Welcome to this Term paper Presentation Session

Monitoring and Evaluation of Projects and

Programs Issues
By

Afework Alaro
Instructor: Solomon Lemma (PHD, Asso. Professor)
March 2022
HU
 The main issues in this presentation

• The meaning of projects, programs and project management

• The differences between projects and programs
• The meaning of monitoring and evaluation
• The comparison of monitoring and evaluation

• The purpose of monitoring and evaluation of projects and

programs
• The exact time to conduct monitoring and evaluation
• The concerned bodies to evaluate and monitor projects and
programs
 What is project?

• A Project is a temporary, unique and progressive attempt

or endeavor made to produce some kind of a tangible or
intangible result.
• In the broadest sense a project is defined as a specific,
finite activity that produces an observable and
measurable result under certain preset requirements.
•By using projects we can plan and do our activities, for
example: build a garage, run a marketing campaign,
develop a website, go on vacation, graduate a university
with honors, or whatever else we may wish to do.
What is project?
 The Key Characteristics of Projects

• Temporary: Every project has a finite start and a finite end.

The start is the time when the project is initiated and its
concept is developed. The end is reached when all objectives
of the project have been met.
• Unique Deliverable(s): Any project aims to produce some
deliverable(s) which can be a product, service, or some
another result. Deliverables should address a problem or need
analyzed before project start.
• Progressive Elaboration: With the progress of a project,
continuous investigation and improvement become available,
and all this allows producing more accurate and
comprehensive plans.
 Examples of Projects

 Developing a new product or service.

 Constructing a building or facility
 Renovating the kitchen
 Designing a new transportation vehicle.
 Acquiring a new or modified data system.
 Organizing a meeting.
 Implementing a new business process.
 The development of software for an improved business
process.
 The relief effort after a natural disaster, and so on.
 What is Program?

• The program is a group of related projects managed in a

coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available
from managing them individually.
• It is a set of related projects and activities, managed in a
coordinated fashion and under a structure that allows for the
delivery of outcomes and benefits.
• It refers to multiple projects which are managed and delivered
as a single package.
• Programs generally have a multiplicity of requirements,
deliverables, customers, stakeholders, departments, and
interfacing organizations interacting with the work.
 Characteristics of Programs

• The main characteristics of a program are:

• Large: Programs deal with big, overall company goals
rather than smaller targets and deliverables.
• General: A project management program is general in its
approach the specific details are outlined in the projects,
tasks, and subtasks.
• Strategic: Programs focus on long-term objectives and
the multilayered plans to achieve them.
 The differences between Projects and Programs
Comparison Project Program
Focus Content Context
Scope Well-defined, limited to an output Broad and adjustable
Timeframe Short term Long term
Components Small tasks Projects
Functional units Single Multiple
Tasks Technical Strategic
Produces Output Outcome
Deadlines Strict Flexible
Designers Mid-level staff Top-level staff
Success Product quality, timeliness, cost Long-term benefits to
effectiveness, compliance and the organization
customer satisfaction
 Comparison between Project Manager and Program
Manager regarding Project and Program
Comparison Project Manager Program Manager

Role Monitor and control Monitor and control projects

project tasks
Focus The project staff, i.e. Managing relationships with project
technicians and managers and their teams, freeing up
specialists resources and resolving conflicts

Who they The project team Other managers

manage
Planning Creates a detailed project Creates high-level plans used by the
level plan for the resources, project managers both as a guide and to
cost, timeliness and develop the detailed plans
delivery
 Project vs Program Example
• Let’s say a company wants to build and market a new mobile
phone. This program would be a collection of different projects,
like one for updating the operating system and another for
sourcing the resources and raw materials, along with the legal,
business and support elements. Program management would
manage the dependencies, so each project gets what it needs.
 What is Project Management?
•Project management is the application of knowledge,
skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the
project requirements.
•It involves the planning and organization of a company's
resources to move a specific task, event, or duty towards
completion.
• It can involve a one-time project or an ongoing activity,
and resources managed include personnel, finances,
technology, and intellectual property.
•Generally speaking, the project management process
includes the following stages: planning, initiation,
execution, monitoring, and closing.
What is Project Management?
 Benefits of Project Management
• A successful project management program can be invaluable
to a business. The benefits include:
• Clarity: A program aligns multiple projects together towards
one shared goal. This means project managers are clear on
their individual deliverables and can plan their activities
according to the program’s strategic objectives.
• Efficiency: In the program management process, a collection
of projects is housed in one place. Program managers can use
project management software to oversee progress for all
projects at a glance and prioritize resources accordingly.
• Risk management: By enabling project managers to
communicate pain points as they arise, a set of best practices
can be established to identify similar risks early and avoid
repeating mistakes.
 What is Monitoring?
•Monitoring is periodic and continuous, conducted after
program initiation and during the duration of that program or
intervention.
•The data acquired is primarily input and output focused and
is generally used as an ongoing strategy to determine
efficiency of implementation.
•For example, an NGO delivering training for school
teachers might track monthly the number of sites visited,
trainings delivered, the number of teachers trained, etc. The
Periodic tracking (for example, daily, weekly, monthly,
quarterly, and annually) of any activity’s progress by
systematically gathering and analyzing data and information
is also called Monitoring.
 What is Evaluation?
•To evaluate is defined as to judge the value or worth of
someone or something.
•An example of evaluate is when a teacher reviews a paper in
order to give it a grade. To draw conclusions from examination
and assessment it will take several years to evaluate the material
gathered in the survey.
•A program evaluation focuses on the performance of the
intervention and is principally used to determine whether
beneficiaries really have benefited due to those activities.
•It generally looks at outcomes, assessing whether a change
occurred between the outset and termination of an intervention
(or at least between two specific time periods).
 The Comparison between Monitoring and Evaluation
•In monitoring, the feedback and recommendation is
inevitable to the project manager but in evaluation, this is
not the case.
•The common ground for monitoring and evaluation is that
they are both management tools.
•For monitoring, data and information collection for
tracking progress according to the terms of reference is
gathered periodically which is not the case in evaluations
for which the data and information collection is happening
during or in view of the evaluation.
 The Comparison between Monitoring and Evaluation…
Continued
•The monitoring is a short term assessment and does not
take into consideration the outcomes and impact unlike the
evaluation process which also assesses the outcomes and
sometime longer term impact.
•Evaluation is a systematic and objective examination
which is conducted on monthly and/or yearly basis, unlike
Monitoring, which is a continuous assessment, providing
stakeholders with early information.
•Monitoring and evaluation are important management
tools that are necessary to track the progress and facilitate
decision making for present and future interventions.
 The Comparison between Monitoring and Evaluation…
Continued
                             Monitoring                                 Evaluation
Monitoring is the systematic and routine Evaluation is the periodic assessment of the
collection of information about the programs/projects activities
programs/projects activities
It is ongoing process which is done to see if It is done on a periodic basis to measure the success
things/activities are going on track against the objective
Monitoring is to be done starting from the Evaluation is to be done after certain point of time of
initial stage of the projects the project, usually at the mid of the project,
completion of the project or while moving from one
stage to another stage of the projects/programs
Monitoring is done usually by the internal Evaluation is done mainly by the external members.
members of the team However, sometimes it may be also done by  internal
members of the team
Monitoring provides information about the Evaluation provides recommendations, information
current status and thus helps to take for long term planning and lessons for organizational
immediate remedial actions, if necessary growth and success
It focuses on input, activities and output It focuses on outcomes, impacts and overall goal
Monitoring process includes regular meetings, Evaluation process includes intense data collection,
interview, monthly and quarterly reviews etc. both qualitative and quantitative
Usually quantitative data.
It has multiple points of data collection Data collection is done at intervals only
Monitoring studies the present information Evaluation studies the past experience of the project
and experiences of the project performance
 Why we monitor and evaluate the projects?
•Monitoring is necessary, because it continuously generates the information
needed to measure progress towards results throughout implementation and
enables timely decision-making.

•Monitoring is used to help decision makers to be anticipatory and proactive,

rather than reactive, in situations that may become challenging to control.

•Evaluation can be considered a means to discuss causality.

•Evaluation, on the other hand, looks at the question of what difference the
implementation of an activity and/or intervention has made. It helps answer
this question by assessing monitoring data that reflects what has happened
and how, to identify why it happened.

• It provides practitioners with the required in-depth and evidence-based data

for decision-making purposes, as it can assess whether, how, why and what
type of change has occurred during an intervention.
 Why we monitor and evaluate the projects?
 Every organization should have the Monitoring & Evaluation system
in place. Here are seven reasons why:

•Monitoring & Evaluation helps organizations catch problems early

•Monitoring & Evaluation helps ensure resources are used efficiently

•Monitoring & Evaluation helps organizations learn from their mistakes

• Monitoring & Evaluation improves decision-making

• Monitoring & Evaluation helps organizations stay organized

•Monitoring and Evaluation helps organizations replicate the best

projects/programs

•Monitoring & Evaluation encourages innovation

 What Should be Monitored?
•Before starting monitoring and evaluation it is better to follow the
following important steps.

Step1: Defining the scope of an evaluation and monitoring

• the exact activities covered; the period covered; the geographical scope
of the evaluation and monitoring.

Step 2: Developing the program theory or intervention logic

•It clarifies the logical chain from inputs and activities to outputs, results
and impacts. It articulates why a certain activity is expected to lead to
certain changes. Step 3: Formulate evaluation and monitoring questions

•Based on the program description, scope definition and intervention logic,

it is important to formulate a set of evaluation questions.
 What Should be Monitored?
Level in Objective What to Monitor  and Evaluate
Hierarchy
Activities Have planned activities been completed on time and
within budget? What unplanned activities have been
completed?

Outputs What direct tangible products or services has the

project delivered as a result of activities?

Outcomes What changes have occurred as a result of the outputs

and to what extents are these likely to contribute
towards the project propose and desired impact?

Impact To what extant has the project contributed towards its

longer terms goals? Why or why not? What
unanticipated positive or negative consequences did
the project have? Why did they arise?
 When should monitoring and evaluation be conducted and
why?
•Monitoring is undertaken on an ongoing basis during the
implementation of an intervention.

•Where possible, it is essential to ask relevant “monitoring questions”

regularly.

•An evaluation can be also conducted at every stage of the

intervention cycle, depending on the type of evaluation being
implemented.

•Evaluation conducted during implementation (for instance, real-

time and midterm evaluations) are good sources for providing
feedback on the status and progress, strengths or weaknesses of
implementation.
 Who should monitor the projects?

•A project manager’s role is to coordinate all projects

within a program to align with the strategies and long-term
objectives of an organization.

•They oversee projects and assess deliverables to ensure

that every project goal is reached. 
 How to do monitoring and evaluation in the projects?

•Before starting monitoring and evaluation someone should design

and develop plan and framework which contain detail and brief
information. We will follow the following steps to do monitoring and
evaluation.

Step 1: Identify Program Goals and Objectives

•Defining program goals starts with answering three questions:

1. What problem is the program trying to solve?

2. What steps are being taken to solve that problem?

3. How will program staff know when the program has been
successful in solving the problem?
 How to do monitoring and evaluation in the projects?...

Step 2: Define Indicators

•Once the program’s goals and objectives are defined, it is time to

define indicators for tracking progress towards achieving those
goals. Program indicators should be a mix of those that measure
process, or what is being done in the program, and those that
measure outcomes.

•Process indicators track the progress of the program. They help to

answer the question, “Are activities being implemented as planned?”

•Outcome indicators track how successful program activities have

been at achieving program objectives. They help to answer the
question, “Have program activities made a difference?”
 How to do monitoring and evaluation in the projects?...

Step 3: Define Data Collection Methods and TimeLine

•This should be a conversation between program staff,
stakeholders, and donors. These methods will have important
implications for what data collection methods will be used and
how the results will be reported.

Step 4: Identify Monitoring & Evaluation Roles and

Responsibilities
•This will probably be a mix of Monitoring & Evaluation staff,
research staff, and program staff. Everyone will need to work
together to get data collected accurately and in a timely fashion. 
 How to do monitoring and evaluation in the projects?...

Step 5: Create an Analysis Plan and Reporting Templates

•This is likely to be an in-house M&E manager or research assistant

for the program. 

Step 6: Plan for Dissemination and Donor Reporting

•Consider the following:

 How will M&E data be used to inform staff and stakeholders about
the success and progress of the program?

 How will it be used to help staff make modifications and course

corrections, as necessary?

 How will the data be used to move the field forward and make
program practices more effective?
 Where do I start monitoring and evaluation in projects?
•We will follow the following steps to do monitoring and evaluation in projects.

Step 1: Conducting a readiness assessment

Step 2: Agreeing on outcomes to monitor and evaluate

Step 3: Selecting key indicators to monitor outcomes

Step 4: Baseline data on indicators-where are we today?

Step 5: Planning for improvement Step 6: Monitoring for results

Step 7: The role of Evaluations Step 8: Reporting findings

Step 9: Using findings

Step 10: Sustaining the monitoring and evaluation system within the organization
Where do I start monitoring and evaluation in projects?
THANK YOU!!!