Plan - a set of actions that have been thought of as a way to do or achieve

something
Program an orderly arrangement of an action that are done in order to
achieve a specific result
Project an orderly set of action that requires careful work over a long period
of time.
Then it is said that, a final property of open systems useful to the school
principal, manager or administrator is the feedback processes. Feedback
processes is essential to make the system to function effectively. Feedback is
one output of a system consisting of either informational or evaluative data
useful to the total system. Feedback may be external or internal and it
affects future system performance, serving as control over changes in
system and subsystem processes.

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Detailed listing of activities, costs, expected difficulties, and schedules that
are required to achieve the objectives of the strategic plans.

Overview
The Implementation Plan describes how the information system will be
deployed, installed and transitioned into an operational system. The plan
contains an overview of the system, a brief description of the major tasks
involved in the implementation, the overall resources needed to support the
implementation effort (such as hardware, software. facilities, materials, and
personnel), and any site-specific implementation requirements. The plan is
developed during the Design Phase and is updated during the Development
Phase; the final version is provided in the Integration and Test Phase and is
used for guidance during the Implementation Phase. The outline shows the
structure of the Implementation Plan.

A Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Plan is a guide as to what you should evaluate, what
information you need, and who you are evaluating for.
The plan outlines the key evaluation questions and the detailed monitoring questions that help
answer the evaluation questions. This allows you to identify the information you need to collect, and

how you can collect it. Depending on the detail of the M&E plan, you can identify the people
responsible for different tasks, as well as timelines. The plan should be able to be picked up by
anyone involved in the project at anytime and be clear as to what is happening in terms
of monitoring and evaluation.
It is also important to remember that there are many types of evaluation.
An evaluation plan should ideally be done at the planning stage of a project, before you commence
implementation. This will allow you to plan ahead of time and data collection activities that you may
need to undertake, such as pre-intervention surveys. However, it is never too late to develop an
M&E plan. Retro-fitting an M&E plan to an existing project may just mean that you may be
constrained in some of the data that you can collect.

MONITORING, PLANNING AND

IMPLEMENTATION
Integrating the Monitoring at All Stages
by Phil Bartle, PhD

Workshop Handout

Monitoring is an integral part of every project, from start to finish

A project is a series of activities (investments) that aim at solving particular
problems within a given time frame and in a particular location. The
investments include time, money, human and material resources. Before
achieving the objectives, a project goes through several
stages. Monitoring should take place at and be integrated into all stages of
the project cycle.
The three basic stages include::
Project planning (situation analysis, problem identification, definition
of the goal, formulating strategies, designing a work plan, and
budgeting);
Project implementation (mobilization, utilization and control of
resources and project operation); and
Project evaluation.

Monitoring should be executed by all individuals and institutions which have

an interest (stake holders) in the project. To efficiently implement a
project, the people planning and implementing it should plan for all the
interrelated stages from the beginning.
In the "Handbook for Mobilizers," we said the key questions of planning and
management were: (1) What do we want? (2) What do we have? (3) How do
we use what we have to get what we want? and (4) What will happen when we
do? They can be modified, using "where," instead of "what," while the
principles are the same.
The questions become:
Where are we?
Where do we want to go?
How do we get there? and
What happens as we do?

Situation Analysis and Problem Definition:

This asks the question, "Where are we?" (What do we have?).
Situation analysis is a process through which the general characteristics and
problems of the community are identified. It involves the identification and
definition of the characteristics and problems specific to particular
categories of people in the community. These could be people with
disabilities, women, youth, peasants, traders and artisans.
Situation analysis is done through collecting information necessary to
understand the community as a whole and individuals within the community.
Information should be collected on what happened in the past, what is
currently happening, and what is expected to happen in the future, based on
the community's experiences.
Information necessary to understand the community includes, among others:

 Population characteristics (eg sex, age, tribe, religion

and family sizes);
Political and administrative structures (eg community
committees and local councils);
Economic activities (including agriculture, trade and
fishing);
Cultural traditions (eg inheritance and the clan
system), transitions (eg marriages, funeral rites),
and rites of passage (eg circumcision);
On-going projects like those of sub-county, district,
central Government, non Governmental organizations
(NGOs), and community based organizations (CBOs);
Socio-economic infrastructure or communal
facilities, (eg schools, health units, and access
roads); and
Community organizations (eg savings and credit
groups, women groups, self-help groups and burial
groups), their functions and activities.
Information for situation analysis and problem definition should be collected
with the involvement of the community members using several techniques.
This is to ensure valid, reliable and comprehensive information about the
community and its problems.
Some of the following techniques could be used:
Documents review;
Surveys;
Discussions with individuals, specific groups and the community as a
whole;

 Interviews;
Observations;
Listening to people;
Brainstorming;
Informal conversations;
Making an inventory of community social resources, services and
opportunities;
Transect walks, maps; and
Problem tree.
Situation analysis is very important before any attempts to solve the
problem because:
It provides an opportunity to understand the dynamics of the
community;
It helps to clarify social, economic, cultural and political conditions;
It provides an initial opportunity for people's participation in all
project activities;
It enables the definition of community problems and solutions; and
It provides information needed to determine objectives, plan and
implement.
Situation analysis should be continuous, in order to provide additional
information during project implementation, monitoring and re-planning.
Situation analysis and problem identification should be monitored to ensure
that correct and up dated information is always available about the
community and its problems.

Since monitoring should be integrated into all aspects or phases of the

process, let us go through each phase and look at themonitoring concerns
associated with each.

Setting Goals and Objectives:

Goal setting asks the question, "Where do we want to go?" (What do we
want?).
Before any attempts to implement a project, the planners, implementors and
beneficiaries should set up goals and objectives. See Brainstorm for a
participatory method to do this.
A goal is a general statement of what should be done to solve a problem. It
defines broadly, what is expected out of a project. A goal emerges from the
problem that needs to be addressed and signals the final destination of a
project. Objectives are finite sub-sets of a goal and should be specific, in
order to be achievable.
The objectives should be "SMART." They should be:
Specific: clear about what, where, when, and how the situation will be
changed;
Measurable: able to quantify the targets and benefits;
Achievable: able to attain the objectives
(knowing the resources and capacities at the disposal of the
community)
Realistic: able to obtain the level of change reflected in the objective;
and
Time bound: stating the time period in which they will each be
accomplished.
To achieve the objectives of a project, it is essential to assess the
resources available within the community and those that can be accessed
from external sources. See Revealing Hidden Resources.

The planners, implementors and community members should also identify the
constraints they may face in executing the project and how they can
overcome them. Based on the extent of the constraints and positive forces,
the implementors may decide to continue with the project or to drop it.
The goals and objectives provide the basis for monitoring and evaluating a
project. They are the yardsticks upon which project success or failure is
measured.

Generating Structures and Strategies:

This aspect asks the third key question, "How do we get there?" (How do we
get what we want with what we have?).
The planners and implementors (communities and their enablers) should
decide on how they are going to implement a project, which is the strategy.
Agreeing on the strategy involves determining all items (inputs) that are
needed to carry out the project, defining the different groups or individuals
and their particular roles they are to play in the project. These groups and
individuals that undertake particular roles in the project are called "actors."
Generating the structures and strategies therefore involves:
Discussing and agreeing on the activities to be undertaken during
implementation;
Defining the different actors inside and outside the community, and
their roles; and
Defining and distributing costs and materials necessary to implement
the project.
After establishing the appropriateness of the decisions, the executive
should discuss and agree with all actors on how the project will be
implemented. This is called designing a work plan. (How do we get what we
want?). A work plan is a description of the necessary activities set out in
stages, with rough indication of the timing.

In order to draw a good work plan, the implementors should:

List all the tasks required to implement a project;
Put the tasks in the order in which they will be implemented;
Show allocation of the responsibilities to the actors; and
Give the timing of each activity.
The work plan is a guide to project implementation and a basis for
project monitoring. It therefore helps to:
Finish the project in time;
Do the right things in the right order;
Identify who will be responsible for what activity; and
Determine when to start project implementation.
The implementors and planners have to agree
on monitoring indicators. Monitoring indicators are quantitative and
qualitative signs (criteria) for measuring or assessing the achievement of
project activities and objectives. The indicators will show the extent to
which the objectives of every activity have been
achieved. Monitoring indicators should be explicit, pertinent and objectively
verifiable.
Monitoring Indicators are of four types, namely;
Input indicators: describe what goes on in the project (eg number of
bricks brought on site and amount of money spent);
Output indicators: describe the project activity (eg number of
classrooms built);

 Outcome indicators: describe the product of the activity (eg number

of pupils attending the school); and
Impact indicators: measure change in conditions of the community (eg
reduced illiteracy in the community).
Writing down the structures and strategies helps in
project monitoring because they specify what will be done during project
implementation. Planning must indicate what should be monitored, who should
monitor, and how monitoring should be undertaken.

Implementation:
Monitoring implementation asks the fourth key question "What happens
when we do?"
Implementation is the stage where all the planned activities are put into
action. Before the implementation of a project, the implementors
(spearheaded by the project committee or executive) should identify their
strength and weaknesses (internal forces), opportunities and threats
(external forces).
The strength and opportunities are positive forces that should be exploited
to efficiently implement a project. The weaknesses and threats are
hindrances that can hamper project implementation. The implementors
should ensure that they devise means of overcoming them.
Monitoring is important at this implementation phase to ensure that the
project is implemented as per the schedule. This is a continuous process that
should be put in place before project implementation starts.
As such, the monitoring activities should appear on the work plan and should
involve all stake holders. If activities are not going on well, arrangements
should be made to identify the problem so that they can be corrected.
Monitoring is also important to ensure that activities are implemented as
planned. This helps the implementors to measure how well they are achieving

their targets. This is based on the understanding that the process through
which a project is implemented has a lot of effect on its use, operation and
maintenance.
When implementation of the project is not on target, there is a need for the
project managers to ask themselves and answer the question, "How best do
we get there?"

Summary of the Relationship:

The above illustrates the close relationship between monitoring, planning and
implementation.
It demonstrates that:
Planning describes ways which implementation and monitoring should be
done;
Implementation and monitoring are guided by the project work plan;
and
Monitoring provides information for project planning and
implementation.
There is a close and mutually reinforcing (supportive) relationship between
planning, implementation and monitoring. One of the three cannot be done in
isolation from the other two, and when doing one of the three, the planners
and implementors have to cater for the others.
Monitoring
Supervising activities in progress to ensure they are on-course and on-schedule in
meeting the objectives and performance targets.
Implementation
The process of putting something into action.

Evaluation
Management: Rigorous analysis of completed or ongoing activities that determine
or support management accountability, effectiveness, and efficiency. Evaluation of
completed activities is called ex-post evaluation, post-hoc evaluation, or summative
evaluation. Evaluation of current or ongoing activities is called in-term evaluation.
See also effectiveness evaluation.

n education plan is a course planning map that you make with your counselor based
on your educational goal. Its basically your guide to how to get from where you are
now, to where you want to be.

It should include at least 1-2 years of course planning. Meaning, you have not only
planned your classes for this coming semester, you will have planned two or three
semester in the future as well.

This type of longer term planning is extremely important because we all know how
hard it can be to get an appointment with a counselor when you need one. You dont
want to be scrambling in the last two weeks before classes start trying to figure out
what classes you need. Or worse yet, taking classes that you dont need and
wasting your valuable time!

An education plan will also help you shape your goal. I cant tell you how important
it is to have some kind of solid goal that you can work towards in community
college. Having an education plan establishes a solid finish line. If you dont have a
finish line, its super hard to stay motivated.

So what if you dont know exactly what your goal is? Dont worry, Ill get to that in a
second.