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The M&E is the Key for the projects succes as it helps to make a step by step follow-up.

M&E is so important in the project life cycle as the monitoring is an essential way to track the progress and implementation of the project as well as keep us timely with the timeframe of the project. On same hand, evaluation is important as well to evaluate how everything is done after a time period to identify lessons learned and how they could be improved by the future.

I am ready to learn how to create an M&E plan

Microfinance for Expanding Horizons (MEH) project should identify first what the money obtained by the girls is from microloans is going to be used for. Once this is established, the coordinator of the project should hand out questionnaires or surveys to the relevant micro lenders together with the proposals from members. Then, only can they estimate how many micro lenders are willing to fund this members.

With this information, they can then submit a report to the donors to make them aware of the number of people that might be funded by theses lenders.

Creating Data Collection Tools

Hi everyone!
I am glad to have enrolled for this course.

How the project changes the beneficiary's life, what they think about the project, do they know any others that can benefit from the project and how can the services be made better.

Through M&E we can assess the project implementation and evaluation the actual result as per define in LFA

Looking at the course i am glad I enrolled because M&E is very valuable in my line of work.

From the two examples below, I think GOOD Project has all what is needed to build a strong M and E plan. This is not the case for MEH Project. Without knowing what kind of information to be collected and how to collect it in order to measure progress in the activities it will be difficult to build an effective M and E plan

For MEH project's goals are: girls improve their skill.
We measure their income and beneficiaries.

M&E is important because you are able to see the progress of your project before it goes far by monitoring and then make necessary changes or corrections, while evaluating also helps to see the impact of the project and if its aim is achieved and lessons learnt.

After reading the text one can easily understand that for smooth functioning and successful implementation of project, a systematic and thoughtful monitoring and evaluation plan is very crucial

Interesting stuff

monitoring helps to track the progress of the project

monitoring will also help help project memebers be accountable to the project

monitoring also help project staff in making sound decision making.

it's getting clearer

M&e is importance because it provides a way to assess the crucial link between implementers and beneficiaries on the ground and decision-makers.

M&E is important to control the project which have to meet with progress regularly and keep on tracking whether the project are on right track or not, and measuring whether project meet according to the objectives or not.
So M&E take important role to over view the project time to time.

M&E is important because it helps with identifying the most valuable and efficient use of resources. It also provides a consolidated source of information showcasing project progress. It also reveals mistakes and offers paths to learning and improvement. It allows basis for questioning and testing assumptions.

Great.Ready for it.

I am excited to learn the importance of M &E.
GOOD has got a project that really needs notions of an M &E.

The second project is Microfinance for Expanding Horizons (MEH), a project that will let girls borrow small amounts of money (microloans). MEH knows that their donor will want to see some data, but they do not know how to get it. In fact, they are not totally sure what they should be measuring. Some people on the team think that they should measure how many loans they give out. Other team members think that they should measure how many businesses they help to get started. Either way, they know they will need an M&E plan fast!

Clearly, GOOD is off to a great start. But there is still hope for MEH! They still have time to create an M&E plan. Throughout this course, we will help MEH prepare their plan. By helping MEH prepare their M&E plan, you’ll learn how to create a plan for your own project.
Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plan: A comprehensive planning document for all monitoring and evaluation activities within a program. This plan documents the key M&E questions to be addressed: what indicators will be collected, how, how often, from where, and why; baseline values, targets, and assumptions; how data are going to be analyzed/interpreted; and how/how often report will be developed and distributed.
Non-routine data sources: Resources that provide data collected on a periodic basis, usually annually or less frequently. In addition to large-scale household surveys, these sources may be small-scale, ad-hoc household surveys; special studies; and national censuses.
Objectives: Significant development results that contribute to the achievement of goals and provide a general framework for more detailed planning for specific programs. Several objectives can contribute to each goal. Examples: “to reduce the total fertility rate to 4.0 births by Year X” or “to increase contraceptive prevalence over the life of the program.”

M&E is crucial to any project. Without it, it would be difficult to design a project- all the way from the inputs we need, the impact we desire and everything in between. M&E determines the project performance and success, whether there is effective resource allocation, data-driven decision-making, proper management and organization and etc. It encourages transparency and accountability in a project team and serves as a roadmap towards set targets.

Both projects belong to the same organization:
Evaluation Clearly state what are the milestones of the project and what are the final outputs. On the one hand,...
Monitoring of outputs. Clearly elaborate on a methodology able to constantly monitor the development of the project
Monitoring of outcomes and impacts. Outcomes and impacts are more.
Monitoring and evaluation are separate practices dedicated to the assessment of your NGO’s overall performance. Monitoring is a systematic and long-term process that gathers information in regards to the progress made by an implemented project. Evaluation is time specific and it’s performed to judge whether a project has reached its goals and delivered what expected according to its original plan.

It seems to me that the significance of monitoring and evaluation lies in the importance of conducting a well-thought out project. Monitoring is the continuous rechecking of all activities that take place in order to deliver the objectives of a project. Without it, things can go unnoticed, and this may lead to shortcomings that could have otherwise been avoided. Evaluation, although does not happen as frequently, helps both project team members, project managers, and funders to determine the factor that contributed to the success of project and/or way to improve any drawbacks. Together, monitoring and evaluation can serve as a manual for team member and managers to learn and improve their work production.

Monitoring and evaluation is very important in every project and for a project to be successful monitoring and evaluation must be present. M&E importance to a project can be seen as follows;
Project goals are set and are precise
Annual reports are easily made
Project can be improved.
Moreover from the above it can be deduced that girls organising for ongoing development project is and will be a success because their goals are precise, they know how to run the project , collect feedback and others whereas micro finance for expanding horizons is completely the opposite.

The M&E plan helps to measure if the project has been implemented according to the plan (monitoring) and is having the desired results (evaluation). It also sets out a framework for enhancing the generation of good quality monitoring data, which will be used for evidence based decision making and provide greater accountability

Both projects belong to the same organization:
Evaluation Clearly state what are the milestones of the project and what are the final outputs. On the one hand,...
Monitoring of outputs. Clearly elaborate on a methodology able to constantly monitor the development of the project
Monitoring of outcomes and impacts. Outcomes and impacts are more.

Very insightful topic with very clear instructions and information

the earlier you are able to evaluate the perceived risk, you are able to manage better

I agree with you on this

The M&E plan helps to measure if the project has been implemented according to the plan (monitoring) and is having the desired results (evaluation). It also sets out a framework for enhancing the generation of good quality monitoring data, which will be used for evidence based decision making and provide greater accountability.
The M&E plan also allow for systematic learning from past and current activities – "what works and what doesn't work and why" – so that good practices can be replicated in the future and mistakes and poor outcomes are avoided. In general, it aims to assist the project team and implementing partners in the monitoring and results reporting of project activities against the approved work plan and logical framework.

Has anyone in the team read through this and what are your opinions on the course so far?

I am ready to learn

At the programme level, the purpose of monitoring and evaluation is to track implementation and outputs systematically, and measure the effectiveness of programmes. It helps determine exactly when a programme is on track and when changes may be needed.

I don't understand how this can be sustained seeing girls are still in school and cannot raise money on their own.

At the programme level, the purpose of monitoring and evaluation is to track implementation and outputs systematically, and measure the effectiveness of programmes. It helps determine exactly when a programme is on track and when changes may be needed

The M&E professional plays an essential role in tracking and updating M&E data as well as ensuring the data is of the best quality possible. Responsibilities include: Implementing monitoring systems and designing monitoring tools. ... Conducting or providing support to data quality assessments.

Monitoring and evaluation can be used to demonstrate that the activities implemented in the program have had a measurable impact on the intended outcomes and that they have been carried out effectively. It is essential for helping managers, planners, implementers, policy makers and funders acquire the information they need to understand how the program works and to make informed decisions about it.

M and E helps project to be on c ourse and always keep track of progress. This helps in providing checks and balances.

M and E helps project to be on c ourse and always keep track of progress. This helps in providing checks and balances.

M&E is important becouse it allows you to see whether you are on the right track in the early stages of your project or if your project needs some direction adjustment, making it possible to do it in time to reach our goals.

The importance of M&E is to look for the solution of the situation,how to create a plan of project,catch the problem and make changes

M&E is very important as it gives clarity of direction and provides timely intervention to rectify any issue that would derail the project.

This is quite interesting and i am willing to help MEH prepare their M&E Plan so it will also help me in preparing mine too

Great and interesting introduction to the importance of M&E. Knowing what you are up to before starting is a step ahead of time.

M And E is very important to learn what went well what went wrong and what and how can we improve thinks.

Monitoring and evaluation allows the team to monitor program implementation and evaluate progress towards targets .
It also helps to team to develop new strategies for program quality improvement.

At the programme level, the purpose of monitoring and evaluation is to track implementation and outputs systematically, and measure the effectiveness of programmes. It helps determine exactly when a programme is on track and when changes may be needed

Identifying risks and assumptions will help adjust the activities and the end goals of a project so as the goals can be achieved.
This will also enable a research to avoid biase and keep focus to the goals

M&E enables one
Deeply understand project goals
Decide what to measure
Develop tools and methods for measurements
Figure out how roles and responsibilities will be divided among the team members.
To be aware of biases and thus be able to avoid them

The comparison between the two projects is indeed a good way to get started. For sure, GOOD's plan is well explained, however, MEH's plan is yet to be understood. I am confident that a starter like me will understand and acquire the basic skills needed for a good M&E plan. Looking forward to all activities involved in this module.

In developing economies, and particularly in rural areas, many activities that would be classified in the developed world as financial are not monetized: that is, money is not used to carry them out. This is often the case when people need the services money can provide but do not have dispensable funds required for those services. This forces them to revert to other means of acquiring the funds. In their book, The Poor and Their Money, Stuart Rutherford and Sukhwinder Arora cite several types of needs:[7]

Lifecycle Needs: such as weddings, funerals, childbirth, education, home building, holidays, festivals, widowhood and old age
Personal Emergencies: such as sickness, injury, unemployment, theft, harassment or death
Disasters: such as wildfires, floods, cyclones and man-made events like war or bulldozing of dwellings
Investment Opportunities: expanding a business, buying land or equipment, improving housing, securing a job, etc.

It has broaden my knowledge on data collection and management

I am glad to have been enrolled in this course

Already enjoying Module 1, looking forward to learning new exciting things especially on the Importance of M&E

1. It helps with the tracking of the project.
2. It helps with the measuring of the project's success.
3. It helps with the collection of data and storage of the project's data.
4. It helps with the measuring of the impact of the project on people's lives.
5. It enable's the organization to write clear reports on the success or progress of the project.
6. Monitoring allows for identification and quick fixing if there is a problem in the project.

The fact that there is a case study to help learn is very interesting and is a practical way to learn.

1.Monitoring and Evaluation helps a project identify it's aims and objectives
2.Identifies target number for a project
3.Monitoring and evaluation helps identify the right project area and gets a time line for the project.

At the programme level, the imprtance of monitoring and evaluation is to help track implementation and outputs systematically, and measure the effectiveness of programmes. it also help determine exactly when a programme is on track and when changed may be needed.

I've spent 13 years in a research organisation without the necessary basics of M&E. 90% of my work involved M&E as I was in the Research Unit of the organisation. Now that I'm studying this course I realise how effectively I would've carried out my projects had I enrolled for the course at an earlier stage. The course will help me a lot going forward.

Unrealistic targets are targets that are not achievable. They are targets set most times without having a baseline level of your indicators nor knowing if the indicators has been changing in recent years.
They are targets that are made without getting expert opinion, making findings etc.
Unrealistic targets always cause disappointment to donors and team members.

A good M&E plan is the primary reason a project will succeed.

helps in measuring the progress of the project in place.
when any problem arises in the duration of the project it will be able to be corrected immediately.
will enable the donor to know the progress of the projects in place and how the fund are in use.

I think it’s a good example to make understand about the importance of M&E. There is two projects named GOOD and MEH. The project, GOOD starts its work with a well M&E plan. The project team know well about the project goals. Based on the project goal, they decided how will measure progress.
On the other hand, the team of project MEH is not clear about their goal and do not clear understand what will be measured of this project. But they decided to make an M&E plan as they have time.

Monitoring and evaluation are important for a project because they are processes that allow us to know the level of progress of our project and the level of achievement of the objectives for our project.
Their importance is because they allow on the one hand to know the progress of the project and on the other hand the impact that the project has on the beneficiaries

Well!, The Importance of M&E
M&E (Monitoring and Evaluation) - very useful at all program and sub projects. So I will like to discuss a significant importance of M&E- those are:-
it provides the only consolidated source of information showcasing project progress;
it allows actors to learn from each other’s experiences, building on expertise and knowledge;
it often generates (written) reports that contribute to transparency and accountability, and allows for lessons to be shared more easily;
it reveals mistakes and offers paths for learning and improvements;
it provides a basis for questioning and testing assumptions;
it provides a means for agencies seeking to learn from their experiences and to incorporate them into policy and practice;
it provides a way to assess the crucial link between implementers and beneficiaries on the ground and decision-makers;
it adds to the retention and development of institutional memory;
it provides a more robust basis for raising funds and influencing policy.

Thank you !

Monitoring and evaluation assists in identifying indicators that will facilitate in successful running of a project thus measuring how effective the indicators that have been chosen.

MEH have a high potential impact for girls, in particular for those who are limited in resource, M&E plan is critical to measure the process and impact to ensure the beneficiaries achieved their goal through microloans scheme offer in the project. without the clear M&E plan the process can be stressful and could severely impact the project.

M&E is important as it sheds light on the successes as well as help to pick up any faults in the planning.

There are various projects that in school girls can partake in during their extracurricular activities. entrepreneurial skills can start as early as school days. it even reduces their risk to engage in bad vices for personal necessities.

Hello everyone here am glad to be here.

Exactly, that part a.

The importance of monitoring and evaluation can not be over emphasized. It gives credibility to a project

Monitoring and evaluation is so important for each project since it provides a clear, reliable, and impartial vision of the project. It sets the track of following up the projects activities since designing proposal, and monitoring the implementation and measuring the final outcomes by using proper tools for collecting data and analyzing them to come up with the realistic information that reflects achieving goals. It helps mangers in making decisions, identifying risks and problems, suggesting solutions, improving performance, developing next projects , and gaining finance. Providing realistic information is key to gain the trust of the community and donors, which can only be reached through a clear monitoring and evaluation plan.

Monitoring a project is very important because it helps to track performance over time and make informed decisions about the effectiveness of projects and the efficient use of resources

A project can not be certified complete if the set out objectives are not measured. This underscores the importance of tracking a project’s performance and outcomes

Monitoring and Evaluation for certain intervention is very crucial, even in personal life it is important. If an organization doesn't have the monitoring and evaluation plan or strategy for a project under implementation, it is like a ship without a compass. The organization doesn't see the progress and the impact of the project, it could be working for nothing and all documents will be paper tiger. On top of this, it doesn't ensure sustainability in both ways, organization sustainably and project sustainability.

I'm just wondering what the activities will be done at the first project to gain the 1200 savings and how the effort will be measured not just the conclusion number at the first project

Monitoring and evaluation are critical for building a strong, global evidence base around violence against women and for assessing the wide, diverse range of interventions being implemented to address it. At the global level, it is a tool for identifying and documenting successful programmes and approaches and tracking progress toward common indicators across related projects. Monitoring and evaluation forms the basis of strengthening understanding around the many multi-layered factors underlying violence against women, women’s experiences with such violence, and the effectiveness of the response at the service provider, community, national and international level.
This is critically important because while the global evidence base on the proportion of women having ever experienced various forms of abuse is strong, evidence on what kinds of strategies are effective in preventing such violence and offering adequate support to victims and survivors is still weak. This is especially relevant in resource poor areas, where difficult decisions need to be made with respect to funding priorities.
At the programme level, the purpose of monitoring and evaluation is to track implementation and outputs systematically, and measure the effectiveness of programmes. It helps determine exactly when a programme is on track and when changes may be needed. Monitoring and evaluation forms the basis for modification of interventions and assessing the quality of activities being conducted.
Monitoring and evaluation can be used to demonstrate that programme efforts have had a measurable impact on expected outcomes and have been implemented effectively. It is essential in helping managers, planners, implementers, policy makers and donors acquire the information and understanding they need to make informed decisions about programme operations.

Important questions that M& E can answer?

Is the intervention feasible and acceptable?
Did it have an impact?
Why or why not? How and for whom did it have an impact?
Are the results credible?
Is it affordable and cost effective?
Can the cost be compared with alternatives to investment?
Is it replicable to other settings?
Where is it replicable? Where is it not replicable?
Are the results likely to be generalizable?
Can it be scaled up? That is, can the intervention be adapted, replicated or built on to increase its reach or scope (for a larger population or a different region)?
If yes, how can it be scaled up? What aspects can be scaled up?

Monitoring and evaluation enhance the effective implementation of a program. Systematically, it allows program implementers to track and measure progress made towards outcome or impact. During the project cycle, It helps to identify and make changes when needed.

MEH needs to define exactly how many loans they want to give out, and the expected total amount given out over a specified duration of time. There is also need to pre-determine how many projects they expect to get started after a stipulated period.

For example, a target would be to give out 200 loans to 200 girls each within the range $2000 - $ 5000 over the next 6 months. This makes the funds pool between $400 000 - 1 000 000. There should also be an expected 200 projects started within that period

M and E is important as it provides a well laid out plan, which allows one to track regular progress of a project. This allows one to make implementation adjustments where required in order to stay on track to achieve the project objectives. Periodic review will also determine if these objectives have been achieved, and if interventions made had an effect on the intended outcomes. This creates room for learning and improvement in further implementation,

I like the two examples

Now I have seen the importance of M&E

i will apply to project GOOD

The project monitoring and evaluation process has great importance in improving the current and future management of outputs, results and impact, and helps to improve performance and achieve results. It is mainly used to evaluate the performance of projects, institutions and programs developed by governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations. It also links plans and performance to future results. Monitoring and evaluation purpose is fundamentally to move forward. The evaluation applies lessons and recommendations to decisions about current and future programs. Evaluations can also be used to promote new projects, obtain support from governments, raise funds from public or private institutions, and inform the public about various activities.

M&E is very important in project management. It creates transparency and accountability.

Monitoring is an ongoing process therefore it help to keep track of the activities of a project. It also plays an important role in the allocation of resources.
Evaluation which happens on the specif timelines asses the success of a project and paves way for correction of e eventualities.
Monitoring and evaluation are key to evidence based management of any particular project.

M&E helps us not to waste resources, as the quality of progress is known before the final process, in a given project.

Due to M&E, quality of data collected can be guaranteed to be close to 100%

Prediction and forecasting on a similar project can be more aqurate if M&E is adequately done on a previous similar project.

M&E helps us to measure the progress of a project and tells us how quality the progress is.

It also help us to avoid the wastage of resources.

This is a great start, am looking forward to learning more about making my own project plan.

The M&E can provide evidence-based inform for decision making via input, output, outcome and impact to create logic framework and anticipated outcome indicators, theory of change and implementation plan.

To develop a strong M&E plan is of vital importance. By reviewing milestones and final outcomes of the projects, donors will decide on the accountability of the institutions, upon which further collaborations could be established.

Both GOOD and MEH projects looks fantastic. They needs good M&E plan to measure the success of the project.

The M&E is very important in any project or program it enable the project team to plan their project carefully by identifying the goals and baseline by collectiing the information in the begining of the project and during the implementation then they can track their performance easily by analyzing baseline data and current data

What is the difference between M&E and MEL?

It's helpful for new ones in M&E.