MONITORING & EVALUATION: CONCEPTS AND KEY DEFINITIONS

Stakeholder Workshop to outline an M&E Framework for the Education Sector 26 & 27 April, 2010 Kingston, Jamaica Elizabeth Lloyd, Senior M&E Officer, CHRC

Basic Principles: Monitoring & Evaluation

The term Monitoring and Evaluation tends to get run together but they are two distinct sets of organisational activities which are related but not identical. The common ground between them is they enable you to learn from what you are doing and how you are doing it by focusing on Efficiency, Effectiveness and Impact.

Monitoring

Monitoring and evaluation is a fundamental component of all health programs. It involves collecting key data related to program objectives and operations and analyzing these data to guide policy, programs, and practices.

Monitoring

Program monitoring collects data at a number of points during program implementation to ensure that the program is running smoothly and achieving its objectives according to plan By tracking changes in performance, managers can fine-tune program operations to reach desired outcomes most efficiently and effectively

Evaluation

Evaluation involves a systematic, objective analysis of a projects outcome and impact in relation to its goals & objectives Evaluation involves:
Looking at what the organisation/department intended to achieve- what difference did it make? What impact did it want to make? Assessing its progress towards what it wanted to achieve, its impact targets

Evaluation

Program evaluation generally involves more rigorous research methods than does monitoring. The purpose of evaluation is often to determine the degree to which changes in health outcomes, such as increased knowledge or improved prevention methods are the result of program activities.

Evaluation

Evaluations typically include measures both at the beginning and the end of a program and, when possible, include a control or comparison group to help determine whether changes in outcomes result from program activities themselves, not from other influences outside the program

M&E Planning

Important part of any M&E process is M&E Planning M&E Plan:

A

document that describes the M&E system which links strategic information obtained from various data collection systems to decisions that will improve health programs.

Why M&E Plans

Need to monitor progress toward achievement of strategic plan goals Need to monitor progress of programmes & specific projects MUST be linked to your National Strategic Plan

M&E Plan: Functions

States how program will measure achievements

Accountability

Documents consensus
Transparency Responsibility

Guides M&E implementation

Standardization Coordination

Preserves institutional memory

An M&E plan is a living document that needs to be adjusted when a program is modified

M&E Frameworks

A critical first step in M&E Planning is the development of an M&E Framework The main reason we are here Framework has been drafted, your input is now critical as we move to implement a strong M&E system for the education sector

THANK YOU