Datum MEL & Data Analytics Consulting

to Build and M&E system

Kusek and Rist [2004] suggest that building an M&E system that responds to the results in an organization’s strategy is a Ten-step process, as summarized below:-

One: Conducting a Readiness Assessment - To determine the capacity and willingness of the government/organization and its development partners to construct a results-based M&E system. This assessment addresses such issues as the presence or absence of champions, the barriers to building a system, who will own it, and who will oppose the M&E system.

Two: Agreeing on Outcomes to Monitor and Evaluate - addresses the key requirement of developing strategic outcomes that then focus and drive resource allocation and activities. These outcomes should be derived from strategic priorities (goals).

Three: Developing Key Indicators to Monitor Outcomes - so the degree to which the outcomes are being achieved can be assessed. Developing indicators is a core activity in building an M&E system and drives all subsequent data collection, analysis, and reporting. Both the political and methodological issues in creating credible and appropriate indicators are not to be underestimated.

Four: Gathering Baseline Data on Indicators - involves describing and measuring the initial conditions being addressed by the outcomes. It is the first measurement of the indicators and defines the starting point.

Five: Planning for Improvements - requires setting realistic targets and recognizes that most outcomes are long-term, complex, and not quickly achieved. It is helpful to establish interim targets that specify how much progress towards an outcome is to be achieved each year (or another time period) and the resources needed. Measuring results against targets can involve both direct and proxy indicators and use of both quantitative and qualitative data.

Six: Monitoring for Results - is the administrative and institutional task of establishing data collection, analysis, and reporting guidelines; designating who will be responsible for activities; establishing quality control processes; establishing timelines and costs; working through roles and responsibilities, and establishing guidelines on transparency and dissemination of the information and analysis. It is emphasized that, in constructing an M&E system, the challenges of ownership, management, maintenance, and credibility need to be addressed clearly.

Seven: Evaluative Information to Support Decision Making - focuses on the contributions that evaluation studies and analyses can make throughout this process to assess results and move towards outcomes. Analysis of program theory, evaluability assessments, process evaluations, outcome and impact evaluations, and evaluation syntheses are among the strategies discussed that can be employed in evaluating a results-based M&E system.

*Step Eight: Analyzing and Reporting Findings - is a crucial step, as it determines what findings are reported to whom, in what format, and at what intervals. This step has to address the existing capacity for producing the information, and focuses on the methodologies for accumulating and assessing information, and preparing analyses and reports.

Nine: Using the Findings - emphasizes that the crux of the system is not simply generating results-based information, but getting the information to the appropriate users in a timely fashion so that they can take the information into account in making decisions. This step also addresses the roles of development partners and civil society in using the information to strengthen accountability, transparency, and resource allocation procedures.

Ten: Sustaining the M&E System - recognizes the long-term process involved in ensuring the longevity and utility of an M&E system. Six criteria are seen as crucial to the sustainability of an M&E system: demand, structure, trustworthy and credible information, accountability, incentives, and capacity. Each dimension needs constant attention overtime to ensure the viability of the system.

As noted earlier, building an M&E system does not have to be done according to these 10 steps. One could define a more detailed number of steps or fewer. The issue is to ensure that key strategies and activities are recognized, clustered together in a logical manner, and then completed in an appropriate sequence.

What does a sustainable results-based M&E system look like? How can we make and keep such a system functioning? To answer these questions, it is necessary to understand the components of a results-based M&E system and then to build each component.

Methods that can be used to collect information for monitoring and evaluation purposes

You need to select methods that suit your purposes and your resources. Do not plan to do a comprehensive survey of 100 000 households if you have two weeks and very little money! Use sampling in this case.

: is important concept when using various tools for a monitoring or evaluation process. Sampling is not really a tool in itself, but used with other tools it is very useful. Sampling answers the question: Who do we survey, interview, include in a focus group etc? It is a way of narrowing down the number of possible respondents to make it manageable and affordable. Sometimes it is necessary to be comprehensive. This means getting to every possible household, or school or teacher or clinic etc. In an evaluation, you might well use all the information collected in every case during the monitoring process in an overall analysis. Usually, however, unless numbers are very small, for in-depth exploration you will use a sample. Sampling techniques include:
sampling (In theory random sampling means doing the sampling on a sort of lottery basis where, for example all the names go into a container, are tumbled around and then the required number are drawn out. This sort of random sampling is very difficult to use in the kind of work we are talking about. For practical purposes you are more likely to, for example, select every seventh household or every third person on the list. The idea is that there is no bias in the selection.);
sampling (e.g. every seventh household in the upper income bracket, every third household in the lower income bracket);
sampling (e.g. only those people who have been on the project for at least two years).

Scenario planning for nonprofits AMID COVID-19

The scenario planning process helps organization leaders navigate uncertainty while providing structure around making key strategic decisions.

In the context of COVID-19, scenario planning has become more important than ever. The pandemic has introduced an unprecedented level of uncertainty and disruption among organizations around the world—its impact is being felt across every sector and geography. As such, it is critical for organization leaders to engage in an iterative scenario planning process that accounts for factors outside of your control (e.g., shelter-in-place restrictions and the pace of economic recovery) and actions and options within your control (e.g., operational shifts and cost reductions).

A four-step scenario planning process anchored in preserving your organization’s ability to pursue its mission. Specifically, it will help you and your leadership team identify key drivers (the ones most important to your organization’s economics and impact, and facing the highest levels of risk), develop a range of best-, moderate-, and worst-case scenarios over the next ~6-12 months, create related action plans for each scenario, and determine triggers that tell you when to put plans into action. This approach focuses primarily on continuity and recovery, though it will likely inform important questions and decisions surrounding your organization’s long-term strategy.

Step 1: Identify key drivers at risk
• Identify the drivers (i.e., major elements) of your organization’s economics and impact
• Note which drivers are at both a high level of importance and a high level of risk—you will use these in step 2 to develop scenarios
Step 2: Develop and model scenarios
• Construct best-, moderate-, and worst-case scenarios anchored in the key drivers highlighted in Step 1 and relevant external factors outside of your control
• Translate scenarios to reflect their impact on your ~6-12 month revenue forecast
Step 3: Create a portfolio of actions
• Develop a set of actions that would allow you to effectively manage against each scenario
• Quantify the financial impact of these actions to understand total estimated savings achieved or costs incurred
Step 4: Determine key trigger points
• Determine concrete and measurable trigger points that will help prompt your organization to act at the right time
• Monitor them regularly to help your leadership team make and execute decisions quickly as circumstances evolve

The Difference Between a Program Manager and a Project Manager
A program manager manages multiple projects, and sometimes multiple programs while a project manager manages the teams responsible for fulfilling the project and achieving its deliverables.

Generally speaking, a program manager has broader responsibilities than the project manager. Therefore, the tools they use are focused on either the macro, for the program manager, or the micro, for the project manager.

Here’s a breakdown of the roles.

Project Manager Responsibilities:
• Managing the project, including project scope, schedule and resources
• Assembling and managing the project team and their performance
• Delivering successful project outcomes (ensuring it is on time and under budget)
• software for managing projects and programs

Program Manager Responsibilities:
• Overseeing multiple projects
• Managing multiple project teams (and sometimes project managers)
• Delivering successful program outcomes.

The two roles often differ in their views both in what they see on their dashboards and in the abstract, too. Program managers are more strategic in their thinking and deliverables, while the project manager is often working on day-to-day task management on a more cellular level.

Pro-Tip: Though not a program manager, the project manager has a lot to do with what’s happening on the program, such as delivering the project on time and within the allotted budget. Therefore, it’s important not only to know the differences between the two roles, but where they overlap.