Evaluation as a Management Tool

Evaluation is a practical tool for effectively managing a project. Evaluation provides all stakeholders throughout all levels and stages of project management with information about the process. Such information includes what the needs of a target society are, whether a project is being carried out as planned, how a project is affecting a target society, or what the factors that affect project management are. JICA conducts ex-ante, monitoring, mid-term, terminal and ex-post evaluation throughout the operating cycle of a project, aiming at effective and efficient project implementation.

In ex-ante evaluation, the appropriateness and relevance of project strategy as well as its efficiency and effectiveness are examined. In addition, adequate indicators, target values and means of measurement (means of verification) are developed. Once a project starts, monitoring is conducted with those indicators and measurements, and some modification of activities and strategy are made if necessary. Thus, ex-ante evaluation provides indispensable information for establishing a monitoring system during project implementation. When considering those indicators and measurements, the cost of data gathering and its accessibility should be carefully examined through a baseline survey.

Mid-term evaluation provides the necessary information for adjusting the original plans by evaluating a project from a comprehensive viewpoint. The results of mid-term evaluation should fully be utilized to re-design an on-going project at its mid-point. Some projects may face unexpected situations or become influenced by unexpected factors only after activities have already started. Modification of the original plans or strategies is essential as early as possible to avoid a situation whereby no effects are produced at the end of the project.

Terminal and ex-post evaluation is carried out to provide useful information on the management of the target project as well as on the planning of another similar type of project or program. Such evaluations examine the effects, impacts and sustainability of the project.

As mentioned above, JICA’s evaluation is one of the tools used to present information on whether a project is producing effects or being properly conducted from the viewpoint of accountability, and also to provide related departments of JICA and its management with useful information for more effective implementation of projects and programs. Project operation departments should seek crucial information for decision-making through evaluation, and they should feed back the results to project management

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Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation

Monitoring Definition

Monitoring - Definition Monitoring is the systematic and continuous collection, analysis, and use of information for quality control and decision-making related to the projects. It involves the ongoing and routine review of projects to verify whether they are developing according to plan and budgetary requirements and whether adjustments may be needed to achieve intended goals. Purpose of Monitoring The primary aim of monitoring is to improve the quality of projects during implementation. Through monitoring, ineffective efforts are identified and rectified, and remarkably effective actions are appreciated. Monitoring enables us to answer these questions and then make important decisions to improve the quality of projects and their implementation: Are project inputs (finance, personnel, materials, etc.) available on time and in the right quantities and quality? Are activities being implemented according to the project design and on schedule Ar...

Definition (Planning)

Planning can be defined as the process of setting goals, developing strategies, outlining implementation arrangements, and allocating resources to achieve those goals. It is important to note that planning involves looking at several different processes: Identifying the vision, goals, or objectives to be achieved. Formulating the strategies needed to complete the vision and goals Determining and allocating the resources (financial and other) required to achieve the vision and goals Outlining implementation arrangements, which include the arrangements for monitoring and evaluating progress toward achieving the vision and goals The expression “failing to plan is planning to fail.” While it is not always true that those who fail to plan will eventually fail in their endeavors, there is strong evidence to suggest that having a plan leads to greater effectiveness and efficiency. Not having a plan—whether for an office, program or project—is in some ways similar to attempting to build a hous...

Objectives of Project Evaluation

It is impor tant to evaluate the outcomes that a project achieves and to feedback the evaluation results, lessons, and recommendations obtained for more effective and efficient implementation of development assistance. The harsh economic and fiscal situations at home have generated a strong call to the organization for more effective and efficient implementation and to ensure accountability. The enhancement of evaluation has drawn attention as one of a major improvement measures. In addition, there are changes in the political landscape such as the adoption of public sector evaluation by ministries and the reorganization of agencies into Independent Administrative Institutions (IAI) that ask for improvements of the evaluation system. Evaluation is a tool for judging as objectively as possible the relevance and effectiveness of organization’s cooperation activities at four different stages during the project cycle: ex-ante, mid-term, terminal, and ex-post. The primary objectivethe...

Database-Based Monitoring/Tracking

In this approach to monitoring, achievements in terms of numbers (of inputs, activities and outputs) are collected and stored in the project/central databases regularly and presented in an identified frequency against the contractual targets in order to establish whether the project . is leading towards achieving its targets. This approach to monitoring authenticates the progress of the project toward the intended targets. It is important to remember the following when conducting database-based monitoring: The reports drawn on the overall target population, but not sampled; Mostly captures quantities only; Not field-based. Usually performed in the capital office; Types-and-scope-of-monitoring, the officer/staff are responsible for the final products; however, database staff must coordinate necessary data gathering, storing, and analysis. M&E practices two types of tracking under this approach to monitoring in general: Indicator Tracking: Tracking contractual indicators is cruc...

Step 4: Creating the Vision of the future

Based on the problem analysis, stakeholders should engage in a process of formulating solutions. This exercise may simply involve rewording the problems and their causes into positive statements or objectives. However, stakeholders should first engage in a visioning process before rewording the problems. The aim of this process is to visualize what the future would look like if the problems were resolved. The benefits of doing a visioning process before rewording the problems include the following: Visioning brings energy to the group. Rather than immediately beginning another detailed process of working on each problem, groups can be energized by thinking positively about what the future would look like if these problems were solved. This exercise encourages creativity and helps ensure that the process is not too analytical and methodical. TIP Visioning process to have prior knowledge or understanding of the results chain or logical framework model. In fact, in the initial stages...

Types and Scope of Monitoring

Types and Scope of Monitoring While there are several types of monitoring, M&E mainly focuses on performance monitoring, that is, the monitoring of project inputs, activities/processes, outputs, and outcomes in the field. Inputs: checking that the resources needed for the intervention are mobilized as planned. Example Indicators: The tools are available in sufficient quality and quantity to enable an efficient CFW process The funds are available on time to the money vendors to enable timely cash distribution to the beneficiaries Activities/Processes: checking that project activities are carried out as planned; assessing the implementation method. Example Indicators: A complaints response mechanism is operational in the areas of interventio % of selected households meets the targeting criteria % of targeted households receiving the correct amount % households reporting good or fair s...

Planning Process

This chapter provides step-by-step guidance on how to undertake planning for results. It focuses on the tasks involved in planning for desired results and includes considerations for operationalizing results. As noted earlier, monitoring and evaluation are closely related to planning. Therefore, in planning, it is essential to consider not only intended results but also how results, and the process of achieving them, will be monitored and evaluated. In particular, planning needs to ensure that planned gives initiatives are evaluation-ready. Planning can be done in many different ways. This chapter is designed to make the persons involved in planning more comfortable with the main steps involved in preparing a plan that can be implemented, monitored, and evaluated. The actions and approaches recommended generally apply to all planning processes, whether for a global, regional, or country program; a project; or ...

Step 5: Creating Dradft Results Map

This step provides guidance on how to create a draft results map using what is commonly referred to as a ‘results mapping technique’. Developing the draft results map can be time- consuming but is extremely worthwhile. The fundamental question that stakeholders in the planning session should answer is “What must be in place for us to achieve the vision and objectives that we have developed in the particular problem area?” Creating a set of positive results A good starting point in creating a results map is to take each major problem identified on the trunk of the problem tree and reword it as the immediate positive result with longer-term positive results or effects. For example, if the problem were stated as “low public confidence and involvement in governance” the immediate positive result could be “greater public confidence and involvement in governance.” This could lead to longer term positive results such as “wider citizen participation in elections, particularly by women, in...

Types of Project Evaluation

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs “Report on Improvement of ODA Evaluation System,” released in March 2000, classified ODA evaluation into three levels: policy-level, program-level, and project-level, as shown in Figure 1-1-2. The report called for enhancement of policy- and program-level evaluation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs conducts policy-level evaluations such as Country Assistance Program and Sector-specific Initiatives, as well as program-level evaluation by sectors and schemes. JICA conducts program- and project-level evaluations. How to evaluate JICA’s management cycle is illustrated in Figure 1-1-3. There are two cycles: the “small cycle” (project cycle) and the “large cycle” (program cycle)-The information source is from JICA.

Finalizing the result frame work

At this stage of the process, stakeholders should be ready to begin converting the results map into a results framework. In many situations, a smaller group of stakeholders is engaged in this undertaking. However, the wider group can participate in preparing a rough draft of the framework, using simple techniques and without going into the details and mechanics of RBM terminologies CREATING THE DRAFT RESULT FRAMEWORK Table 5 provides a starting point for converting the results map into a draft framework for programme and project documents. It shows how to translate some general terms and questions used in the planning session into the common programming language. The table can be used to produce an initial draft of the results framework with all or most stakeholders. It can be particularly helpful at the project level or in situations involving a diverse group of stakeholders. FORMULATING STRONG RESULTS AND INDICATORS Having a smaller group of persons with greater familiarity wit...

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

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