1. INTRODUCTION TO MONITORING AND EVALUATION Monitoring and Evaluation
See the Trainer’s Guide for overall guidance on using this presentation. The Trainer’s Guide serves as a companion resource and outlines the objectives of the session and materials needed as well as provides additional guidance on conducting the training session. Please note that the Guide includes complete instructions on how to facilitate some of the exercises referenced in this PowerPoint presentation and additional information on the content of certain slides.
Please adapt the PowerPoint presentation, exercises, examples and handouts in advance of your workshop. They have been created for a global audience and need to be adapted to better suit the local context, the background of your participants and their level of experience. Terms, images and examples from the participants’ country or region should be used as much as possible so that they are relevant and contextually appropriate. 
This presentation draws on resources from the World Bank as well as resources created by NDI’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Team. For more information and resources, NDI staff should refer to the MEL team page on the portal: (accessible to NDI staff).
This presentation and guide were developed by Amy Hamelin. NDI would also like to acknowledge those who contributed including Caroline Hubbard, Susan Kemp, Susan Markham, Allison Muehlenbeck, Crystal Rosario and Rebecca Turkington.
The National Democratic Institute

2. Introductions/ Ground rules
Ice Breaker Exercise
SLIDE CONTENT: To begin the session, introduce yourself and other staff, trainers and resource persons. Provide the participants an opportunity to introduce themselves and establish ground rules for the training.
TRAINER NOTE: It will be important to establish a rapport among participants. If this is the first presentation of a training workshop, be sure to build in time for participants to get to know one another and establish ground rules for their interaction and participation. Guidance on ice breakers and ground rules can be found in the “Training and Facilitation” folder.
You might also establish ground rules by asking participants to give suggestions and agreeing as a group. You can write the rules on a flip chart and hang it on the wall for reference during the training session.

3. Introduction to Monitoring and Evaluation Objectives
To understand the importance of monitoring and evaluation, key concepts and frameworks
To consider how gender can be incorporated into M&E
SLIDE CONTENT: The objectives for this session are to:
To understand the importance of monitoring and evaluation, key concepts and frameworks
To consider how gender can be incorporated into monitoring and evaluation
TRAINER NOTE: Provide an overview of the session’s objectives so that participants understand its purpose and have realistic expectations about what to expect.
You may also wish to ask participants what expectations they have for the session. What do they hope to get out of it? You can then relate their expectations to the objectives and suggest how unrelated expectations might be met in other ways.

4. Topics What is M&E? Why engage in M&E? Gender and M&E
Logical framework approach
Project lifecycle
Data collection and analysis
Evaluation design
SLIDE CONTENT: The topics we will cover today include:
What is M&E?
Why engage in M&E?
Gender and M&E
Logical framework approach
Project lifecycle
Data collection and analysis
Evaluation design
TRAINER NOTE: Give the participants a brief overview of the topics to be covered so they have a sense of where you are heading in the presentation. Summarize the main concepts that will be addressed.

5. Key Terms Indicator Input Output Intermediate result Outcome Objective
Goal
Target
Baseline
Impact
Gender
SLIDE CONTENT: There are a few key terms to define as we begin so that we share a common understanding throughout our discussions. We’ll define the two most important terms – monitoring and evaluation – momentarily. Don’t worry if some of these terms don’t immediately make sense. They will be much easier to grasp once we put them into context.
TRAINER NOTE: Ask the participants to define the terms first and then decide on a common definition based on their responses and the definitions included in the Trainer’s Guide. What do these terms mean in the context of the lives and work of the participants? You might also ask them to suggest other terms relating to monitoring and evaluation that they think need to be defined at the onset. You should let them know that they are welcome to stop and ask for clarification at any point during the session if there is a term with which they are unfamiliar or one which they believe requires further discussion.
For a useful glossary of M&E terms, see the following United Nations website:
Please see the Trainer’s Guide for complete definitions of each term.

6. Exercise: What is Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)?
SLIDE CONTENT: Let’s work together to come up with definitions for monitoring and evaluation, or M&E as they are often called. What are they? And how are they different?
TRAINER NOTE: This would be a good time to ask participants about their prior exposure to M&E. Do any of them have experience monitoring and/or evaluating a project? If so, give participants a chance to briefly describe their experiences, the challenges they faced, and lessons they learned. This will help you to better target this presentation to the needs of your participants and will give them an opportunity to learn from one another.
EXERCISE: M&E Definition Brainstorm
Lead participants in a brief brainstorm to define monitoring and evaluation. Put each word at the top of a piece of flipchart paper and record the definitions that participants propose on the respective chart.
Image:

7. Monitoring Continuous internal management activity
Ensures that project is on track
Measures progress towards objectives
Identifies problems
SLIDE CONTENT: According to the World Bank, monitoring is a continuous internal management activity to ensure that project implementation is on track. It is the systematic measurement of progress toward desired objectives. It involves measuring inputs, activities and outputs, assessing whether they are contributing to achieving the project’s objectives and identifying any existing or potential problems. It helps ensure that the project achieves its defined objectives within a prescribed time frame and budget.
TRAINER NOTE: Compare the definitions that participants provided during their brainstorm with the information provided on this and the next slide. For more information on M&E from the World Bank, see the following online training program:

8. evaluation
Assessing whether a project is achieving its intended objectives
Conducted periodically
Internal or external
Focuses on outcomes and impacts
SLIDE CONTENT: According to the World Bank, evaluation is the process of assessing whether a project is achieving its intended objectives. This may be done periodically by internal managers or by external stakeholders. Evaluation focuses on outcomes and impacts and assesses whether they are contributing to achieving program goals and objectives.
TRAINER NOTE: Let participants know that monitoring and evaluation can also be applied to policy implementation but that the focus of this session will be on monitoring and evaluating projects and programs.
Make sure that participants understand the distinction between monitoring and evaluation. The difference is somewhat subtle but should become clearer later in this session.
Before moving to the next slide, ask participants for their thoughts on why M&E is so important. Why do people conduct M&E? Why do many donors insist on it? What are the benefits?

9. Why is M&E important? Tracking resources Feedback on progress
Improving project effectiveness
Informing decisions
Promoting accountability
Demonstrating impact
Identifying lessons learned
SLIDE CONTENT: There are a lot of good reasons for conducting M&E. While it can be time-consuming and requires resources such as staff and funding, the benefits of M&E far outweigh the costs.
Monitoring and evaluation are important for:
Determining whether resources are being expended in the manner planned and according to the program budget.
Getting frequent feedback about how your project is progressing and making sure that things are on track.
Improving the effectiveness of projects by allowing for mid-course corrections if there are aspects that are not having the desired impact.
Serving as a basis for sound decisions about whether and how to revise your project.
Promoting accountability among project staff.
Demonstrating the impact and success of your project.
Identifying lessons learned, enabling institutional learning and informing decisions about future programs.
According to the World Bank, effective M&E provides answers to the following questions:
Are we doing the right things? Are our interventions contributing to the project objectives?
Are we doing the right things right? How effective have we been in achieving expected outcomes? How efficient have we been in optimizing resources? Are these results sustainable?
Are there better ways of doing the right things? What are the best practices we’ve identified?

10. Gender and M&E Gendered priorities, constraints and impact
Failure to address gender leads to inefficient and unsustainable results and exacerbates inequities
SLIDE CONTENT: The need for systematic monitoring and evaluation has been long understood, however, a more recent phenomenon is the consideration of gender within this framework. The underlying assumption is that it is not sufficient to simply monitor how a project is progressing and evaluate its impact. It is necessary to understand how the project is addressing the different needs of men and women and what impact it is having on their lives. Why is this important?
Over time individuals and organizations responsible for designing and implementing development programs and policies came to two important realizations:
Men and women have different priorities, constraints and preferences and can contribute to, and be affected differently by, projects.
Failure to address gender issues in program design, implementation, and evaluation can lead not only to inefficient and unsustainable results, but it may also exacerbate existing inequities.
For example, a development organization made small loans available to men in rural communities in Southern Africa to enable them to engage in more productive small-scale farming so that they could sell vegetables and use the extra income to better provide for their families. The organization was surprised to find that the farms were still failing. On closer inspection, they learned that the loans were often not used to support the farms, as intended. They also learned that the farming was actually done by the women and that the men were away working in urban areas.
As a result, many donors are beginning to require that gender be mainstreamed in projects to include their monitoring and evaluation. The organization Mercy Corps provides the following definition: “Gender mainstreaming is a strategy used to ensure women’s as well as men’s concerns and experiences are always included in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs to avoid continuing or supporting existing inequality between men and women.” The ultimate goal of mainstreaming is to achieve gender equality.

11. Gender analysis
Can be undertaken at any stage but most effective if included in design
Systematic way of analyzing different roles and impacts
Asks the “who” questions
How this will affect women and men?
SLIDE CONTENT: One tool in the gender mainstreaming tool box is gender analysis. Put another way, gender mainstreaming is the result of applying gender analysis findings to program planning and activities. It can be undertaken at any stage during the project cycle, but it is most effective if it is included right from the beginning during the initial planning and design stages.
According to UN Women, gender analysis is “a systematic way of looking at the different roles of women and men in any activity, institution or policy and at the different impacts of these on women and men, boys and girls.
Essentially, gender analysis asks the ‘who’ questions: who does what, has access to and control over what, benefits from what (for both sexes in different age groups, classes, religions, ethnic groups, races and castes).
One must always ask how a particular activity, decision or plan will affect men differently from women, and some women or men differently from other women and men.”
TRAINER NOTE: For more in-depth information about gender analysis, see the corresponding presentation and trainer’s guide in the Gender, Women and Politics module.

12. Measuring women’s participation and impact
Lack of reliable data on basic facts
Keeps us from getting the most out of investments
“What gets measured gets done”
Not enough invested in collecting data nor in quantifying how equality yields benefits
SLIDE CONTENT: There are a few other reasons why it is essential to incorporate gender into M&E efforts. Incorporating gender into M&E will contribute to the narrowing of the gender data gap and provide additional evidence that gender equality and women’s equal participation in all spheres has a positive impact on society as a whole.
In July of 2012, then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke eloquently about the need to close the gender data gap. Let’s consider a few of her key points. “Data already provides strong evidence that demonstrates the links between gender equality and increased prosperity and security. We have been clear from day one that when we’re making the case for elevating the roles of women, we can’t just rely on moral arguments as important and compelling as they might be. We have to make a rigorous case, backed up with solid evidence and data….For too many countries we lack reliable and regular data on even the basic facts about the lives of women and girls. It keeps us from fully realizing how advancing the status of women affects women, their families, their communities, their countries, and the rest of us. And it keeps those of us looking to close the gender gap from getting the most out of our investments from either the public or the private or the not-for-profit sector….Data not only measures progress, it inspires it. As we have learned in this country, what gets measured gets done. Once you start measuring problems, people are more inclined to take action to fix them because nobody wants to end up at the bottom of a list of rankings….To put it simply, we have neither invested enough in collecting gender-sensitive data nor in quantifying how increasing gender equality yields benefits to societies.” 
TRAINER NOTE: For a copy of Secretary Clinton’s complete remarks, see
Photo: Getty Images

13. EXAMPLE: Measuring impact
Women’s representation/leadership on Indian local councils:
Better access to drinking water and immunizations
Higher career aspirations and educational attainment for girls
SLIDE CONTENT: In her speech, former Secretary Clinton also referred to the need for additional data related to the impact of women’s political participation. She noted that “we have very strong data from India, and some evidence from other countries, that women leaders are more likely to direct spending toward infrastructure related to women’s roles and responsibilities.” The data to which she refers has been uncovered by a group of researchers including Lori Beaman, Esther Duflo, Rohini Pande, and Petia Topalova who have identified a number of positive developments related to the increased representation of women in Indian local government due to quotas which were established in a random selection of villages. This has allowed researchers to compare villages with higher levels of women councilors and/or councils headed by women to those that do not have a quota in place.
The group has found evidence that children in villages with councils headed by women perform better when it comes to the provision of safe drinking water and immunizations. They have also documented a “role model effect” meaning that the influence of female-headed councils has had a strong and positive impact on the career aspirations and educational attainment of girls in these villages.
While this research was conducted by academics, it still speaks to the potential role that organizations and program managers can play in incorporating gender into ongoing monitoring and evaluation efforts. We all have a responsibility to narrow the gender data gap and to make the case for women’s equality to say nothing of implementing more effective projects!
TRAINER NOTE: To read more about some of these findings, see the following and
Photo: Keith Bedford, International Herald Tribune

14. Logical Framework Goal Strategic Objectives Intermediate Results
SLIDE CONTENT: Throughout the rest of this session, we’ll cover some of the basics in designing and implementing M&E frameworks. After each tool or process is introduced, we’ll also consider how gender can be mainstreamed into it.
First we’ll talk about the logical framework approach. It forms the basis for any effective monitoring and/or evaluation system. As illustrated on this slide, the logical framework demonstrates the linkages between the various levels of your project. If you’ve done a good job in designing your program, your activities will create outputs (deliverables) that contribute to your intermediate results which, cumulatively, will help you to achieve your strategic objectives by the end of the program. If your project attains these objectives, it will contribute to the overall goal.
The best way to design a project is to start at the end and work backwards. What is your goal? What do you hope will change as a result of your project? What would the world look like if your program (and other similar initiatives) is successful? Too often when we design programs, we start with an idea for a great activity, “I think it would be great to provide leadership training to women political activists”. We try to work our way up the logical framework from there. If we started from the overall goal, increased participation of women in leadership roles within political parties, and worked back from there, we might find that there are other activities that might be more effective in helping us to get there.
TRAINER NOTE: Ask if any of the participants have ever developed a logical framework. If so, ask them to briefly describe the process and how it helped them to design a solid M&E framework.
Outputs
Activities

15. Logical Framework Outcomes Evaluate Goal (impacts)
Long-term, widespread
beyond the life of the project
Objective
Change: Effect of intermediate results on target or beneficiaries by the end of the project
Intermediate results
Benefits: Intermediate effects of outputs on target or beneficiaries
Processes
Monitor
Outputs
Deliverables: Products/services produced
Activities
Services: Tasks needed to reach outputs
Inputs
Resources: Financial, human and material
SLIDE CONTENT: Let’s take a closer look at the logical framework, also known as a logframe. Goals, objectives and intermediate results are all outcomes of projects, and progress against them should be evaluated on a regular basis. Your goal is the long-term, widespread improvement in society that is beyond the life of the project. Keep in mind that the project intervention may be only one of the factors contributing toward achievement of the overall goals. For example, reaching the goal of increasing the representative nature of parliament will require more than just one short-term project. Your objective is the effect of intermediate results on target or beneficiaries that you expect to see by the end of the project. Intermediate results are benefits, the intermediate effects of outputs on your target or beneficiaries. Intermediate results are those that are necessary to achieve the program objectives. There are likely to be any number of intermediate results that contribute to a given objective. Focus on those that you feel are most relevant. 
Outputs, activities, and inputs are all processes that should be monitored on an ongoing basis. Outputs are deliverables, products and/or services that are generated by your activities. Outputs should contribute to the achievement of your intermediate results. Activities are services, tasks that are needed to turn inputs into outputs. Monitoring of activities is necessary to assess whether they are efficient and relevant and whether they contribute to the objectives of the program. Inputs are the resources, financial, human and material, that are required for your activities.
Let’s look at an example.

16. Logical Framework Example
Goal: More participatory, inclusive political processes
Objective: Political parties more inclusive, representative of member concerns
Intermediate result: Parties implement reforms to increase participation in platform development
Output: Parties develop action plans to increase participation in platform development
Activities: Multi-party workshops on participatory platform development; party consultations
Inputs: Staff, consultants, grant budget,
training guides IF
THEN IF
THEN
SLIDE CONTENT: It is critical that the various elements of your program are clearly and logically linked. The easiest way to test this is to start at the bottom of your logical framework and ask a series of “If…then” questions. If we contribute the following inputs, then we can conduct the following activities. If we conduct these activities, then we will get the following output. If we get this output, then we will see the following intermediate result. If we have this result, then it will contribute to the following objective. If we achieve this objective, then we will contribute to the larger goal. If at any point the logic fails and one level does NOT contribute to the next, you need to rethink your program.
For example, let’s look at a project designed to strengthen political parties by making them more representative of their members:
IF we supply NDI staff, consultants, funding and training guides THEN we can conduct multi-party workshops on participatory platform development and individual consultations with parties.
IF we conduct multi-party workshops and individual consultations, THEN political parties will develop action plans to increase the participation of its members in platform development.
IF parties develop these action plans, THEN they will implement reforms to increase membership participation in platform development.
IF parties implement these reforms, THEN they will be more inclusive and representative of member concerns.
IF parties are more inclusive and representative, THEN political processes in the country will be more participatory and inclusive.
There should be sex-disaggregated and gender-specific indicators. IF
THEN IF
THEN IF

17. EXERCISE: LOGFRAME RACE
Put the logframe components in the right order
SLIDE CONTENT: To ensure that we all have a solid understanding of the logical framework approach AND to have a little fun, let’s divide into teams and hold a quick race. I’ll pass out components of a logframe, all mixed up, and you and your team will work to put them in the right order. The first team to correctly complete the exercise wins!
EXERCISE: Logframe Race
Divide participants into teams of three or four people.
Explain that they each be given a sheet with a copy of a blank logframe and an example logframe. The only problem is that the sample logframe components are all mixed up and out of order. Each team will be asked to read through the components and put them back in order by putting the letter that corresponds to each component in the right box of the logframe. If you think it will be easier, you can also cut out the components and give each team an envelope with a complete set and have them order and place them on the logframe template.
Once you are sure that everyone understands the instructions, pass out copies of the handout facedown. Once every group has a copy, invite participants to turn over the handout and begin the exercise.
Take note of the order in which groups finish. Once all groups have completed the exercise, ask the presumptive winner to read through their answers. If their response is incorrect, move to the group that was next in completing the exercise and so on until you have a correct version of the logframe.
Talk through any problems the groups may have had in understanding the logframe.
HANDOUT 1: Logframe Race
Photo: David Mark,

18. Indicators Outcome versus process indicators
Qualitative versus quantitative
SMART
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-bound
SLIDE CONTENT: Once you have developed a solid logframe, the next step is to identify indicators for each level. What is an indicator? The World Bank provides a useful definition. “An indicator ‘indicates’ the level or extent of some phenomenon of interest (for example, body temperature). If ‘good health’ is an objective, then ‘body temperature’ is an ‘indicator’ of good health.”
There are different kinds of indicators associated with the different levels of the logframe. Outcome indicators indicators measure the degree to which your project is producing intermediate results and reaching its objectives. Process indicators measure inputs, activities, and outputs and the degree to which they are contributing towards the project’s intermediate results and objectives.
Projects should include both quantitative and qualitative indicators. Process indicators are often quantitative because they are related to resources that can be counted (number of people trained, percentage of funds expended, number of workshops held, etc.). It is possible to have quantitative indicators for intermediate results and objectives as one can measure, for example, the increase in the percentage of local councilors who are women. However, qualitative indicators are more common at this level. For example, how would one measure more effective communication between citizens and their elected representatives?
Indicators need to be SMART:
Specific: Your indicators should be precise. They should lead to collection of similar data by different people or by the same person a second time.
Measurable: Indicators should be based on accessible data that can be obtained efficiently.
Achievable: Ask yourself: Am I aiming too high? Are my indicators realistic and truly obtainable?
Relevant: Is the indicator demonstrably linked to the objective you wish to measure? 
Time-bound: Ask yourself: What is the timeframe in which I want to develop and implement this project? What is achievable in that timeframe?
Photo:

19. Baselines and Benchmarks
Situation before project
Demonstrates change over time
Benchmarks
What you hope to achieve by the end
Targets
Intermediate benchmarks
SLIDE CONTENT: Once you have identified appropriate indicators, you need to set baselines and targets. A baseline is simply an indication of the situation before the project begins. Think of it as the starting line for your project. For example, if parliamentarians have never held a public hearing before the project starts, the baseline is zero. Without baseline data it is difficult to demonstrate that change has occurred over time, much less that change has occurred because of your program. Baselines help to track and monitor change during the program and provide points of comparison for evaluating change by the end of program.
Baseline data also helps you to set realistic benchmarks for the progress that you expect to make by the end of the project. Benchmarks should be realistic. If parliamentarians have never held a public hearing before the project started, it would be unrealistic to expect them to hold one every week during the life of the project. You may also wish to set targets, intermediate benchmarks that you expect to achieve within a specified period. If your project will continue for four years, the target for the first year may be for members of parliament to hold six public hearings. You might increase the target to 10 for the following year, 15 for the third year and so on. Setting appropriate and transparent benchmarks and targets at the beginning of the process is essential for an effective M&E system.
Photo:

20. Sex-Disaggregated Indicators
Sex-disaggregated indicator measures change for men and women separately
Gender indicator measures gender-related changes
SLIDE CONTENT: Before we move on, we should spend some time talking about how gender can be incorporated into indicators. There are two ways to do this, either through sex-disaggregated indicators or gender indicators.
According to Definition of indicator: UNDP Programming Manual – UNDP Learning and Information Pack:
A sex-disaggregated indicator is a signal that helps measure change for men and women separately. For example, what percentage of the people trained were women?
A gender indicator is a signal that helps to measure gender-related changes.
All relevant indicators should be disaggregated by sex. This will allow you to assess the degree to which men and women have access to your program and whether the impact is the same or different. Disaggregating data by gender is the easiest way to mainstream gender into data collection for monitoring and evaluation. When sex-disaggregated indicators are not sufficient to provide an accurate picture of access and impact, you should consider creating an indicator that specifically addresses gender.
TRAINER NOTE: Ask participants to consider the earlier example of parliamentary hearings. Ask participants for examples of sex-disaggregated and gender indicators. For example, one indicator could be the number of parliamentarians in attendance broken down by the number of men and women. A gender indicator could be “number of hearings that cover issues of critical importance to women”.

21. Gender and the Logframe
Empowerment; overall well-being
Closing gender gaps
Benefits for women and men
Integration of gender
Gender equity in allocation of resources
Goal
Evaluation
Objective
Intermediate results
SLIDE CONTENT: Conventional M&E systems often do not capture gender differences in terms of access and impact. As a result, gender issues remain invisible. It is much easier to mainstream gender into M&E systems when it is done during the program design phase, including the development of the logframe. Do you have gender-related objectives? Do the intermediate results contribute to these objectives? Are women included in activities and consulted in their design? Are resources (inputs) being allocated in such a way as to achieve your gender objectives? Do you have the necessary gender expertise (input) to carry out the program?
The diagram on the slide is adapted from a World Bank resource and illustrates the mainstreaming of gender into each level of the logframe.
At the input level, one should monitor the allocation of resources to ensure that there is gender equity.
Gender should be integrated into all activities.
When evaluating intermediate results, one should assess the degree to which men and women are benefitting from the project. Timely and systematic collection of sex-disaggregated information can help to identify any differences in terms of the impact the project is having on men and women. If it is discovered that the project is exacerbating existing inequalities or neglecting either gender, there is an opportunity to refine the project design and thereby enhance its effectiveness.
The objective of the project should, in part, seek to close pre-existing gender gaps.
The goal of the project should contribute to the empowerment of women and to their overall wellbeing. Often, goals and objectives are articulated in neutral language and the gender-related objectives may not be evident and will need to be teased out. Sometimes, there are no specific gender-related objectives; rather, the general objectives can be made gender-sensitive.
Activities
Monitoring
Inputs

22. Project life cycle M&E Life Cycle Phase 4: Project Evaluation
-Collect and analyze data
-Produce reports
-Identify lessons learned
Phase 1: Project Design
-Identify problem
-Develop logframe
-Develop M&E plan
Phase 3: Project Management
-Analyze data and produce reports
-Manage activities
Phase 2: Project Start-up
-Conduct baseline
-Establish targets
-Establish M&E systems
M&E Life Cycle
SLIDE CONTENT: We have spent quite a bit of time discussing the integration of gender into the design of projects so let’s turn to how it can be incorporated into the other phases of the project life cycle. First we’ll go over the life cycle itself, which consists of four phases.
Project Design – During this phase, one identifies the problem and develops a logical framework to address it. The logframe serves as the basis for the M&E plan which includes indicators for each level.
Project Start up – During this time, program staff conduct baseline assessments that are used to establish realistic benchmarks and targets. Staff set up basic M&E system infrastructure including systems for managing data.
Project Management – During this phase, staff collect and analyze data and produce reports. They manage activities and, based on the findings of ongoing monitoring, they consider and adopt course corrections, as needed.
Project Evaluation – Evaluation can take place at any number of key moments including at the mid-point of the project and again at the end. Data that evaluations generate is used to produce reports on the impact of the project and to identify lessons learned that can then be applied to other projects.

23. Gender Mainstreaming and the Project Life Cycle
Knowledge sharing
1. Design
Gender-sensitive M&E
Gender analysis/needs assessment
Gender expertise
Adequate resources
SLIDE CONTENT: So how would you incorporate gender into the project life cycle? Let’s have a look at the example created by the International Labour Organization.
Design: During the design phase, conduct a gender analysis and needs assessment and/or include a gender expert on your assessment team and ensure that the study is gender-sensitive. The design phase provides an opportunity for gathering information about the different experiences, roles, status, needs and priorities of men and women in order to identify the potential negative impacts of the project intervention and develop needs-driven, responsive and locally contextualized programs. Ensure gender is integrated into goals, objectives, and indicators. Assess your project budget to ensure that it is gender responsive.
Start-up: Develop a strategy for how gender equality will be promoted through specific measures and arrangements such as committing to balanced representation of women and men in project activities. Set up basic M&E system infrastructure with gender-specific and sex-disaggregated indicators and ensure that your project staff have basic gender training.
Project Management/Implementation: Take gender-specific actions to redress inequalities and discrimination against women and/or men in a given context. Build capacity for gender mainstreaming among project staff and beneficiaries.
Monitoring and evaluation: Review the extent to which projects are addressing key gender issues. Integrate into the monitoring and evaluation guidelines. Assess the impact of project interventions on men and women. Use the results of project evaluations to identify best practices and lessons learned related to gender integration and share this knowledge widely so that it informs future programs.
It is important that your organization has relevant expertise to ensure that gender is
mainstreamed throughout the project life cycle. It is also critical to have adequate resources,
both human and financial, and strong commitment from leadership.
2. Start-up
4. M&E
Gender planning
Gender-specific action/capacity building
3. Implementation

24. Gender Mainstreaming Strategies/Tools
Involve women and men in consultations
Include sex-disaggregated data
Strive for gender balance in staff/experts
Enable women and men to participate and benefit equally
SLIDE CONTENT: As the last slide suggests, there are many opportunities to mainstream gender into the project lifecycle. Let’s go over a few more strategies and tools.
For example, during program design you can:
Involve both women and men beneficiaries in project design consultations and analysis,
whether this takes the form of surveys, public meetings, public hearings, stakeholder interviews or other methods. This will ensure that the concerns and priorities of women and men are known and incorporated into the project design.
Include sex-disaggregated data in the background analysis and justification for the program.
For example, if you are conducting a voter education project, it would be important to know what percentage of registered voters are men versus women. What you find may also influence your program design. If you learn that a very small percentage of women are registered to vote, it may make sense to design a voter registration program that specifically targets them, taking into account the analysis conducted to help identify and address specific barriers women face in the registration process.
During project implementation and evaluation, you should:
Strive for gender balance in the recruitment of project staff and experts and in representation
in institutional structures set up under the project.
Enable women and men to participate equally in, and benefit equally from program
activities.
TRAINER NOTE: Ask participants if they can think of other strategies for mainstreaming gender throughout the project life cycle.

25. Project Design Questions
Goals and objectives gender-sensitive?
Input from men and women?
Baseline incorporates gender analysis?
Consultations on targets?
Activities reflect gender sensitivity?
SLIDE CONTENT: The World Bank developed a series of questions that staff can ask of their project to determine the degree to which gender has been mainstreamed in the monitoring and evaluation system. The following are questions related to the design phase:
Are the project’s goals and objectives gender-sensitive? Do they adequately reflect women’s and men’s needs?
What level of input did male and female stakeholders have in setting goals and objectives?
Is baseline information being collected through gender analysis?
Are targets being set in consultation with male and female stakeholders?
Do the activities planned reflect the project’s gender sensitive goals and objectives?
TRAINER NOTE: Ask participants if they can think of any other relevant questions for the design phase and share the handout from the World Bank below.
HANDOUT 2: Integrating a Gender Dimension into Monitoring and Evaluation of Rural Development Projects

26. Project implementation Questions
Gender and sex-disaggregated data?
Comparing data to baseline?
M&E data used to adjust project?
Women’s groups monitoring progress?
Findings disseminated?
References to gender in reports?
Women involved in activities?
Women accessing services?
SLIDE CONTENT: Consider the following questions that can be asked during the project implementation phase to ensure that gender is being mainstreamed and that your M&E system is being fully engaged.
The World Bank recommends that you ask:
Are gender-sensitive and sex-disaggregated data being collected at all levels of the logframe?
Are you periodically collecting data on indicators to compare them to your baseline in order to measure and evaluate impact? Does the data indicate any differences in how men and women are accessing and/or benefiting from the program?
Is monitoring and evaluation data analyzed by project staff and beneficiaries on a timely basis to allow for project adjustments, if necessary?
Are local women’s organizations and research institutes involved in monitoring the progress of the project’s gender integration?
Are the results/findings being disseminated? How? When? To whom?
Are there specific and adequately detailed references to gender in internal progress reports and those shared with donors?
Are women involved in activities organized through the program?
Are program services accessible to women?

27. Project EVALUATION Questions
Differences in access? Why?
Differences in impact? Why?
How can differentials be addressed?
How do results compare to targets?
How did beneficiaries respond?
Are results sustainable?
SLIDE CONTENT: While evaluating your program, it may be helpful to include questions such as the following which were developed for the World Bank’s Gender and Development Trainer’s Manual:
Are there gender differences in terms of access to project products and services? What factors account for variations in access?
Are there gender differences in terms of the kinds and magnitudes of project impacts? What factors account for variations in impact between men and women?
How can any differentials in gender access and impacts be addressed in future projects?
Did the project produce the intended benefits for men and women? How do the results compare to the targets?
How did project beneficiaries, male and female, respond to the interventions?
What are the realistic prospects of sustaining the results beyond the life of the project?
Photo: Sanja Gjenero, RGBstock.com

28. Data collection and Analysis
Forms and procedures for data collection
Data collection plan by indicator
Trained staff with clear roles and responsibilities
Database
Regular reflection sessions
SLIDE CONTENT: Data collection and analysis take place regularly as you implement your program. Consistent monitoring allows you to course correct. If things aren’t going as expected, you will have the chance to revise your approach. Most donors require some element of monitoring, often through reports that describe activities and provide information on the degree to which the program is demonstrating results. Regular monitoring can also identify lessons learned and highlight success stories that can be shared with donors and the general public. Effective monitoring and evaluation require that there be clear and comprehensive systems in place for data collection and analysis.
Features of such a system include:
Forms and written procedures for data collection so that it is done consistently no matter who
does it or when. For example, if the project includes regular workshops, there should be a form to capture information about participants, their sex, and other relevant demographic information.
Data collection plan for each indicator. What needs to be collected? How often will it be collected
and by whom? What will the source of the data be? What tools will be used to collect it?
Staff who have basic training in data collection as well as gender analysis and clear roles and
responsibilities for data collection and analysis.
Data management system, such as a database, that allows you to easily retrieve, sort and review
data. The database should also be able to generate charts and tables that paint a picture of progress and problems. The database should be safeguarded to prevent data from being changed or deleted. Who is primarily responsible for data entry and ensuring the integrity of the data?
Regular reflection sessions during which time staff review the data and ask: What does it all
mean? Are we on track? Do we need to make some changes?
TRAINER NOTE: For more information on data collection tools, see the Monitoring and Evaluation tools presentation in this module.

29. Secondary data Sources
Regional or country MDG reports
UNDP Human Development reports
State Department Human Rights reports
World Bank reports
World Economic Forum
Donor and NGO reports
SLIDE CONTENT: Remember that in addition to primary data which you collect yourself, you can and should refer to secondary data which is obtained from another source such as a government ministry, international financial institution, or an NGO. Many organizations already create or aggregate gender-related data on a wide range of sectors for their own reports.
For example, you can check:
Regional or country Millennium Development Goal Reports -
United Nations Development Program Human Development Reports -
United States Department of State Human Rights reports -
World Bank reports, Sector studies, Reports from NGOs and donor agencies
Aside from these reports, there are also organizations that keep up online gender databases. For example, the World Bank has a gender “dashboard” that provides country data sheets showing summary gender indicators, basic demographic data, population dynamics, labor force structure, and education and health statistics. 
TRAINER NOTE: If you have internet access, you might consider showing participants one or more online databases. The United Nations also has a helpful list of gender statistics here:
For statistics on a range of sectors, see the UN Statistics Division homepage:

30. EXERCISE: INTEGRATING GENDER
Are the indicators gender aware?
Are they input, output, outcome or impact indicators?
Are they quantitative or qualitative?
How would you make them more gender-aware?
Identify 3 additional indicators and how data would be collected.
SLIDE CONTENT: Let’s do an exercise that will start to help us tie together everything that we’ve learned today. We’ll use a case study developed by the World Bank to evaluate the degree to which gender has been incorporated into a project’s indicators.
EXERCISE: Integrating Gender into a Project’s Monitoring System
Refer to the handout for the case study and instructions on how to facilitate this exercise.
HANDOUT 3: Learning Case 3: Integrating Gender into a Project’s Monitoring System
Photo: World Bank

31. Evaluation Design Identify research questions
Identify methods for data collection
Develop and test data collection instruments and protocols
SLIDE CONTENT: As we discussed earlier, evaluations can be conducted at key points during the life of a project. Evaluations are used to set baselines before projects begin, to assess progress at its midpoint, and to evaluate impact as it concludes. Evaluations can be internal, conducted by project staff, or contracted out to external organizations.
There are a number of different steps in designing an evaluation. The first step is to identify a few questions you want the evaluation to answer. This may be defined through a participatory process with key stakeholders or if there are clear and relevant program objectives, you can turn them into your evaluation questions. The indicators that relate to each objective then become the evaluation sub-questions. For example, if the objective of the program is “Women leaders at the local and national levels more fully represent the interests of women”, the evaluation question might be “How empowered are local and national women leaders in representing the collective interests of women in Burkina Faso as a consequence of the program?”
The next step is developing appropriate methods for effectively collecting data to answer the evaluation questions. Next you will have to develop and pilot the instruments and protocols you will use under each method. For example, if a survey is to be used, you will have to frame the questions effectively, develop appropriate response categories, develop a sampling strategy and pilot the survey. If focus groups are used you will have to develop discussion guides for focus group facilitators.

32. Evaluation Criteria Relevance Effectiveness Efficiency Impact
Sustainability
SLIDE CONTENT: The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) designed a set of criteria for evaluating projects. The United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) developed guidance on how gender equality can be integrated into evaluation. Let’s review the criteria and consider how gender can be incorporated into them.
Relevance: The extent to which the program is suited to the priorities and policies of the target
group, recipient and donor. Assess how the intervention is designed and implemented to contribute to gender equality and address the needs of both women and men.
Effectiveness: A measure of the extent to which a program attains its objectives. Assess the way
in which results were defined, monitored and achieved in terms of gender equality and determine whether the processes that led to these results were aligned with gender equality principles.
Efficiency: Efficiency measures the outputs in relation to the inputs. Did the program use the
least costly resources possible in order to achieve the desired results? This generally requires a broader analysis of the benefits and related costs of integrating gender equality into programs.
Impact: The positive and negative changes produced by a program, directly or indirectly,
intended or unintended. The evaluation should measure the degree to which the program has promoted gender equality.
Sustainability: Sustainability is concerned with measuring whether the benefits are likely to
continue after the program has ended. To what extent has the program advanced key factors that need to be in place for the long‐term realization of gender equality?
TRAINER NOTE: For more information on UNEG guidance, see the Resource folder.
HANDOUT 4: DAC Criteria For Evaluating Development Assistance
Photo: Sanja Gjenero, RGBstock.com

33. INTRO TO M&E REVIEW
Improve project effectiveness, demonstrate impact, and identify lessons learned
Must address and mainstream gender
Logframe with sex-disaggregated and/or gender-specific indicators
System for data collection and analysis
Evaluate relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability
SLIDE CONTENT: Today we’ve discussed:
M&E improves the effectiveness of projects by allowing for mid-course corrections if there are aspects that are not having the desired impact; demonstrates impact and success of your project; and identifies lessons learned, enabling institutional learning and informing decisions about future programs.
Failure to address gender issues in M&E can lead not only to inefficient and unsustainable results, but it may also exacerbate existing inequities. Gender should be mainstreamed throughout the M&E project life cycle during design, start-up, management and evaluation.
A logframe forms the basis for any effective M&E system. Each level of the logframe requires qualitative and quantitative indicators that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Each indicator should have a baseline, benchmarks and targets. Indicators should be sex-disaggregated or gender-specific.
Effective monitoring and evaluation require that there be clear and comprehensive systems in place for data collection and analysis.
Evaluations should assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of a project.
TRAINER NOTE: Summarize the main points covered. Focus on areas of particular interest to the group or areas that raised a lot of questions during the workshop. Address any particular areas about which the group had questions and allow time for final questions, feedback, and evaluation of the workshop.
HANDOUT: Evaluation form