Components of a functional Monitoring and Evaluation System

The Monitoring and Evaluation System is designed to support the continuous and regular tracking in the progress of the Strategic Plan and annual operational plan. Information managed in such a manner will improve decision making and steer development of the organization. This will also promote Accountability, Transparency, Relevance, Efficiency and Effectiveness. An M&E system refers to all the indicators, tools and processes that you are used to measure if a program has been implemented according to the plan (monitoring) and is having the desired result (evaluation).

In order to successfully achieve the objectives as outlined in the preceding, it is fitting that M&E Tools be utilized in order to, Assess the readiness to undertake M&E interventions, Identify internal gaps that need strengthening, facilitate M&E interventions in relation to strategic plan and facilitate periodic studies of the impact of the Framework on education, training and employment.

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Baseline and Endline Survey Meaning

Baseline and Endling, what do they mean? Let me start by telling you a little story. One day I was taking an early morning straw through my neighborhood and as always, the fresh air was simply breathtaking. I couldn't help but think, if all days were this calm and peaceful, there wouldn't have to be any worries at all. Life is a journey which we all have to take, and the truth about life these days is that it is just full of problems. Many of those problems are financial, emotional and physical. Well nothing is perfect right? 

During that early morning straw that I took, I was thinking deep inside of some of the personal problems that I was facing.....which i do face even today from time to time. Among the biggest problems are financial and then I asked myself, if I want to solve this problem of mine the only way I can do it is in the next two years. Interestingly, am not the only one who thinks this way because believe it or not the world we live in is big. There are millions if not billions who are thinking of a way to get out of these problems. Now, if in the year 2019 your average net income is $2,000 / month and your goal by 2020 is to achieve an average net income of $5,000/ month and then you end up actually achieving that goal, then your Baseline is $2,000/ m while your endline is $5,000/ m. In reality it isn't that simple. Lets dive into this shall we...

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monitoring and evaluation of agriculture and rural development projects

Before we even understand what monitoring and evaluation of agriculture and rural development projects really means, I ask you these series of questions;

>What is Monitoring and Evaluation?
>What is agriculture and rural development projects
>How is M&E applied in agriculture and rural development?

Lets dig in further shall we?

WHAT IS MONITORING AND EVALUATION

Monitoring and Evaluation is all about regular tracking, in order to ensure that objectives of a project are being achieved. For further information you can refer to this article "what is monitoring and evaluation?"

Monitoring and Evaluation has helped millions of people around the world understand the impact of the activities that are being implemented.

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What does a monitoring and evaluation officer do?

What does a monitoring and evaluation officer do? Well to answer this question straight to the point, M&E officers do a lot...…….And I mean a lot. You see folks, sometimes people wont understand the role these people play in an organization because they simply don't appreciate what enormous contribution they make to an organization. It can even get worse because some people actually feel that its a role that can be assumed by just anybody who feels they are better suited for the job. Underline that phrase "anybody who feels they are better suited...".

A monitoring and evaluation officer spends all his/her time ensuring that the project activities, outputs  and outcomes are being achieved as planned. Think of a monitoring and evaluation officer as the eyes and ears of management. The purpose of having such a person cannot be overly emphasized because its clearly written on walls. The M&E officers main responsibility is to ensure that the plans in the strategy are being fulfilled. Its easier said than done because this can get a lot complicated especially if there are budgetary constraints, technical or even buy in from Management. In order to fully understand the role of Monitoring and Evaluation Officers, lets understand what would happen if they were not present.

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Why do we need monitoring and evaluation in Project Implementation?

Why do we need Monitoring and Evaluation in Project Implementation? Well often times people ask that question because they simply don't see the point. It could be this, why are we even spending money to undertake M&E activities in the first place? Surprisingly (and I mean this is really surprising)...coordinators of big projects don't even see the need to constitute an M&E unit that is dedicated to implementation of Monitoring and Evaluation activities.

While Monitoring and Evaluation is seen as a donor requirement, often times it is far much more. M&E is a management tool that ensures that an organization is achieving its goals and objectives. There is one important thing we should all realize, we need to understand the power of information. Information is what people need to be able to make key decisions that would benefit the stakeholders as a whole. That's what M&E aims to achieve, it aims to achieve provision of information.

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CREATION OF SMART INDICATORS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT

What are SMART indicators? Well lets break it down below;

SMART

S= Specific

M=Measurable

A= Attainable 

R=Realistic

T=Time bound

Indicators, are an important component of Monitoring & Evaluation interventions worldwide. But its very important to have SMART indicators because when you do, implementation of projects becomes meaningful. 

In a nut shell, there are two broad types of indicators namely the qualitative and quantitative indicators. What is a qualitative indicator? well this is an indicator that cannot be easily measured using numbers and therefore it focuses on peoples beliefs or opinions. However on the contrary, quantitative indicators provides information to track outputs. As the name suggests, quantitative indicators are easy to quantify while qualitative indicators cannot be easily quantified and are therefore subject to peoples beliefs or opinions. 

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What are the Tools used in Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)

Monitoring and Evaluation is made easier when you have the right tools to undertake such interventions. What is often referred to as the M&E tool kit, is a useful resource to finding the required documentation to help with undertaking M&E interventions. The M&E tool kit consists of all the relevant M&E tools and these tools are as follows;

• 1.0.Logical Framework
• 2.0.The Results Framework
• 3.0.The Indicator  
• 4.0.The Tools for Data Collection
• 5.0.Human Capacity for M&E
• 6.0.Organizational Structures with M&E Functions
• 7.0.Partnerships for Planning, Coordinating and Managing the M&E System
• 8.0.Communication, Advocacy and Culture for M&E
• 9.0.M&E Work Plan and costs
• 10.0.        Evaluation and Research  

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What is Impact Evaluation?

What is Impact Evaluation?

Impact evaluation as the name suggests is the assessment of a project in order to see whether there has been any developmental change. Impact Evaluation depends on thorough techniques to decide the results that have been achieved can be attributed to a particular intervention depending on the circumstances prevalent. Take this as an example, imagine that the government decides construct a dam that would be generating power. Once the dam is completed, the outcome of creating that dam will be that, there will be electricity production for whole community. However, what is the impact? Keep in mind that the term Impact is a high level indicator that defines the overall change that takes place between 3 to 5 years. Therefore, if there is electricity production in a community, the impact of that could be more job creation. Why, because with electricity being produced, naturally that power will be used to start various kinds of manufacturing businesses such as welding, construction and so on and so forth.

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How Monitoring and Evaluation is done

Monitoring and Evaluation is an important tool for measuring change. However, often times people tend to forget that in order to engage in M&E interventions there is always going to be that one procedure which you always have to abide to in order to make it a success. 

Take this as an important example, imagine you were employed as M&E coordinator and then you are tasked with the responsibility of managing everything to do with M&E in that organization. What are some of the first things that should be done to get the ball rolling? First things first, Monitoring and Evaluation is pretty straight forward but can get really complicated. You see folks, Monitoring and Evaluation is a process that is usually repeated in order to be able to achieve the objectives sought. 

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What is Monitoring and Evaluation?

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) is a tool that has helped many organizations, institution's and individuals measure progress in relation to plans made at inception of a Strategy. This blog is really about helping both the new and experienced M&E practitioner's fully understand what it really takes to implement a fully fledged Monitoring and Evaluation System. While there is no standard way to do this, there is ofcourse Universal principles that are important to realize when undertaking interventions of this nature.



What is Monitoring and Evaluation? M&E consists of two words (1) Monitoring which means continuous tracking in order to ascertain whether progress is being made in implementation of activities and (2) Evaluation which means an assessment to see whether impact or change has been achieved as result of the activities implemented.

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Why Monitoring and Evaluation is the Next Big THING?

When I first learnt about Monitoring and Evaluation close to 10 years ago, I was but a boy who was trying to discover what career path to take. It wasn't easy because people back then wanted me to do the most prestigious careers like, Engineering, Medicine, Pharmacy and so on and so forth. Well, it was only during my final year at the University that a lecturer of mine, who taught Monitoring and Evaluation, actually taught a course that left a lasting impression on me. M&E was something new for me, and interestingly very easy to understand.

You see folks, when I first learnt about M&E, I soon realized that this tool is actually cross cutting. It cuts across every career path that is being championed around the world. For as long as there is a Project that is funded and being implemented by a group of personnel, M&E can be used as an important tool. Why do I say that Monitoring and Evaluation can actually be applied in;

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