15.3  Developing a monitoring and evaluation plan

Planning for M&E should be part of the design phase of a project and included at the beginning when the objectives of the project are decided. The M&E plan needs to describe how the results will be measured to determine if the project objectives have been achieved.

A result is not the completion of activities. A ‘result’ is defined as a describable or measurable development change that happens as a consequence of a cause-and-effect relationship (UNDP, 2009). Results include the outputs, outcomes and impacts of project activities. These are linked together into what is commonly referred to as a results chain. The results chain essentially tells us that completion of the stated activities will lead to the outputs; the outputs will lead to the outcomes; and the outcomes will lead to the impacts (Figure 15.5).

Figure 15.5  The results chain.

There are various models, or frameworks, used when planning for M&E. You may come across results frameworks or logical frameworks. These are similar and both methods can be used to ensure a systematic and comprehensive approach to M&E planning.

A logical framework, or simply logframe, links the planned activities, which have been introduced to address the objectives, with the expected results in terms of outputs, outcomes and impacts. It indicates how they will be monitored and evaluated. The logframe allows information to be analysed and organised in a structured way. It encourages clear and specific thinking about what the project aims to do and how, and highlights the aspects upon which the success of the project depends.

A logframe consists of a matrix or table with rows and columns that have a vertical logic and a horizontal logic. An example is shown in Table 15.1.

The rows of the logframe are linked by a vertical logic that corresponds to the results chain (Figure 15.5). In a logframe the impacts are placed at the top and activities at the bottom.

• Impacts are the long-lasting changes in the situation.
• Outcomes are changes that can be seen in a shorter timescale.
• Outputs are completed projects or their products.
• Activities are the main elements of project implementation.

The columns of the logframe have a horizontal logic that links each of the interventions to their measurement indicators. It has three main parts – results, indicators and means of verification (Table 15.1).

• Results: the expected results at activity, output, outcome and impact levels (Table 15.1, column 1).
• Indicators: the measurements used to assess progress (Table 15.1, column 2).
• Means of verification: this is the source of information required to confirm progress against the indicators. (Table 15.1, column 3).
• Assumptions and risks (not shown in Table 15.1): external factors that need to be in place or may affect whether the result is achieved (Jensen, 2013).