1. Project Design and Implementation: Developing a Useful Monitoring and Evaluation Plan

2. Reasons for Monitoring and Evaluation at the Project Level
To help ensure the project achieves expected environmental benefits
Can be useful for guiding project progress
Assure monies properly spent
Bring insights to project manager to build his/her capacity for better project implementation

3. What constitutes project success?
Training complete,
Strategy and Action Plan Developed
New Methodology produced,
Publications produced,
Network Established,
PROJECT SUCCESS?
but …… Success to whom?
Of what environmental value?
economic and political realities

4. Monitoring Project Performance
Examples of Performance Indicators
- quantitative + qualitative -
Performance must show actual environmental benefit measured by hectares conserved, quantified greenhouse gas emission reductions, etc.
Other Performance indicators could include performance in relation to relevance
Relevance of outputs to stakeholders/users
Relevance of work to national development
Utility of output in achieving environmental change on the ground

5. Developing a M&E Plan How does an M&E plan get developed?
Performance indicator should be developed with stakeholders/clients
Monitoring indicator achievement – how?:
analysis of views of stakeholders who should/could be using project’s outputs, through interviews with informants, through surveys…..
Normally monitoring stays within a closed system yet outputs are relevant to a wider audience.
.…….

6. COMMON WEAKNESSES IN M&E PLANS
NO MONITORING OF INDICATORS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE, INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE, UTILITY OF OUPUTS, UTILITY OF CAPACITY GAINED,
…..;
NO ASSIGNMENT OF ACCOUNTABILITIES & RESPONSIBILITIES;
NO POST-PROJECT MONITORING

7. Monitoring and Evaluation Project Plan
M&E Plan, covering monitoring and evaluation at three levels:
execution performance,
output delivery,
project impact.

8. Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
Execution Performance:
Management and Supervision of project
Responsibility of project management unit
Supervision by the Steering Committee
Responsibility of project manager

9. Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
Output delivery
Timing of outputs e.g. publications, etc
Quantity
Quality: Peer review process
Distribution
Responsibilities

10. Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
Project Impact
Measuring outcomes
Log frame:
Indicators
How to measure indicators
Target values for each year
Source of data : baseline + current
Responsibilities for measurement – who does it?
Process Indicators – peer reviewed assessment;
Stress Reduction Indicators – priorities to replicate
best practice identified; Legal framework established;
Environmental Status Indicators - actual measurable
environmental change; activities to replicate methodology
Or best practices under implementation.

11. Impact indicators
Pressure-state-effect-response (causal chain) what measures are taken in which part of the chain?

12. Issues related to project impact monitoring
Monitoring system to be included in the project - is it budgeted for?
Baseline setting - who pays and how?
Target setting - how?
Capacity building impacts - what indicators and how to measure?