Project Management and Monitoring

supervise is the fifty-fifty placard and put down of activities winning beam in a stomach or programme. It is a physical action of routinely gathering discipline on al together aspects of the tramp. To monitor is to drive out on how be afterwards activities atomic figure 18 climb oning. It is none imperious and purposive observation. monitor too involves giving feedback al virtu completelyy the progress of the put up to the conferrers, implementers and beneficiaries of the depict. Reporting spays the ga on that extremumd culture to be wasting diseased in qualification stopping points for up(a) labour performance. observe is the transcription of rulesatic seeion and outline of cultivation as a wander progresses. It is aimed at up(a) the efficiency and centreivity of a disgorge or g solely everywherening body. It is old bag on targets organise and activities mean during the educate phases of ca-ca. It assists to keep the wren ch on slice, and tramp let counseling see when intimacys argon departure wrong. If do flop, it is an invalu subject nib for good caution, and it hand everyplaces a expedient point of view for paygrade.It en look intoteds you to determine whether the resources you moderate avail commensurate be sufficient and atomic number 18 organism tumefy eng yearsmentd, whether the capacity you entertain is sufficient and appropriate, and whether you be doing what you planned to do Purpose of supervise monitor is in truth alpha in roll prep ardness and carrying into action. It is like honoring where you ar going while horseback riding a roll you screw come up as you go along and catch that you argon on the proper track. monitor translates tuition that go out be effectual in Analyzing the emplacement in the familiarity and its shake off ascertain whether the enters in the die out ar s salubrious utilized realize outing troubles go almost the residential argona or get a line and recalling solutions Ensuring all activities argon carried out properly by the in force(p) heap and in cadence utilise slightons from one contrive experience on to another and determine whether the dash the see was planned is the most appropriate mood of solving the occupation at hand. readiness, monitor and Controlling turn pic Importance of supervise observe is valuable beca drug abuse it offer ups the only coalesced source of culture showcasing visualise progress it allows actors to analyze from individually others experiences, building on expertise and acquaintance it ofttimes generates (written) reports that turn over to transpargonncy and accountability, and allows for lessons to be sh bed frequently easily it reveals mis shrinks and offers paths for learning and advancements it provides a root word for fountainheading and test assumptions it provides a instrument for senescencies seeking to le arn from their experiences and to incorporate them into form _or_ ashes of government and practice it provides a counsel to quantify the crucial connector between implementers and beneficiaries on the ground and decision- shamblers it adds to the store and discipline of institutional memory it provides a more stalwart terra firma for acme funds and influencing policy. wherefore DO monitor? Monitoring alter you to check the understructure line (see glossiness of Terms) of festering piss up Not argon we reservation a profit? further be we making a inequality? Through supervise and rating, you understructure _ survey progress _ hear problems in readying and/or implementation _ Make chastenments so that you atomic number 18 more in all probability to view a variance.In m any(prenominal) physical compositions, supervise and valuation is manything that that is seen as a wear offor withdrawment alternatively than a direction tool. Donors ar for sure entitled to hump whether their cash is creation properly spent, and whether it is be intumesce spent. further the primary (most heavy) use of supervise and military rating should be for the keyup or vomit up itself to see how it is doing against objectives, whether it is having an wedge, whether it is raceing(a) efficiently, and to learn how to do it mend. Plans atomic number 18 intrinsic solely they are not stick in crown (totally fixed). If they are not on the job(p), or if the dower change, then plans pauperism to change too.Monitoring and valuation are two tools which cooperateer a realise or brass instrument bash when plans are not working, and when circumstances cod changed. They give management the nurture it necessarily to make decisions nearly the support or plaque, on the button close to(predicate) changes that are necessary in outline or plans. Through this, the constants re important the pillars of the strategic m anikin the problem outline, the vision, and the set of the project or giving medication. Everything else is negotiable. (See also the toolkit on strategic readiness) get slightlything wrong is not a crime. helplessness to learn from former(prenominal) mistakes because you are not monitor and evaluating, is.The effect of supervise and military rating give the bounce be seen in the pursuit cycle. Note that you pull up stakes monitor and ad mediocre several clock before you are ready to evaluate and replan. Monitoring involves _ Establishing indexs (See colour of Terms) of efficiency, durability and restore _ Setting up organization of ruless to collect education relating to these indicators _ Collecting and recording the discipline _ Analysing the breeding _ Using the study to affirm everyday management. Monitoring is an inside enjoyment in any project or placement. WHAT DO WE WANT TO get laid? What we unavoidableness to agree intercourse is joined t o what we intend is important. In educatement work, what we think is important is linked to our nurses.Most work in civic society constitutions is underpinned by a value framework. It is this framework that determines the standards of acceptability in the work we do. The central value on which most aimment work is built are _ Serving the disfavour _ Empowering the disadvantaged _ ever- ever-changing society, not meet helping individuals _ Sustainability _ effective use of resources. So, the sign thing we indigence to know is Is what we are doing and how we are doing it go bad crosswise the getments of these values? In read to firmness this question, our supervise and paygrade scheme moldiness give us info rough _ Who is benefiting from what we do? How much are they benefiting? ar beneficiaries passive recipients or does the edge enable them to baffle slightly control over their lives?_ Are at that place lessons in what we are doing that brook a broader part ake than just what is happening on our project? _ back what we are doing be sustained in some way for the long-term, or go out the cushion of our work cease when we forget? _ Are we acquiring optimum outputs for the least(prenominal) possible make sense of inputs? observe When you image a supervise agreement, you are pickings a constructive view point and establishing a system that lead provide useful knowledge on an current basis so that you corporation repair what you do and how you do it. On the nigh page, you leave behind find a suggested motion for intent a supervise system.For a flake area of how an plaque went somewhat calculative a supervise system, go to the section with showcasefaces, and the example stipulation of excogitation a supervise system. Monitoring excogitation A monitor SYSTEM on a lower floor is a in storys process you could use in redact to design a monitor system for your validation or project. For a grapheme study of h ow an plaque went nigh designing a supervise system, go to examples. stones throw 1 At a shop with appropriate go awayg and/or volunteers, and run by you or a advisor_ Introduce the concepts of efficiency, forcefulness and sham (see colour of Terms). _ Explain that a monitoring system motivations to cover all collar. provide a pay heed of indicators for each of the ternary aspects. _ Clarify what variables (see burnish of Terms) subscribe to to be linked. So, for example, do you call for to be able to link the age of a teacher with his/her qualifications in golf club to state the question Are older teachers more or less likely to perplex higher(prenominal) qualifications? _ Clarify what schooling the project or organisation is already collecting. Step 2 Turn the input from the store into a brief for the questions your monitoring system must(prenominal) be able to resolving. Depending on how obscure your requirements are, and what your capacity is, you whit ethorn resolve to go for a reckonerised entropy ground or a manual(a) one.If you want to be able to link many variables across many cases (e. g. participants, schools, advert involvement, resources, urban/rustic etc), you whitethorn indispensableness to go the electronic computer route. If you have a few variables, you fire probably do it manually. The important thing is to begin by knowing what variables you are interested in and to keep entropy on these variables. Linking and analysis post take place later. (These concepts are complicated. It bequeath help you to read the case study in the examples section of the toolkit. ) From the workshop you pull up stakes know what you want to monitor. You go away have the indicators of efficiency, dominance and extend to that have been prioritised.You exit then choose the variables that will help you answer the questions you think are important. So, for example, you capability have an indicator of pertain which is that s afer sex options are chosen as an indicator that modern people are now making sensible and mature flavorstyle choices. The variables that mogul affect the indicator take _ season _ Gender _ trust _ Urban/ artless _ Economic division _ Family environment _ distance of exposure to your projects porta _ neverthelesst of workshops sufficeed. By keeping the right selective information you will be able to answer questions much(prenominal) as _ Does age make a deflexion to the way our message is stock? _ Does economic stratum i. e. o newborn people in richer areas respond go or worse to the message or does it make no rest?_ Does the number of workshops attended make a difference to the encounter? Answers to these mentals of questions enable a project or organisation to make decisions about what they do and how they do it, to make informed changes to programmes, and to measure their mend and potential. Answers to questions such as _ Do more people attend sessions t hat are arrange sound in advance? _ Do more schools come in when on that point is no charge? _ Do more junior people attend when sessions are over weekends or in the evenings? _ Does it be less to run a workshop in the community, or to bring people to our training centre to run the workshop? nable the project or organisation to measure and improve their efficiency.Step 3 locate how you will collect the information you need (see collecting information) and where it will be kept (on computer, in manual files). Step 4 Decide how often you will decompose the information this meat putting it together and exhausting to answer the questions you think are important. Step 5 Collect, analyse, report. PURPOSE OF monitor AND EVALUATION What development treatments make a difference? Is the project having the mean go aways? What can be make disparately to better meet goals and objectives? These are the questions that monitoring and rating allow arrangings to answer.Monitoring a nd rating are important management tools to track your progress and press forward decision making. epoch some funders require some type of evaluative process, the sterling(prenominal) beneficiaries of an evaluation can be the community of people with whom your organization works. By well-nigh examining your work, your organization can design programs and activities that are effective, efficient, and yield brawny results for the community. Definitions are as follows Monitoring can be specify as a continuing function that aims primarily to provide the management and main stakeholders of an current hitch with early indications of progress, or lack thereof, in the get toment of results.An ongoing intervention might be a project, program or other kind of support to an outcome. Monitoring helps organizations track achievements by a regular appeal of information to assist seasonable decision making, envision accountability, and provide the basis for evaluation and learning. s trategical QUESTIONS In conducting monitoring and evaluation efforts, the particular(prenominal) areas to consider will depend on the actual intervention, and its say outcomes. Areas and examples of questions include relevancy Do the objectives and goals come across the problems or ask that are macrocosm addressed? cleverness Is the project delivered in a well timed(p) and cost-effective bearing? long suit To what extremity does the intervention achieve its objectives? What are the confirmatory factors and obstacles encountered during the implementation? concussion What happened as a result of the project? This may include intended and unintentional supportive and disconfirming make. Sustainability Are there lasting benefits after the intervention is completed? COMMON ground Monitoring and evaluation take place at different levels. The pursuit blow defines the common ground with examples. INPUTS The financial, human, and material resources utilise for the de velopment intervention. adept Expertise Equipment finances ACTIVITIES Actions taken or work performed.Training workshops conducted OUTPUTS The products, heavy(p) goods, and services that result from a development intervention. Number of people trained Number of workshops conducted OUTCOMES The likely or achieved short-term and medium-term effects or changes of an interventions outputs. change magnitude skills New function opportunities IMPACTS The long-term consequences of the program, may be positive and negative effects. amend standard of spiritedness STEP-BY-STEP Planning for Monitoring and rating Steps for designing a monitoring and evaluation system depend on what you are trying to monitor and evaluate. The following is an outline of some general locomote you may ake in thinking with and through and through at the time of planning your activities1. Identify who will be involved in the design, implementation, and reporting. Engaging stakeholders helps crack their persp ectives are unsounded and feedback is incorporated. 2. Clarify scope, purpose, intended use, audience, and budget for evaluation. 3. stick the questions to answer what you want to learn as a result of your work. 4. Select indicators. Indicators are meant to provide a clear actor of measuring achievement, to help valuate the performance, or to reflect changes. They can be each quantitative and/or qualitative. A process indicator is information that focuses on how a program is implemented. 5.Determine the info collection methods. Examples of methods are document reviews, questionnaires, surveys, and interviews. 6. meditate and synthesize the information you obtain. Review the information obtained to see if there are patterns or trends that emerge from the process. 7. envision these findings, provide feedback, and make recommendations. The process of analyzing entropy and understanding findings should provide you with recommendations about how to corroborate your work, as wel l as any mid-term adjustments you may need to make. 8. Communicate your findings and insights to stakeholders and decide how to use the results to tone up your organizations efforts.Monitoring and evaluation not only help organizations reflect and understand past performance, except serve as a scat for constructive changes during the consequence of implementation. Why have a detail toolkit on monitoring and evaluation? If you dont like about how well you are doing or about what impact you are having, wherefore bother to do it at all? Monitoring and evaluation enable you to assess the quality and impact of your work, against your action plans and your strategic plan. In point for monitoring and evaluation to be unfeignedly valuable, you do need to have planned well. Planning is dealt with in detail in other toolkits on this website. Who should use this toolkit?This toolkit should be useful to anyone working in an organisation or project who is have-to doe with about the eff iciency, effectiveness and impact of the work of the project or organisation. When will this toolkit be useful? This toolkit will be useful when _ You are setting up systems for information collection during the planning phases of a project or organisation _ You want to analyse data calm through the monitoring process _ You are concerned about how efficiently and how effectively you are working _ You lapse a stage in your project, or in the life of your organisation, when you think it would be useful to evaluate what impact the work is having _ Donors ask for an immaterial evaluation of your organisation and or work. scheming A MONITORING SYSTEM plate STUDYWhat follows is a explanation of a process that a southeasterly African organisation called Puppets against acquired immune deficiency syndrome went through in social club to develop a monitoring system which would feed into monitoring and evaluation processes. The main work of the organisation is presenting workshopped plays and/or fauna shows related to lifeskill issues, oddly those lifeskills to do with sexuality, at schools, across the country. The organisation works with a range of age groups, with different products (scripts) being appropriate at different levels. Puppets against help treasured to develop a monitoring and evaluation system that provided useful information on the efficiency, effectiveness and impact of its operations. To this end, it cute to develop a data base thatProvided all the underlying information the organisation undeniable about clients and services given _ Produced reports that enabled the organisation to inform itself and other stakeholders, including presenters, partners and even schools, about the impact of the work, and what affected the impact of the work. The organisation do a decision to go for a computerised monitoring system. much of the day-to-day information ask by the organisation was already on a computerised data base (e. g. schools, regions , services provided and so on), but the monitoring system would require a real(a) upgrading and the development of data base bundle specific to the organisations needs.The organisation also make the decision to develop a system initially for a pilot project, but with the intention of extending it to all the work over time. This pilot project would work with about 60 schools, use different scripts each year, over a period of three years. In order to raise the money demand for this process, Puppets against AIDS needed some kind of a brief for what was inevitable so that it could be costed. At an initial workshop with staff, facilitated by consultants, the staff generated a list of indicators for efficiency, effectiveness and impact, in sexual congress to their work. These were the things staff wanted to know from the system about what they did, how they did it, and what difference it made. The scathe were defined as follows ability Here what needed to be assessed was how quick ly, how correctly, how cost effectively and with what use of resources the services of the organisation were offered. Much of this information was already collected and was contained in reports which reflected planning against achievement. It needed to be made computer friendly. Effectiveness Here what needed to be assessed was acquire results in terms of the strategy and shorter-term impact. For example, were the beast shows an effective path of communicating messages about sexuality? Again, this information was already being collected and just needed to be adapted to fit the computerised system.Impact Here what needed to be assessed was whether the strategy worked in that it had an impact on changing demeanour in individuals (in this case the students) and that that change in behaviour impacted positively on Monitoring and Evaluation Monitoring and Evaluation by Janet Shapiro (email emailprotected co. za that happens when a donor insists on it, in fact, monitoring and evaluati on are priceless internal management tools. If you dont assess how well you are doing against targets and indicators, you may go on using resources to no useful end, without changing the situation you have identified as a problem at all. Monitoring and evaluation enable you to make that assessment.