THE WORLD’S LEADING PROJECT EVALUATION RESOURCE
Evaluation Systems Design
Evaluation requires systematic data collection to provide a basis for making judgments about the program, improving the program's effectiveness, and/or informing decisions about future programming. We evaluate programs and projects so that the results of our work will be useful to our clients. Because usefulness is our first criterion of quality, we always begin with the question, "Who is going to use the evaluation findings and how will they use it?"
Collaboration with program staff and managers is a key principle of our approach. Evaluation is planned so that our clients will not only set the objective, but will also have the opportunity to discuss the findings and participate in developing recommendations. We balance our collaborative approach with independence and thoughtful adherence with accepted professional standards.
Monitoring System Design
One of every manager's goals is timely supervision of the process of program implementation-the ongoing activity called monitoring. Useful program monitoring requires a management system. While the system's complexity depends on the complexity of the activity to be monitored, the outcome of any monitoring system is accurate information on how well program activities are proceeding and whether there are any digressions from the intended plan. If a monitoring system works well, it helps a manager appropriately guide the project by making timely decisions and adjustments. As one of our clients said, "monitoring helps us avoid unpleasant surprises".
We help to design project and program monitoring systems. Together with the program manager and staff we work out the system; prepare all necessary papers; train those who will carry out the monitoring; participate in the system implementation and improve it if needed. Creating monitoring system includes identifying indicators of the program or project implementation. We pay special attention to the convenient format of presenting program implementation information to decision makers.
Good design has five components:
Each project requires a different and bespoke method, but the following will give an overview of some key methods we would include:
STAGE 1- UNDERSTANDING THE PROJECT
Task 1- Inception workshop. A commissioning meeting in which the study team will meet the project steering group for the exchange of information
Task 2- Document and Activities Review- a focussed desk based review of existing publications and how these relate to other regional and local schemes
Task 3- Baseline indicator and SWOT analysis- a review of the existing baseline indicator statement that will take the form of a strengths and weaknesses analysis
Task 4- Process Evaluation Study- how was the project delivered?
STAGE 2- PROJECT PERFORMANCE
Task 5- Performance and project review: an assessment of project performance against forecast and planned outputs
Task 6- Baseline updating and benchmarking: existing baseline indicators will be updated to the base date of the evaluation
Task 7- Primary Fieldwork Consultations: in order to gauge the impact of the programmes on the intended beneficiaries, a series of surveys will be undertaken
Task 8- Interim Report: A production of an initial report to provide an assessment of the project performance
STAGE 3- ASSESSING IMPACT
Task 9- Assess whether the project has had a real impact or an imagined one on the aims of the project so far
Task 10- To add qualitative value, we propose to undertake consultations with key stakeholders who have an interest in the operation of the programme. This will help identify good practice.
Task 11- Sustainability Audit- A sustainability audit will be carried out to assess the performance of the project- how far has its work been sustainable?
Collaboration with program staff and managers is a key principle of our approach. Evaluation is planned so that our clients will not only set the objective, but will also have the opportunity to discuss the findings and participate in developing recommendations. We balance our collaborative approach with independence and thoughtful adherence with accepted professional standards.
Monitoring System Design
One of every manager's goals is timely supervision of the process of program implementation-the ongoing activity called monitoring. Useful program monitoring requires a management system. While the system's complexity depends on the complexity of the activity to be monitored, the outcome of any monitoring system is accurate information on how well program activities are proceeding and whether there are any digressions from the intended plan. If a monitoring system works well, it helps a manager appropriately guide the project by making timely decisions and adjustments. As one of our clients said, "monitoring helps us avoid unpleasant surprises".
We help to design project and program monitoring systems. Together with the program manager and staff we work out the system; prepare all necessary papers; train those who will carry out the monitoring; participate in the system implementation and improve it if needed. Creating monitoring system includes identifying indicators of the program or project implementation. We pay special attention to the convenient format of presenting program implementation information to decision makers.
Good design has five components:
- Clear statements of measurable objectives for the project and its components, for which indicators can be defined.
- A structured set of indicators, covering outputs of goods and services generated by the project and their impact on beneficiaries.
- Provisions for collecting data and managing project records so that the data required for indicators are compatible with existing statistics, and are available at reasonable cost.
- Institutional arrangements for gathering, analysing, and reporting project data, and for investing in capacity building, to sustain the M&E service.
- Proposals for the ways in which M&E findings will be fed back into decision making.
Each project requires a different and bespoke method, but the following will give an overview of some key methods we would include:
STAGE 1- UNDERSTANDING THE PROJECT
Task 1- Inception workshop. A commissioning meeting in which the study team will meet the project steering group for the exchange of information
Task 2- Document and Activities Review- a focussed desk based review of existing publications and how these relate to other regional and local schemes
Task 3- Baseline indicator and SWOT analysis- a review of the existing baseline indicator statement that will take the form of a strengths and weaknesses analysis
Task 4- Process Evaluation Study- how was the project delivered?
STAGE 2- PROJECT PERFORMANCE
Task 5- Performance and project review: an assessment of project performance against forecast and planned outputs
Task 6- Baseline updating and benchmarking: existing baseline indicators will be updated to the base date of the evaluation
Task 7- Primary Fieldwork Consultations: in order to gauge the impact of the programmes on the intended beneficiaries, a series of surveys will be undertaken
Task 8- Interim Report: A production of an initial report to provide an assessment of the project performance
STAGE 3- ASSESSING IMPACT
Task 9- Assess whether the project has had a real impact or an imagined one on the aims of the project so far
Task 10- To add qualitative value, we propose to undertake consultations with key stakeholders who have an interest in the operation of the programme. This will help identify good practice.
Task 11- Sustainability Audit- A sustainability audit will be carried out to assess the performance of the project- how far has its work been sustainable?
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