Session 9 Project M&EPlans

Document Version Date: 2013-12-31

Session Objectives

By the end of this session, participants should be able to:

• Understand what makes up a Project M&E Plan• Understand which parts should be included in PMP

• Essential to assessing progress toward achieving project outcomes

• Describes plan for collecting data over life of project• Identifies planned project evaluations • Specifies how M&E data and findings will be used

Project M&E Plan: Overview

3

The M&E Plan feeds into a broader mission

Learning approach!

Relationship of Project and Activity M&E Plans to the PMP

Mission-wide Portfolio

Project

Activity

CDCS Results Framework

ProjectLog

Frame

RFAs/RFPs/Other

PMPProject

M&E Plan

Activity M&E Plan

Key Planning & Performance Monitoring Tools

Award

Project M&E Plan: Requirements at a Glance

5

Monitoring Requirements 1-3 indicators for each level of project results (Project

Goal, Purpose, Sub-purposes (if relevant), and Outputs)

Baselines and targets for Project Purpose Indicators (and plan to collect other baselines). Must be sex-disaggregated if people-level.

Data methodology, sources, and data collection frequency

Indicators or means of tracking assumptions (context and other donors)

An Example…

NARRATIVE SUMMARY INDICATORS DATA SOURCES ASSUMPTIONS

Goal: Inclusive economic growth from agriculture increased

% change in the contribution of key commodities to agric. GDP

Commodity platform reports

Purpose: Increased income of male and female smallholder farmers in NE region

EOPS: % increase in per capita householdexpenditures of USG targeted beneficiaries

FTF baseline CPRs

Macroecon. (I.Rate(inflation) stability

Sub-Purpose 1: Increased agricultural productivity of male and female smallholder farmers in NE region

Gross margins per hectare of key commodities in targeted region

Implementer Survey

Real producer prices do not decline

Outputs: • M/F smallholder famers trained on commercial farming and on-farm climate change risk reducing practices New market-tested technologies developed Climate change vulnerability assessment completed

Inputs: Training farmers, TA for research, vulnerability assessment, seeds & fertilizer for testing new tech.

Average score from training participants on quality of the training course.-# of farmers trained in new farming tech.-# of key commodity technologies under development as a result of USG assistance-# of recs for climate change adaptation from vulnerability assessment tested.

Project Activity reports

The Climate Change vulnerability assessment identifies viable opportunities for climate change adaptation

Sub-Purpose 2: Increased access to markets x% increase in the $ value of export of key commodities by end of project

National statistics

New market linkages result in ↑ sales

Outputs: • Buyer facilitation and training provided Market information system facilitation delivered

Inputs: TA & equipment for info systems, TA & resources to train buyers, and convene and promote buyers’ network

-# info. system recommendations produced-# stakeholders convened to assess information system weaknesses-# buyer contacts made-# buyers trained

Project Activity reports

Buyers willing to participate in training & perceive benefits of organizing in networks

Project M&E Plan: Requirements at a Glance

7

Evaluation Requirements Limited # of key questions

Proposed evaluation type (performance or impact)

Tentative evaluation schedule (update PMP Evaluation Plan)

Estimated evaluation budget

Performance Evaluations

ImpactEvaluations

Use • Explore a range of issues linked to program design and implementation; e.g., how a project is being implementedor what is has achieved.

• Lack a rigorously defined counterfactual

• More narrowly defined; provide a quantifiable measurement of change attributable to a given intervention with a high level of confidence

• Requires rigorous counterfactual or comparison group

Questions Generally, descriptive and normative

Cause-and-effect

Design Wide variety depending on purpose & questions

Experimental (randomization) or quasi-experimental

Methods Mix of qualitative andquantitative methods

Quantitative, though often include qualitative methods

Types of Evaluation at USAID

Evaluation in the Project M&E Plan

9

Plan for evaluation

during Project Design!

Ask: 1. Does this project require an evaluation? (i.e. large project or innovative)2. Even if not required, is there a management or learning purpose for which we may wish to evaluate this project?

If yes, identify: Plan for utilization of evaluation findings!

What type of evaluation? Performance or impact?

Few key questions linked to specific future decisions

Preliminary evaluation methods based on questions

Estimated budget (PD time is the time to budget!)

• Mission-wide M&E budget target = 5-10% (not per project)

• Mission-wide evaluation target = 3%

Going back to the agriculture project example….

Illustrative Performance Evaluation Questions To what extent was beneficiary targeting appropriate? What other factors in project area account for increased

income?

Illustrative Impact Evaluation Questions What is the project’s net effect on the uptake of new

technology among farmer populations? Which combination of project outputs (incentives, training and

marketing) has the greatest effect on increasing farmer income?

Developing Evaluation Questions

10

So what translates from the Project M&E Plan into the PMP?

11

Mission Performance Management

Plan Performance indicators. From

Output through Project Purpose.

Each should have a PIRS and be tracked in the PMP indicator tracking tables.

Indicators for assumptions.

Any context indicators

identified during project design to

track critical assumptions.

Planned project evaluations. Update in

the PMP Evaluation Plan with evaluation

questions, type, budget, timing, etc.

…So What’s Next?

Session 10: Analyzing and Using Data