My Communities

OHMS, in very simple terms you have summed it all. Yes, I see it as a yardstick against which to measure performance, taking corrective measures as you proceed. We must re-emphasize the issue of learning. So can we add that the M& E plan is not cast in stone and is iterative just as the M&E process itself should be?

I just want to add that in a project, there are several stakeholders including the beneficiaries. Therefore we ought to mention also how M&E is relevant to such stakeholders. The communities need to know how beneficial the project is to them, they need to be involved (active participation) among other things.

@Course_Operations said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think that you should create an M&E plan because there would likely seems to be a high reporting burden from your donor since you are dealing with finance. Therefore, you would need to adopt differing methods and standards of documentation and management of data.
More so, you need to also clarify on the roles and responsibilities of personnel involved in data production and management since challenges may come on areas such as;

• Poor and incomplete recording of data at service delivery points,
• Lack of documented guidance on how to access well documented data from the producers
• Lack of documented guidance on how to preserve, transmit and report data produced
  Towards addressing this challenges, this M&E Plan will;

1. Harmonize your data management procedures to ensure efficiency and effective coordination.
2. Enhance complete and good quality program data
3. provide guidance on how to access data from the producers
4. Provide guidance on how to adequately document program data produced.
   If the guidance provided above is dully followed, you would not have challenges in measuring who to give the loan or How much you will give each of the beneficiary. This is because, if the data generated from the process if factual, you will analyse the reality from the data generated to ascertain who to give and how much you will give a particular beneficiary base on her information gathered.

I totally agree with this facts stated here.

@Course_Operations said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

Respond to this prompt after completing the content in Module 1.

Imagine that you are GOOD’s project manager. You are trying to convince MEH’s project manager to create an M&E plan. In the discussion forum, explain what you would you say to MEH’s project manager.

Sample Post: I think that you should create an M&E plan because __________ .

Respond to at least two of your peers’ messages. Which of the reasons for starting an M&E plan do you find the most convincing? Are there any other reasons for starting an M&E plan that your peer has missed?
I think that you should create an M&E plan because you will be very limited in your success if you don't have clearly defined goals and well stated measures or methods to achieve your goals.
Like others have said you won't be able to effectively measure the amount of change or good you have done, which can in turn affect the response of donors without an M&E

@Course_Operations said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

Respond to this prompt after completing the content in Module 1.

Imagine that you are GOOD’s project manager. You are trying to convince MEH’s project manager to create an M&E plan. In the discussion forum, explain what you would you say to MEH’s project manager.

Sample Post: I think that you should create an M&E plan because __________ .

Respond to at least two of your peers’ messages. Which of the reasons for starting an M&E plan do you find the most convincing? Are there any other reasons for starting an M&E plan that your peer has missed?
I think you should create an M&E plan because it will help you set realistic and well defined goals and to decide on effective strategies that will be used for implementation. That way your goals do not seem ambiguous, rather they appear more achieveable.
Furthermore it helps you to monitor your progress, hence giving you a better reception with donors.

M&E is important because it gives your project a focus and helps account to doners. It also helps reduce wastage.

I think you should create a M&E plan. This is important to help you track progress made, you will develop indicators that when measured will help you report effectiveness on project performance to your donors.

Hello All, My name is Jimi. In my opinion, I would want to talk to MEH about his short term and long term goals. And from there we would draw out a logistic framework and theory of change

I think that you should create an M&E Plan so you will be guided with the current/ongoing status and performance of your project. This way, you will have a clear picture of where your project is at vis-a-vis targets throughout its life span. having an M&E Plan will give you just enough knowledge of your indicator performance; which ones are moving at an expected pace and those who aren't so you can make evidence-based decisions for adjustments and adaptations.

I would explain to them that having a M&E plan is like building a house. You have the house architectural plans and you know what your goal is. However in order for you to build the house you need to know what steps to take in which sequence in order to reach the goal. For instance if you build the house but no foundation, your house will fall. If you did however a tool to monitor your steps, you would know that you missed a critical step.

@samsmt said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think that you should create an M&E plan because creating M&P plans enable your team to coordinate program reports in ways that will meet donors' needs that justify the impact of the program. M&E plans will enable your organisation to select standard indicators that will define clear measurement tools and obtain quality data for decision making. It will also establish both routine and long-term measures of your programpoo progress. Formulating M&E plans will enable your team to define strategy that provides an overview of key issues to consider when challenges occur.

Nicely said! Also it gives team members a form of accountability. Secondly, team members may not have the goal or vision 100% accurate, with a M&E plan, you can guide them to the end goal.

Tracking your progress is a massively important part of your M&E plan! Also allows you to know what steps to take and what is coming up so your team can be more proactive then reactive.

@Course_Operations said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

Respond to this prompt after completing the content in Module 1.
Imagine that you are GOOD’s project manager. You are trying to convince MEH’s project manager to create an M&E plan. In the discussion forum, explain what you would you say to MEH’s project manager.
Sample Post: I think that you should create an M&E plan because __________ .

I think you should prepare a M&E plan because, it will let you understand how the changes in outcomes can be directly linked to a project’s interventions. M&E will hence help you streamline your project, based on situation and dynamics from time to time, and direct it towards your project goal. Monitoring is equally important as Evaluation. Monitoring will give you very detailed capacity to track progress, and later culminate towards changes that impact people's lives holistically. Evaluation with the help of monitoring will let you know how effective your Micro-loans activities have been over period of time, has it changed the lives of these young girls?

@1976_Fred said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think it is important to create an M&E plan because the plan will serve as a dashboard of the project. All activities that will be implemented, will be monitored by the indicators embedded in the plan. The success of the project will lie in strict follow-up and implementation of the same plan. Should any unplanned event occur, the plan will be able to capture it when time for evaluation comes. A project that doesn't have nor refer to their M&E plan, will be implementing activities without proper direction and will be devoid to failing.

While the project will fail without direction, it will not learn to identify mistakes, adapt to changes as a project implementation has to face various unexpected dynamics.

@Saleeman said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think that you should create an M&E plan because creating the plan make the project easier and faster. Doing this you will have to get an M&E officer to help you monitor i.e He/She will help to collect project information (data) regularly which will help you to measure the progress of the project and also help you evaluate how the project have achieve it goals.

Not to mention, it will improve scope of creating an impact and act on quick improvements where the project seems to have gaps.

@Holuwer2bi said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

@LunaMichel said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

In my opinion you should create an M&E plan because, it is a great tool you can use to have a continuous knowledge about the things you can improve or change in order to achieve the objectives and goals for your project. And it will provide the necessary information for reports you should do to the people involved in the project.

This is basically the sum up for having an m& e plan. Good one.

The M&E plan will actually help to impact the lives of beneficiaries in addition to just achieving objectives and goals.

@Quraish_sserwanja said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

M&E plan will help MEH to know if it is reaching its targets, using resources efficiently and identify challenges and successes and whether they are achieving what they planned

Hello Quraish_sserwanja, hope you're doing ok, I agree with you, M&E plan will also help MEH to track performance overtime, and help for decision making.

I think you should create an M&E plan not only to show it to your donor. This is because an M&E plan helps you track your progress as well on how distant or close you are in attaining your desired goal.
This plan is a map showing you and on which you can reflect on activities you need to implement to achieve your goal.

@timsinapragya said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

@Holuwer2bi said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

@LunaMichel said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

In my opinion you should create an M&E plan because, it is a great tool you can use to have a continuous knowledge about the things you can improve or change in order to achieve the objectives and goals for your project. And it will provide the necessary information for reports you should do to the people involved in the project.

This is basically the sum up for having an m& e plan. Good one.

The M&E plan will actually help to impact the lives of beneficiaries in addition to just achieving objectives and goals.

First of all, M&E plan is important to assess that your project or program activities have been achieved the project's objectives. from your M&E plan you will understand what changes needed to be made and make informed decision accordingly

@BLUESKY said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I just want to add that in a project, there are several stakeholders including the beneficiaries. Therefore we ought to mention also how M&E is relevant to such stakeholders. The communities need to know how beneficial the project is to them, they need to be involved (active participation) among other things.

I agree with you @BLUESKY, M&E is helpful for building accountability towards your stakeholders and donors. It's also crucial to involve beneficiaries to validate data and to understand easily what needed for them.

@samsmt said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

'The impact you want to see' is one good reason to develop a M&E plan. Its more like a tool that gives you the overview of project

Yeah @samsmt, it really gives you an overview of your project's progress, and make informed decision about the effectiveness of your project..

1. It will give a clear indication to the donors about the aim and objective of the project.
2. It will help the team to chart out outcomes and success indicators.
3. It will help in collecting data for the project.
4. It will help in track performance of the project.
5. It will help in making informed decisions and avoid bias.
6. It will ensure efficient use of resources.
7. It will help in assessing impact of the project.

@arianna_molino said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

Good morning Manager,

I think that it is a good idea to develop a M&E plan because of the following reasons:

1. Communication: having data about the performance will help to communicate to external stakeholders the results, engage the society and so be more appealing for funding
2. Project management: having processes for collecting data in a structural way help to have under control the programme, so detect the risks and mitigate them accordingly on time
3. Motivation tool: designing appropriately the KPIs of the programme can also help to motivate the employees to achieve the objectives as they can see tangible/measurable results
4. Performance tool: having a performance system will help the management team to reward employees based on performance and so push for meritocracy
5. Continuous Improvement: monitoring the processes and the results help to detect pain points and potential improvements of the programme, so it can be a tool for fostering a bigger impact

For the reasons above I believe it is critical to discuss together a share plan for M&E and agree on it with the team.

In brief you have covered the vital points and also given the key headings for better assimilation. Besides other aspects, one key to success is motivation of the team, especially for projects of longer duration.

@haivancpo said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think you should have a clear M&E plan with measuring indicators on which you will know how the Project is running. It is also useful for reporting periodically or ad hoc. The M&E plan helps you to improve the Project and withdraw experienced lessons for next step/year.

Learning from experiences should be a continuous process but constantly working to improve the project with the help of measuring indicators will be the key for success for the ongoing project.

@Course_Operations said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

Respond to this prompt after completing the content in Module 1.

Imagine that you are GOOD’s project manager. You are trying to convince MEH’s project manager to create an M&E plan. In the discussion forum, explain what you would you say to MEH’s project manager.

Sample Post: I think that you should create an M&E plan because __________ .

Respond to at least two of your peers’ messages. Which of the reasons for starting an M&E plan do you find the most convincing? Are there any other reasons for starting an M&E plan that your peer has missed?

I think you should create an M&E plan because it will give you a road map to the success of the project. It will also help to measure its success and communicate it to donos for continuous funding.

@NitinPant said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

1. It will give a clear indication to the donors about the aim and objective of the project.
2. It will help the team to chart out outcomes and success indicators.
3. It will help in collecting data for the project.
4. It will help in track performance of the project.
5. It will help in making informed decisions and avoid bias.
6. It will ensure efficient use of resources.
7. It will help in assessing impact of the project.

I agree with you @NitinPant must especially it defines the processes and procedures of the activities towards the success of the project for better communication to stakeholders.

@LawalGodwin said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

Good Day Gentlemen and Ladies, I think M& E is very important in this type of project

@LawalGodwin, hope you're fine, M&E is a tool that help you to collecting project information regularly to measure your effectiveness of your project or program, and help you to track performance overtime. That's why I agree with you that M&E is very important in that type of project as for decision making.

@NitinPant said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

@haivancpo said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think you should have a clear M&E plan with measuring indicators on which you will know how the Project is running. It is also useful for reporting periodically or ad hoc. The M&E plan helps you to improve the Project and withdraw experienced lessons for next step/year.

Learning from experiences should be a continuous process but constantly working to improve the project with the help of measuring indicators will be the key for success for the ongoing project.

@haivancpo I agree with you because having key indicators and following due process can lead to the success of the project for better communication to the donors and other stakeholders.

MEH
Project Manager,
Hi,
I think you need a M&E plan because it will help to ensure the project is on the right track on a timely basis. Having a M&E would also ensure that the project is effective and resources are used efficiently. The project performance would be high with M&E due to regular checks with planned performance and actual performance, discrepancies would be addressed as they arise and all necessary adjustments effected. M&E ensures the smooth running of the project and achievement of its objectives.

@NitinPant said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

@haivancpo said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think you should have a clear M&E plan with measuring indicators on which you will know how the Project is running. It is also useful for reporting periodically or ad hoc. The M&E plan helps you to improve the Project and withdraw experienced lessons for next step/year.

Learning from experiences should be a continuous process but constantly working to improve the project with the help of measuring indicators will be the key for success for the ongoing project

thanks i have learnt a lot from your contribution

@Saleeman said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think that you should create an M&E plan because creating the plan make the project easier and faster. Doing this you will have to get an M&E officer to help you monitor i.e He/She will help to collect project information (data) regularly which will help you to measure the progress of the project and also help you evaluate how the project have achieve it goals.

In addition, It helps in measuring the impact of the project to the targeted population. Has the project affected the beneficiaries negatively or positively? If it has affected them negatively, how can the project be improved going forward.

I think M&E helps to figure out the following:

• Ground realities
• Issues while implementing the project
• Hint to possible solutions
• Helps to chalk out improvement plans or mitigation methods
• Gives an over view of risks associated

@BitrusItatuwaMadaki said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

@NitinPant said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

@haivancpo said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think you should have a clear M&E plan with measuring indicators on which you will know how the Project is running. It is also useful for reporting periodically or ad hoc. The M&E plan helps you to improve the Project and withdraw experienced lessons for next step/year.

Learning from experiences should be a continuous process but constantly working to improve the project with the help of measuring indicators will be the key for success for the ongoing project.

@haivancpo I agree with you because having key indicators and following due process can lead to the success of the project for better communication to the donors and other stakeholders.

Agree

@NitinPant said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

@haivancpo said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think you should have a clear M&E plan with measuring indicators on which you will know how the Project is running. It is also useful for reporting periodically or ad hoc. The M&E plan helps you to improve the Project and withdraw experienced lessons for next step/year.

Learning from experiences should be a continuous process but constantly working to improve the project with the help of measuring indicators will be the key for success for the ongoing project.

It helps you to analyze the risk associated and then mitigate them

An M and E plan should be created because it gives insight on the progress and effectiveness of a project.

I think that you should create an M&E plan because it helps to provide recommendations and lessons to the project manager and implementation teams

@Course_Operations said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

Respond to this prompt after completing the content in Module 1.
Imagine that you are GOOD’s project manager. You are trying to convince MEH’s project manager to create an M&E plan. In the discussion forum, explain what you would you say to MEH’s project manager.
Sample Post: I think that you should create an M&E plan because __________ .
Respond to at least two of your peers’ messages. Which of the reasons for starting an M&E plan do you find the most convincing? Are there any other reasons for starting an M&E plan that your peer has missed?

I think he should create M&E Plan as it help to track the project progress and results.

Because If you have M&E Plans so

1. You know about your goals and your team also know about the goals & targets.
2. You are able to set the deadline.
3. All team members would aware that how they will do their work
4. Field Officer / supervisor would be able to maintain record of every action pf progress
5. You are able to monitor & evaluate that how many targets have been achieved.
6. You can get beneficiary's feed back about their lives and thinking about the project.
   Then, you can prepare comprehensive report regarding the project.

@oolacosmas said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

Good morning/Afternoon or Evening whatever time it is, Manager i was thinking you should create an M&E plan because;- assess the stakeholders’ understanding of the project;
-You will be able minimize the risk of project failure;
-Promote systematic and professional management; and
-Assess progress in implementation.
-It will assists you to determine the degree of achievement of the objectives.
-Determine and identify the problems associated with programme planning and implementation.
-It will generate data that allows for cumulative learning which, in turn, contributes to better designed
programmes, improved management and a better assessment of their impact.
-It assists in the reformulation of objectives, policies, and strategies in projects

I think you should develop an M&E plan because it will help you to select indicators that you and your team can use to measure your progress in the course of your project execution. Secondly, you need to create an M&E plan because it will build confidence in prospective funders and partners about your project.

I think that you should create an M & E plan because it will help to assess the progress, impact and success of the project.
it will also enable the donor to want to continue funding the project.
it will also help you to make right decisions

@NitinPant said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

1. It will give a clear indication to the donors about the aim and objective of the project.
2. It will help the team to chart out outcomes and success indicators.
3. It will help in collecting data for the project.
4. It will help in track performance of the project.
5. It will help in making informed decisions and avoid bias.
6. It will ensure efficient use of resources.
7. It will help in assessing impact of the project.

you are correct

@timsinapragya said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

@1976_Fred said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think it is important to create an M&E plan because the plan will serve as a dashboard of the project. All activities that will be implemented, will be monitored by the indicators embedded in the plan. The success of the project will lie in strict follow-up and implementation of the same plan. Should any unplanned event occur, the plan will be able to capture it when time for evaluation comes. A project that doesn't have nor refer to their M&E plan, will be implementing activities without proper direction and will be devoid to failing.

While the project will fail without direction, it will not learn to identify mistakes, adapt to changes as a project implementation has to face various unexpected dynamics.

You are right

A plan must be written that represents the final goal of the project. This is fundamental for the planning of any enterprise that involves changes in the management of resources. The plan should not be a total transformation of the beneficiaries, according to our own schemes, but a commitment on feasible actions in the short and medium term to approach the vision embodied in the management plan.

@Ayanfe said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

@Course_Operations said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think that you should create an M&E plan because there is great need to monitor the progress of the program and this can only be achieved if there are some standards set to which progress are to be monitored. With the help of M&E, indicators of things going wrong (against the set-out plan(s)) can be easily be discovered and an immediate solution can be proffer. Also M&E gives correct progress report that can boost the morale of the sponsors to want to go on with the program.

Also, A management control system based on indicators requires people convinced of the advantages and benefits of having an information system with indicators for decision making, that are willing to take concrete actions for its design, formulation, generation, analysis and interpretation.

Monitoring and evaluation are continuous processes that occur throughout the execution period of a project. To be more effective, monitoring and evaluation should be planned in the design phase of the project and should be calculated and allocated in advance, financial time and staff required.

@LawalGodwin said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

Good Day Gentlemen and Ladies, I think M& E is very important in this type of project

Monitoring and evaluation are continuous processes that occur throughout the execution period of a project. To be more effective, monitoring and evaluation should be planned in the design phase of the project and should be calculated and allocated in advance, financial time and staff required.

@zheenbekovb said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

@oolacosmas said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

Good morning/Afternoon or Evening whatever time it is, Manager i was thinking you should create an M&E plan because;- assess the stakeholders’ understanding of the project;
-You will be able minimize the risk of project failure;
-Promote systematic and professional management; and
-Assess progress in implementation.
-It will assists you to determine the degree of achievement of the objectives.
-Determine and identify the problems associated with programme planning and implementation.
-It will generate data that allows for cumulative learning which, in turn, contributes to better designed
programmes, improved management and a better assessment of their impact.
-It assists in the reformulation of objectives, policies, and strategies in projects

Absolutely agree with you! I think you have provided important statements for project management!

You are right,
And also, Monitoring and evaluation are continuous processes that occur throughout the execution period of a project. To be more effective, monitoring and evaluation should be planned in the design phase of the project and should be calculated and allocated in advance, financial time and staff required.

I think you should start creating a M&E plan in order to determine whether your goals and objectives match with the goals of the girls you are trying to help. A M&E plan in important to determine the success of your project both for you as an organization and for the people you are trying to help. A M&E plan will allow you to identify misses and successes in an early stage, which allow you to adapt activities in order to meet the goals and objectives set in the first place.

@Otiti said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think you should create an M&E plan to help you to identify the indicators and possible strategies for collecting data which is essential for our reporting and grant application. The plan highlights what should be measure, how it should measured,, people involved in the measurement and how long it should take for you to first.

I think you should create an M&E plan to assist you know which data to collect, how to collect and what will be done with the information collected. M&E plan will help you coordinate your teams roles and responsibilities, each member will be assigned to a task, set defined activities with their start and end dates. Thus it will help to measure project progress towards project goals, know when there is a deviation and take corrective actions.

I think that you should create an M&E plan because it will show your donors the real impact that you are creating within the world of microloans. Donors want to see their money at work, and they want to make sure their money is going towards a worthy cause. An M&E plan will also allow you to see if you are keeping in line with your overall mission of the microloan program. The M&E plan may disprove the bias that your organization holds about the women in your program, and it may give you the chance the rethink your strategies.

@NJERI_KARIUKI said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

The MEH manager should prepare a M &E plan so as to be able to measure the progress of the project and be in a position to make informed decisions that are in line with the objectives and expected outcomes of the project

I think this is an excellent reason for an M&E plan. If your program is not in line with the objectives, then the organization should reconsider their outcomes. I would also recommend using the M&E program to relay that information to donors, both present and future. Thanks for your post.

@martin76 said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think that you should create an M&E plan because it will enable you to assign tasks to systematically collect data and analyze for you to know if the project in meeting its intended objectives

This is an excellent reason for creating an M&E plan. The program needs to meet the desired outcomes, and if it doesn't, then it is back to the drawing board. It is also important for donors to know how the program is going, and I think an M&E program really helps relay that message. Thanks for your post.

I think you should create a M&E plan because it enables you to:
(a) Collect information a that will help you to measure the progress of your project activities as well track your performance over the period of project implementation
(b) Help you make important decisions to influence the effectiveness of the project and efficient use of resources.
(c) Help you determine whether the project objectives have been achieved and whether the outcomes can be attributed to the project implementation
(d) Help remove bias since bias would not be supported by the information that would have been gathered through M&E.
(e) Help you determine the success of the project in influencing outcomes, which is important when seeking further funding.
AYANFE also raised important issues of M&E plan allowing flexibility for making adjustment when things go wrong during project implementation.

@jkurama said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think you should create an M&E plan because,
It will clearly define what your project goals are and what you need to be measuring exactly like, the how many girl have got loans in 6 months, the M&E plan also helps to track the progress of the project and the direction its taking which helps to catch anything not going according to plan and rectify it immediately. An M&E Plan also helps measuring success of the project.

In addition to that, the M&E plan woul help serve as a means to funding and financial transparency.

@Course_Operations said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

Respond to this prompt after completing the content in Module 1.

Imagine that you are GOOD’s project manager. You are trying to convince MEH’s project manager to create an M&E plan. In the discussion forum, explain what you would you say to MEH’s project manager.

Sample Post: I think that you should create an M&E plan because __________ .

Respond to at least two of your peers’ messages. Which of the reasons for starting an M&E plan do you find the most convincing? Are there any other reasons for starting an M&E plan that your peer has missed?

I would say I think you should create a M&E plan because it helps in tracking the projects activities and to identify the variations between the actual progress against the planned one .M&E will help in making projects reports which will be required by the project sponsors to check if the funds are managed effectively and efficiently.

I think that you should create M&E plan because it will help you measure the process of your input as well measure the success of your outcome. It will also unveil any deficiency that you might have incurred your project. This will enable optimise the limited resources provided for the project.

M&E
In addition to the above points, I think that creating an M&E plan will also allow the project to generate evidence of the effectiveness of the micro loan program. That could be measured by creating goals and outputs that relate to the micro loan program success. Success could be measured by showing correlation between the girls receiving micro loans and their short and long term profits from the loans.
M&E could be a very effective tool to measure the rate of return of the micro loans and thus analyze if this program is actually a useful tool for reduction of poverty and small business creation.

Similar to DarcyGray, and other comments above, I think you should create an M&E plan because with a plan, you can communicate to your donors the successes (or failures) you have. Without those, you may not have a chance of maintaining or increasing funding. Providing convincing statistics in reports and proposals helps ensure you’ll continue to be funded. Further, you have a better chance of reevaluating your programs efficiently and effectively when you have a clear picture of how they are progressing.

Great points! I never thought of these.

Thanks for writing this! Super easy to explain to someone when written out like this.

For the MEH project, it needs to define the M&E plan, otherwise it will be difficult for the project manager to asses the progress and impact of the project. At first the project manager should define the goal of the project, otherwise it will be like firing in the dark. the goal of the project might be "improve the socio-economic status of the local girls'. the second most important thing is to choose/finalize the area where the project will be implemented, it will give the idea of spread of the work. it will cover 10 ultra-poor Kenyan villages in northern (no idea of Kenyan geographical areas) Kenya. Under this project, small amounts of money as loans will be distributed to 750 girls aged of 15-18 in the selected 10 villages. As part of designing the M&E matrix, a baseline study should be conducted to understand the current socio-economic status of the 10 ultra-poor villages. this study will measure:

I think that is good to create an M&E Plan because it will help them to assess project result on how objectives are being met and resulting in desired changes. They will improve projects management and process planning.They will also learn how to what is working and what is not working. They will understands different stakeholders perspectives

i think that you should create the M and E plan of you organization because it will help you to see the progress of you activities and help you to evaluate the success of you project at any time comparing to you objectives and if something is wrong, you can bring modifications to improve you results.

i think by creating M&E you will be able to see the progress and see whether the project is viable and helpful to these girls ,you will be able to realize the weakness and also the strength of this project and be able to have collective measures where necessary.

I feel M&E Plans will help the team to identify and put in catergorise which data is most valuable to the project so together the team can provide the necessary data to guide their strategic planning, and implement it to have a successful project

I feel M&E Plans will help the team to identify and put in catergorise which data is most valuable to the project so together the team can provide the necessary data to guide their strategic planning, and implement it to have a successful project

The M&E plan is very cardinal as it will help you

1. define the confinement of your activities.

2. assess the impact of the activities

3. create a system of collection, analysis, storage and use of the data collected.

4. Influence decision maker in the next step: is the project in right direction? is the project achieving its intended Objectives?

5. Provide regular feedback to the implementers of the activities

6. evaluate the impact of the project and help in formulation of recommendations.

I'll advice him to assign roles and responsibilities of each project staff member in data collection and management.

It is essential that a M&E framework should be conceptualised for every project that shall be undertaken. In the case of our MEH project, such as an framework can create survey tools for the demographic it is targeting, to find out whether the project plan is even implementable to the concerned group. Furthermore, data collection will give a better understanding of the cultural, geographic, and a socio-economic profile of our stakeholders. The team then can chalk out a proper plan to deal with the future obstacles they can face, and figure out a feasible action which will benefit the entire project. If the aforementioned steps are properly followed, it will be more pragmatic as well as convenient for the investors and even local authorities to get a feel of the level of effectiveness of the project, and thus can result in their increased interest and cooperation.

@darcygray said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think you should create an M & E plan because it will allow you to communicate the success of your project to donors, which will allow you to continue to get funded. The chances of receiving continued funding for the project would be greatly reduced if you cannot provide convincing stats in your reports and proposals. Furthermore, constructing an MEL plan will help you to weigh the pros and cons of different indicators that your team is debating.

I completely agree with the what @darcygray has to say about the importance of M&E, a learned, cleverly structured progression of a plan is key to a project's success. And of course, without proper strategies being utilised the project can crumble even before it plant it roots.

@Otiti said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think you should create an M&E plan to help you to identify the indicators and possible strategies for collecting data which is essential for our reporting and grant application. The plan highlights what should be measure, how it should measured,, people involved in the measurement and how long it should take for you to first.

Absolutely. Proper delegation and tentative assumption of how long the deadline shall be is prime to getting a project to its success.

I think M& E plan is very essential, it serve as a measuring stick for the project

In measuring the progress of this projects M&E are very important .

@MichaelTomoriBPharmMScMPH said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

@darcygray said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think you should create an M & E plan because it will allow you to communicate the success of your project to donors, which will allow you to continue to get funded. The chances of receiving continued funding for the project would be greatly reduced if you cannot provide convincing stats in your reports and proposals. Furthermore, constructing an MEL plan will help you to weigh the pros and cons of different indicators that your team is debating.

i agree with Darcygray, in addition to what he posted that is apart from communicating the success of your project to donors, it is also a way of ensuring accountability to funders. it will also show case the collection, collation and reporting of program reports and how your program will ensure timeliness and completeness of report to the funders

I strongly agree to your proposal, as a Project Manager, the key ingredient to the success of any project is to have a clear M& E plan. It guides you to check on whether one is on course or not in terms of meeting the project goals .
Key to it too is the fact that stakeholders or funders will surely follow on how their resources are being used . As a project manager you must make sure that resources and used in an efficient manger and project activities have to be effectively implemented to ensure a success.
Last but not the least you as Project Manager will have a clear indication on when and who interventions must be applied

TO find viability of any particular project you need to do evaluation and ensure what you had planned is achieve and if not achieved you measure and established the reasons why it was not possible .This will enables you to do a monitoring exercise to see the progress of that project.

M&E plan is crated at the beginning of any project. It is important to develop and M&E plan because:
it provides a way to assess the crucial link between implementer and beneficiaries on the ground and decision-makers;
M&E plan Clarifies program objectives, Links activities and their resources to objectives, Translates objectives into performance indicators and sets targets, Routinely collects data on these indicators, compares actual results with targets

And Reports progress to managers and alerts them to problems

M&E Plan gives information on where a policy, program or project is at any given time (or over time) relative to respective targets and outcomes. Monitoring focuses in particular on efficiency, and the use of resources.

@NJERI_KARIUKI said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

The MEH manager should prepare a M &E plan so as to be able to measure the progress of the project and be in a position to make informed decisions that are in line with the objectives and expected outcomes of the project

I agree with you Njeri. that is collect

@oolacosmas said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

Good morning/Afternoon or Evening whatever time it is, Manager i was thinking you should create an M&E plan because;- assess the stakeholders’ understanding of the project;
-You will be able minimize the risk of project failure;
-Promote systematic and professional management; and
-Assess progress in implementation.
-It will assists you to determine the degree of achievement of the objectives.
-Determine and identify the problems associated with programme planning and implementation.
-It will generate data that allows for cumulative learning which, in turn, contributes to better designed
programmes, improved management and a better assessment of their impact.
-It assists in the reformulation of objectives, policies, and strategies in projects

M&E is use to know the whole project progress .

I agree with you .

Hello Project Manager,

I believe it's essential that you create a M&E plan, this step will identify gaps within the project and allow you to make changes to avoid shortfalls along the way. This will enable you to evaluate if you are on course and within project's budgetary constraints.

Hello Project Manager,

I believe it's essential that you develop an M&E plan for your project because it will allow you to stay within budgetary constraints, you will be able to evaluate the progress of the project and determine if you are on the right track within the objective. M&E plan will also identify gaps that must be addressed and also allow you to apply contigency plan to mitigate failures.

@ronaldwasswa said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I'll advice him to assign roles and responsibilities of each project staff member in data collection and management.

Yes I agree that assigning roles and responsibilities to each project staff is important, but personally developing the M&E plan and utilizing it to track project progress is essential. It will allow the Project Manager to monitor cost and also stay within the project's timeline.

@Ajiri said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

MEH
Project Manager,
Hi,
I think you need a M&E plan because it will help to ensure the project is on the right track on a timely basis. Having a M&E would also ensure that the project is effective and resources are used efficiently. The project performance would be high with M&E due to regular checks with planned performance and actual performance, discrepancies would be addressed as they arise and all necessary adjustments effected. M&E ensures the smooth running of the project and achievement of its objectives.

I agree with your advice, I think creating an M&E plan also give you the visibility on budget constraints, and allows you to redirect resources to where it's needed the most.

I think you should create an M&E plan because it helps you accomplish the following:

•To ensure the project is achieving set target.
• To generate credible data which can be presented to donors at defined interval to ensure sustained interest in the project and subsequent funding.
• To determine problems associated with program formulation, planning and implementation and subsequent reformation of strategies.
• To clearly organize, designate roles and responsibilities that M&E requires in this project.
•To generate reliable and bias free information which will be useful to the target population and general public at large.

@Course_Operations said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think that you should create an M&E plan because it will give you a better projection of what your group expect to happen in the next few years. From time to time you can also set a more realistic goals not only for your donors but also for your workers and beneficiaries.

@Toni5459 said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think you should create an M&E plan because it helps you accomplish the following:

•To ensure the project is achieving set target.
• To generate credible data which can be presented to donors at defined interval to ensure sustained interest in the project and subsequent funding.
• To determine problems associated with program formulation, planning and implementation and subsequent reformation of strategies.
• To clearly organize, designate roles and responsibilities that M&E requires in this project.
•To generate reliable and bias free information which will be useful to the target population and general public at large.

This is a well defined answer. Thank you for sharing. I definitely can use your ideas.

Accuracy;imagine guessing figures,data and reports because you are not sure of what transpired at different timings.With an M$E plan you will be accurate

@oolacosmas said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

Good morning/Afternoon or Evening whatever time it is, Manager i was thinking you should create an M&E plan because;- assess the stakeholders’ understanding of the project;
-You will be able minimize the risk of project failure;
-Promote systematic and professional management; and
-Assess progress in implementation.
-It will assists you to determine the degree of achievement of the objectives.
-Determine and identify the problems associated with programme planning and implementation.
-It will generate data that allows for cumulative learning which, in turn, contributes to better designed
programmes, improved management and a better assessment of their impact.
-It assists in the reformulation of objectives, policies, and strategies in projects

I agree with Cosmas assertion of importance of M&E.
I would like to add that a good M&E plan would also ensure the generation of credible information that would benefit the target population.

@Toni5459 said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think you should create an M&E plan because it helps you accomplish the following:

•To ensure the project is achieving set target.
• To generate credible data which can be presented to donors at defined interval to ensure sustained interest in the project and subsequent funding.
• To determine problems associated with program formulation, planning and implementation and subsequent reformation of strategies.
• To clearly organize, designate roles and responsibilities that M&E requires in this project.
•To generate reliable and bias free information which will be useful to the target population and general public at large.

perfect,thank you for sharing this

@hendersonm2 said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

Hello Project Manager,

I believe it's essential that you create a M&E plan, this step will identify gaps within the project and allow you to make changes to avoid shortfalls along the way. This will enable you to evaluate if you are on course and within project's budgetary constraints.

This answer gives importance to the bottom-line or the business growth. It is important, to also understand that no matter how good the intentions are for an organization it will also face some challenges along the way. Thank you very much for this idea.

@Otiti said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think you should create an M&E plan to help you to identify the indicators and possible strategies for collecting data which is essential for our reporting and grant application. The plan highlights what should be measure, how it should measured,, people involved in the measurement and how long it should take for you to first.

Well said mate!!
I wish to add also that M&E plan helps to clearly organize, designate roles and responsibilities that M&E requires in the entire project.

An M&E plan will help make sure data is being used efficiently to make programs as effective as possible and to be able to report on results at the end of the program.

@Course_Operations said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

Respond to this prompt after completing the content in Module 1.

Imagine that you are GOOD’s project manager. You are trying to convince MEH’s project manager to create an M&E plan. In the discussion forum, explain what you would you say to MEH’s project manager.

Sample Post: I think that you should create an M&E plan because __________ .

Respond to at least two of your peers’ messages. Which of the reasons for starting an M&E plan do you find the most convincing? Are there any other reasons for starting an M&E plan that your peer has missed?

Creating an M&E plan will help you manage the project better, helping you notice any problems that arise, and be able to find solutions for them. it will also help you as a manger, have better reports and proposals for your donors which may result to more funding.

@MEBRAH said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

i think that you should create an M&E plan because it will help to monitor the progress of the implemented project and also come up with possible methods on how to run the project effectively

M&E will also enable better reports to the donors, it will create a better team spirit since everyone knows their role.

M&E will help to keep track of activities as agreed, identify challenges and act on these timely. It saves as a constant reminder and checker whether we are doing activities we said we will be doing and whether we are achieveing the targeted outputs
This helps in learning as we implement and where necessary adjusting our project plan or design so that reality is factored in. This in turn improves project implementation and makes it tailor made to unique situations. M&E is also for accountability, the tools or supporting evidence gathered helps to prove what has been done, what wasnt done why it wasn't done etc

Dear MEH Project Manager, I think you should create an M&E plan because of two key benefits associated with both the monitoring and evaluation components of this exercise.

1. Monitoring allows you to determine REACH ( breadth and depth)
   Developing an M&E allows you to think more critically about how many beneficiaries you plan to reach and the type of beneficiaries you want to impact the most. An M&E component allows you to monitor just how many beneficiaries are being impacted by your project (breadth) as well as the characteristics (depth) of these beneficiaries- which I believe is equally important. In the case of MEH, this would be how many girls have collected loans from MEH and notable characteristics of these girls such as age, household income, family size, distance from loans facility etc. I believe this is important as it provides a comprehensive description of your beneficiaries and provides greater insight into the results of your programme. For example, you can observe any patterns that might emerge from girls from a certain background, and their likelihood of success within your programme. You can also flag the more vulnerable groups and tailor your intervention to provide a more targeted approached. And finally, a comprehensive understanding of who your targeted beneficiaries are instils more donor confidence into your organisation as it shows you've done your homework and the ability to perhaps deliver a more nuanced intervention.

2. Evaluation provides evidence of impact
   An M&E plan gives you the opportunity to clearly define your goals and identify the indicators that demonstrate success. Once you have identified these metrics, it makes it easier to collect data and provide evidence of your impact. Evidence of impact is invaluable, not only does it demonstrate that your intervention is successful, but it also tells you how successful it is or vice versa, and how to adjust accordingly. Indeed, measuring success informs decisions to scale up or down and ideas on how to make the project more effective and efficient. In addition, collecting rigorous evidence of project impact is key in attracting more funding from donors and establishing a proof-of-concept especially in the pilot phase.

@MashingaidzePain said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

M&E will help to keep track of activities as agreed, identify challenges and act on these timely. It saves as a constant reminder and checker whether we are doing activities we said we will be doing and whether we are achieveing the targeted outputs
This helps in learning as we implement and where necessary adjusting our project plan or design so that reality is factored in. This in turn improves project implementation and makes it tailor made to unique situations. M&E is also for accountability, the tools or supporting evidence gathered helps to prove what has been done, what wasnt done why it wasn't done etc

Yes, I completely agree with M&E as a great accountability tool - both externally and internally!

@hendersonm2 said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

Hello Project Manager,

I believe it's essential that you develop an M&E plan for your project because it will allow you to stay within budgetary constraints, you will be able to evaluate the progress of the project and determine if you are on the right track within the objective. M&E plan will also identify gaps that must be addressed and also allow you to apply contigency plan to mitigate failures.

I love the part about creating a contingency plan! A good M&E component can help flag problems as they arise and ensure they are dealt with in a timely manner. Thanks for sharing!