluation, therefore, will not be
adequate
Central importance of
monitoring
The evaluation of a process of participation is impossible
without relevant and continual monitoring. Indeed monitoring is
the key to the whole exercise and the only means by which the
qualitative descriptions can be obtained to explain the process
which has occurred
Participatory evaluation In the entire evaluation process, the people involved in the
project have a part to play; the people themselves will also
have a voice
Source: UNDP guide for
M&E

7. Types of Evaluation based on
process
 In broader we can divide evaluation as internal
evaluation, external evaluation and self evaluation
Internal evaluation :
 Evaluation by individuals who belong to the
management of the donor or implementing
organization
External evaluation
 Evaluation by institutions/individuals who belong
neither to the donor nor to the implementing
organization
Self evaluation:
 Evaluation by the professionals who implement the
activities Amutha Pannerselvam

8. Types of evaluation based on
character
 Evaluation can be characterized as
being either formative or summative
and goal based evaluation .
 Broadly, formative evaluation looks at
what leads to an intervention working
(the process), whereas summative
evaluation looks at the short-term to
long-term outcomes of an intervention
on the target group.
Amutha Pannerselvam

9. Formative evaluation
 Formative evaluation takes place in
the lead up to the project, as well as
during the project in order to improve
the project design as it is being
implemented (continual improvement).
Formative evaluation often lends itself
to qualitative methods of inquiry.
Amutha Pannerselvam

10. Summative evaluation
 Summative evaluation takes place during
and following the project implementation,
and is associated with more objective,
quantitative methods. The distinction
between formative and summative
evaluation can become blurred.
Generally it is important to know both
how an intervention works, as well as if it
worked. It is therefore important to
capture and assess both qualitative and
quantitative data.
Amutha PAnnerselvam

11. Goal based evaluation
 Evaluation has typically involved
measuring whether predetermined
targets have been met. You may be
familiar with the term ‘SMART’
(Specific, Measurable, Attainable,
Relevant, and Timely) targets. These
type of targets fall under the banner of
goals-based evaluation
Amutha Pannerselvam

12. Types of evaluation
Formative Summative
Type of
Evaluation
Proactive Clarificative Interactive Monitoring Outcome
When to use Pre-project Project
development
Project
implementation
Project
implementation
Project
implementation
and post-project
Why use it? To understand or
clarify the need
for the project
To make clear
the theory of
change that the
project is based
on
To improve the
project’s design
(continual
improvement) as
it is rolled out
To ensure that
the project
activities are
being delivered
efficiently and
effectively
To assess
whether the
project has met
its goals,
whether there
were any
unintended
consequences,
what were the
learning's, and
how to improve
Source: Owen& Rogers 1999

13. A route map which helps you in
M&E
 Consensus about the Project Concept
◦ OBJECTIVES drives you towards the
direction of the journey to achieve the
project goal
◦ ACTIVITIES leads you to achieve the
changes
◦ INDICATORS helps us to recognise that
changes took place
◦ RESOURCES & RISK analyse the
conditions needed for successful
implementation
It is nothing than a “LOGICALAmutha Pannerselvam

14. What is a logical frame matrix
Project
description
Objectively
verifiable
Indicators
Source of
verification
Assumptions/
Risks
Goal
Purpose
Outputs
Activities

15. What MUST we monitor and
evaluate in a project ?
 All indicators in the
LFA must be
monitored and
evaluated regularly.
 They are the base
for the Annual
Report!
Amutha PAnnerselvam

16. Project evaluation cycle
Source: TORQAID Project
Management Cycle

17. Participatory evaluation
 Refers to all project
stakeholders,
particularly the
target group
involved in a
project evaluation.
Amutha Pannerselvam

18. Evaluation can happen at any
time
 It is not just happens
at the end of the
project
 It can also happen
before project
starts and during
the project life
That would
be
summative
evaluation
That would
be
formative
evaluation
Amutha Pannerselvam

19. Evaluation is all about .......
24/01/2015 Workshop M&E 19
Learning and accountability

20. Monthly wise activity plan for the approved project
Key
program
Key
activity Methodology Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Out
come
Responsible
person/prime
mover
Template for internal/self M&E during the project period
Model-1

21. Template for M&E model-2
Evaluatio
n
Monitoring Evaluation
Broad
evaluation
question
What
do we
want to
know
(Monit
oring
questio
ns)
How we
will know
it?
(Indicato
rs)
Where
will the
data
come
from?
(Data
source)
Who will
capture
the
data?
(Respon
sibility)
When
will data
be
captured
? (Time
frame)
Estimate
d cost
Who will
be
involved
?
How will
be it
reported
?
When
will the
evaluatio
n occur?
(Time
frame)

22. Thank you
1/24/2015 Amutha Pannerselvam