Week 3: Introducing monitoring and evaluation

Introduction

Welcome to Week 3. This week introduces monitoring and evaluation, which are key stages in the project cycle. Monitoring and evaluation refer to the processes through which the impact of a development intervention is assessed and decisions made on future directions.

In previous weeks, you looked at the project cycle and considered the processes involved in project design, including the adaptive management approach. A key preoccupation for development actors is that of demonstrating impact, that is, did the project or programme succeed in bringing about change in the situation of interest and achieve what it set out to do?

But why? Why is it important to be able to demonstrate an impact of the work that you are carrying out? Consideration of the audiences for such a demonstration can provide answers to the underlying drivers for undertaking monitoring and evaluation of interventions. Such audiences include:

• government agencies, philanthropic wealthy donors and the general public: in the context of the development industry, projects and programmes rely heavily on such sources for funding and support
• those whom the work is meant to support or benefit
• the development community itself (those doing development).

Accountability is a term used frequently in relation to the first two groupings, ‘upward’ accountability to donors and supporters, and ‘downward’ accountability to the intended beneficiaries. Political and economic factors have led to the reduction or repositioning of government and donor budgets. Major donors want to have proof of ‘return on investment’ (RoI) and the competition for funds has intensified. A public perception that aid and development investment has been ineffective in bringing about promised changes, for example in poverty, adds further pressure for accountability. The focus on spending and value for money tips the accountability scales towards satisfying the demands of donors and away from a focus on the needs of the beneficiaries (Heard and Buffardi, 2016).

However, at a policy level, the term ‘mutual accountability’ is used to refer to accountability shared by all partners with the purpose of ensuring that ‘development activities lead to tangible and sustained improvements in the lives of people in developing countries’ (International Fund for Agricultural Development, no date, p. 2). So, here, the balance tips somewhat towards ‘downward’ accountability.

For the third grouping, a different motivation is seen. Monitoring and evaluation is related to the perceived need for those working on development projects to learn from experience in order to change ongoing or future work. This approach comes from an understanding of development as a largely unknown area, difficult and risky, where monitoring and evaluation are essential tools for understanding and learning, for extending and promoting participation, for making changes, and for drawing out lessons.

In the following activity, you will reflect on what impact and change means to you.