Monitoring & evaluation specialist Flashcards
(14 cards)
According to Dart and Davies (2003), what 7 steps are necessary for
implementing the Most Significant Change (MSC)? Elaborate on the tool.
It is a participatory monitoring and evaluation method that collects and discusses stories of change instead of using predefined quantitative indicators. The focus is on dialogue about which changes are most significant.
The 7 steps are:
- The selection of domains of change to be monitored
- The reporting period
- The participants
- Phrasing the question
- The structure of participation
- Feedback
- Verification
Explain The selection of domains of change to be monitored
The people managing the MSC identify the domains they think need to be evaluated. The domains are loose, because the actual users will define them later
Explain The reporting period
Identify how and when the stories will be collected
Explain The participants
Stories of significant change are collected from those most directly involved for example beneficiaries, clients and field staff
It is then up to the respondents to allocate their stories to a domain category
Also they need to report why they consider the change to be the most significant one
Explain Phrasing the question
The stories are collected with the help of a simple question: “During the last month, in your opinion, what was the most significant change that took place in the program?”
Explain The structure of participation
The stories are analyzed and filtered up through the levels of authority typically found within an organization or program.
Each level of the hierarchy reviews a series of stories sent to them by the level below. They then select the single most significant account of change within each of the domains. Each committee sends the winning stories up to the next level of the hierarchy
Explain Feedback
Each time stories are chosen, the reasons for choosing them are written down and shared to all interested stakeholders, so future story selection can learn from past choices.
Explain Verification
The winning stories can be verified by visiting the sites of the described event
Purpose:
- Check that the storytellers are reporting accurately and honestly
- Opportunity to gather more detailed information about events seen as specially significant
- Can also see what has happened since the event was first documented
Compare the concepts of “monitoring” and “evaluation” in projects. In your
answer refer to IFRC (2011)
According to IFRC (2011), monitoring and evaluation are both essential parts of project management but serve different purposes.
Explain monitoring
Monitoring is the routine collection and analysis of information to track progress against set plans and check compliance to established standards
Can help with
- Are activities being implemented on time?
- Are resources being used efficiently?
- Are we achieving outputs as planned?
IFRC provides different types of Monitoring. In our project we used: results monitoring, process monitoring and beneficiary monitoring
Explain evaluation
Evaluations involve identifying and reflecting upon the effects of what has been done, and judging their worth
Their findings allow project/programme managers and stakeholders to learn from the experience and improve future interventions
What is the difference between monitoring and evaluation
Main difference is their timing and focus of assessment
Monitoring → ongoing and focus on what is happening
Evaluation → conducted at specific points in time to assess how well it happened and what difference it made
But monitoring and evaluation are also closely linked. Monitoring typically provides data for evaluation, and elements of evaluation occur when monitoring
According to Sartorius (1991), the LFA has “indicators” as markers for project success. Assess their use as monitoring tools.
The LFA is a project design tool, that gives a view of the overall project design.
Because LFA provides an overall picture of what a successful project should look like its useful for both monitoring and evaluation.
Sartorius says that the indicators and the means of verification lay the basis for project monitoring and evaluation plans
How are the indicators in the LFA useful for monitoring tools?
In the LFA indicators are used to measure if a project is on track (Objectively Verifiable Indicators) - these can be helpful for monitoring because:
- Shows how much was done, how well and when
- Help track progress at different levels (activities, outputs, purpose and goals)
- Also comes with means of verification, which explain how to collect the data
So the indicators give clear and measurable information, so project managers can see if things are going as planned. But Sartorius also warns that they need to be realistic, not too expensive, and designed with input from people involved in the project.
