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@Marizolg12 said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

@zheenbekovb
Your last few posts pushed me to think in another direction... an M&E can also be a tool as a manager of staff. M&E can help you clearly define staff roles and tasks as part of the M&E process. You both make solid points in the importance of mapping out activities, strategies, and values. This will help delegate, which is also important in the project as a whole. Thanks!

An M&E plan will provide a clear direction to project implementation in terms of achieving project goals and meeting targets. It will provide a clearly laid down on step by step implementation of the project and the right data that should be collected.

@Frederick 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

The part of your post that struck me the most is part of the last bullet point: "the reformulation of objectives." Oftentimes, we are so focused on our original objective and molding a project or process to achieve that initial goal that we forget it's okay if our objectives and strategies need to be tweaked a bit. This is an excellent reminder that a project is in itself a process, and an M&E plan is a necessity in helping this process along.

I think that you should create an M&E plan because, it helps to monitor the progress of the project, to ensure that your project remains on the intended scope, schedules and the budget allocations accordingly. The data generated in the process helps to inform whether there's need for any change in the three components above, and generating lessons learnt.

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

@Marizolg12 said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

@zheenbekovb
Your last few posts pushed me to think in another direction... an M&E can also be a tool as a manager of staff. M&E can help you clearly define staff roles and tasks as part of the M&E process. You both make solid points in the importance of mapping out activities, strategies, and values. This will help delegate, which is also important in the project as a whole. Thanks!

I agree. The M&E is a very valuable and comprehensive tool. The fact of planning, monitoring and recording the events in a project, It assures that the data is convincing and we can use them in a personalized way to make decisions

@Kwesi1992 said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think MEH should create a M&E plan because in addition to my fellow peer's contribution it will show credibility and accountability of the project. as it stands right now MEH seems Like a dodgy project that simply got into it for the money. additionally a M&E plan will show the project's likelihood of continuity and sustenance which even though it may have does have the feasible data to support it.

Hi! I agree that it will show credibility and contribution, the fact that MEH is focused on microloans is crucial since they are lending money unlike GOOD who takes money and puts it in a safe place for investment. The difference between the two is that one of them has the risk of potentially losing tons of money while the other doesn't. Because of this, MEH can benefit from an M&E plan since it can help them gather and evaluate their inputs and outputs. This, in turn, will help them create a better plan of action and improve their ways of execution. In reality, an M&E plan can benefit tons of areas not just Non for profits such as GOOD and MEH. It can be useful for management, research, projects, and even for classroom activities and assignments.

I think you should have an M&E plan for your project, because setting up an M&E plan will give you, your team members and the stakeholders a clearer understanding of the project and it will make all of you to be on the same page. It will help you to monitor the progress and the regression of the project and also will make you to have timely, accurate and quality date on the project.

Key to this project is a working M&E plan which the organization needs in order to progress. First, the plan will help them identify on the metrics they would wan to measure and over what period of time. Further The plan will enable the organization to know the tools and methods of collecting data and the means of analyzing it. To this extent the organization can set out mitigation strategies for any notifiable problem and properly document the gain of the project for a final report.

Monitoring and Evaluation would be important for MEH since it will assist the team in weighing their input against the outcome from the whole project. In addition to the donor accountability, a proper M&E plan will be necessary to identify the success or impacts of the loans to the girls. You may find that not all the girls who are given the loans/funds start the businesses, or all businesses which are started by the funds given become successful. From this programme,its necessary to clearly define which indicators are valid in ascertaining the success of the project.

An M&E plan will eventually assist the project implementors in redesigning the approach to ensure high impact into the livelihoods of the girls rather than just giving them funds for starting up businesses without follow ups.

I think that you should create an M&E plan, because it will guide you about what are the most relevant data you should focus on collecting, on the M&E plan you will dicide about the most important indicators that are directly linked to the project's objectives that will allow you to measure the performance of your project during and at the end of the project.

@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.

This is well, in addition to this, an M&E plan should be necessary to at least understand how impactful the programme is to the girls and if need be, then a better approach could be reconsidered.

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

@Kwesi1992 said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think MEH should create a M&E plan because in addition to my fellow peer's contribution it will show credibility and accountability of the project. as it stands right now MEH seems Like a dodgy project that simply got into it for the money. additionally a M&E plan will show the project's likelihood of continuity and sustenance which even though it may have does have the feasible data to support it.

Hi! I agree that it will show credibility and contribution, the fact that MEH is focused on microloans is crucial since they are lending money unlike GOOD who takes money and puts it in a safe place for investment. The difference between the two is that one of them has the risk of potentially losing tons of money while the other doesn't. Because of this, MEH can benefit from an M&E plan since it can help them gather and evaluate their inputs and outputs. This, in turn, will help them create a better plan of action and improve their ways of execution. In reality, an M&E plan can benefit tons of areas not just Non for profits such as GOOD and MEH. It can be useful for management, research, projects, and even for classroom activities and assignments.

I totally agree with both of you and addition to that M&E plan will help MEH to gather baseline information about their beneficiaries which will help the project to measure it impact at the end of the project.

I think you should create an M & E plan for the following purposes;

• To ensure effective and efficient use of resources and provide accountability to donors
• To make decisions about project management and service delivery
• To assess whether the project has achieved its objectives or not
• To learn from program activities and provide information to design future projects
• To assist in program improvement

Because it help them to know how to collect and use data.They will be also be able to measure the progress of their activities over time.Here they can ascertain if the project objectives have been attained.

Hello sir / Ma'am,
There are so many importance of M & E plan which helps us to make our project successful in a given time interval.
The basis for the good monitoring and evaluation is a planned program.
First if you have the research problem then you will need to find out the magnitude of the problem, distribution of the problem and the risk factors associated with the problems.
For this exercise you will need a M & E plan to overcome this problem.

Thank you...!!!

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

I think you should develope an M & E plan First of all, because its important for you to assess that your project

I think you should develope an M & E plan First of all, because its important for you to assess how far and how well your project is doing

I should create a baseline M&E plan for the life cycle of the programme

Creating an M&E plan is very essential for an organization as it helps it to measure its performance, appropriate use of the allocated resources/funds for the project and also collate data that can show either success or failure of the given project. The bottom line of the M&E plan is also to help an organization maintain good reputation and attract more funding from donors as the performance of project is evidence-based especially when using the M&E tools.

Importance of M&E is tat one can be able to step by step assess the progress of their project. it helps one to collect relevant Data that can be used for M&E. Without M&E one is like a blind person and cannot clearly know where they are heading to. Most projects donors would require progress reports which can easily be created uing data collected under M&E

@Tonyful 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.

Good day! I think an M&E, of course, will allow you to communicate the success of your organization; but, that is if at all the story is a success story - it could as well be a failure, in which case you are still bound to submit such. In creating an M& E plan, the plan or focus should rather be on the goals and progress of MEH, and it's effect in real-time on its beneficiaries. Only when these aspects are duly monitored and evaluated can MEH hope for a good success story.

I think also in the event where the project is not achieving its goal or not doing well a M&E plan can quickly point at this in order ether to rectify or stop the project before more loss of funds is uncured

In addition to donors, the beneficiaries might also want to be convinced that indeed there are some positive changes ( Impacts) by the project, M&E can be used to sow proof under these circumstances

I think that you should create an M&E plan because it helps you track the number of girls receiving the loans, know the businesses they are undertaking monitor their progress in the businesses and evaluate possible hitches or problems encountered and how to intervene

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

I think you should create an M & E plan for the following purposes;

• To ensure effective and efficient use of resources and provide accountability to donors
• To make decisions about project management and service delivery
• To assess whether the project has achieved its objectives or not
• To learn from program activities and provide information to design future projects
• To assist in program improvement

I agree with you

I think that I can create an M & N plan because, it will help to find out way to monitor what happens ‘around the project’. For instance, we can elaborate on a strategy able to prove that not only these students are learning how to use new software, but also that by acquiring a new skill the quality of their lives is somehow improving.

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

Importance of M&E is tat one can be able to step by step assess the progress of their project. it helps one to collect relevant Data that can be used for M&E. Without M&E one is like a blind person and cannot clearly know where they are heading to. Most projects donors would require progress reports which can easily be created uing data collected under M&E

In this case, this case, I guess the data of the number of girls and age bracket should be determined. this forms the basis of the data and as the donors requires report on how the money is going

Monitoring and evaluation are important because they can provide:

• Evidence of how much has been or not been achieved
• Highlight problems
• Allow to implement corrective actions
• Determine achievement of results

The intention is to provide information that is credible and useful enabling incorporation of lessons learned into decision making processes.

@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 to measure your day to day progress in achieving your set goals, also it will help in identifying loopholes and seek correction(s) or ways to improve, it can help in progress report writing especially to the donors for continue release of fund.

I think it is good to create an M&E plan so that it will be a guide during project implementation and it will also assist during measurement of progress and resources allocation.

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

Creating an M&E plan is very essential for an organization as it helps it to measure its performance, appropriate use of the allocated resources/funds for the project and also collate data that can show either success or failure of the given project. The bottom line of the M&E plan is also to help an organization maintain good reputation and attract more funding from donors as the performance of project is evidence-based especially when using the M&E tools.

Nice one, very educating

@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.

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• bolded text**

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

I think you should create an M & E plan for the following purposes;

• To ensure effective and efficient use of resources and provide accountability to donors
• To make decisions about project management and service delivery
• To assess whether the project has achieved its objectives or not
• To learn from program activities and provide information to design future projects
• To assist in program improvement

Good one, and I also think it can also help in sourcing fund for the project attracting more partners.

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

I think that I can create an M & N plan because, it will help to find out way to monitor what happens ‘around the project’. For instance, we can elaborate on a strategy able to prove that not only these students are learning how to use new software, but also that by acquiring a new skill the quality of their lives is somehow improving.

Good one, and I also think it can also help in sourcing fund for the project attracting more partners.

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.

I think you should create an M&E plan because it will help the project to be mo effective and efficient, to be able to determine the achievements the project has made and to make improvements as necessary.

@malq92 said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think you should create an M&E plan because it will help the project to be mo effective and efficient, to be able to determine the achievements the project has made and to make improvements as necessary.

That's a great motive, is very important to maintain effectiveness and efficiency in the moment of developing a project!

@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.

I love the point you make about continuous knowledge of the results of my project, and the importance of reports that will help the project work more effective and able to accomplish its goal or make it better.

@Joseph88 said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

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

I think you should create an M & E plan for the following purposes;

• To ensure effective and efficient use of resources and provide accountability to donors
• To make decisions about project management and service delivery
• To assess whether the project has achieved its objectives or not
• To learn from program activities and provide information to design future projects
• To assist in program improvement

Good one, and I also think it can also help in sourcing fund for the project attracting more partners.

I think all of those points are great!

I like the fact that making and M&E will help communicate better to donors and make the work be more objective and purposely.

I think that you should create an M&E plan because, it helps to measure the progress of the project mostly by taking proper record and collection of vital information. It will also tell you how successful the project can be and most importantly gives clue when the project is not going the right way,so you can make necessary changes and adjustments quickly and be on track of your set objectives.

@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.

Thanks for this piece
i have a feeling its not only for funding purposes or to show the donors that we are doing something. its also for our own decision making and planning so that we weigh archiements of the projects against the indicators listed

I think is important that you create an M&E plan to track the project progress. An M&E guides the implementation of the project and provide indicators for the success of the project. It helps you to identify areas of concern during the implementation of the intervention and deal with them. An M&E plan is essential for the success of the project.Most importantly, donors will fund your project because you have a plan for collecting and evaluating data.

Since their donors want to see some date we can create them a bank account for each member of MEH so the donors can simply measure and evaluate if the girls make progress and improve their life or not.
and even collect their data in order to measure if it is met the projects objectives or not

@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 agree with both of you and the additional reason that M&E helps to collect data and generate programme reports for management decision making purposes. The decision made could include how well the project is progressing and correct any deviations or adapt the project to ensure success.

I would also add that, an M&E plan allows the project staff to work together and ensures that everyone knows what their role and responsibilities are in data collection and management for feeding into the monitoring system.

Design M&E plan according to the project's Log frame indicators is the best and easier way to identify what works and what have to improve or have to change to meet the goal. M&E plan is necessary not only for project progress it is very important to communicate with donor and other stakeholders. If the project has well prepared M&E plan with its monitoring systems, assessments, surveys, the project team always see clear picture of the project implementation. is it on a right track or not.

@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 of the following :

1. To assign roles and responsibilities of each project staff member in data collection and management.
2. M&E plan help to produce project report during and at the end of project which tells you how well your project objectives are being achieved. If not, what needs to be done to improve project performance.
3. An M&E plan is usually a donor requirement nowadays as it allows for accounting for project time, resources and staff employed in the project cycle.

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

I think that you should create an M&E plan because you need to focus on the objective of the project which is not just to give small amounts as loans but to also see what the loan is used for and how they intend to pay back the loan.
Having objective in mind, you can draft a check list that clearly spells out what indicators you plan to monitor and how you intend to measure them.
Indicators can include;
How many loans have been given, how many were paid off, how many were paid off within the due period, etc.

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

Design M&E plan according to the project's Log frame indicators is the best and easier way to identify what works and what have to improve or have to change to meet the goal. M&E plan is necessary not only for project progress it is very important to communicate with donor and other stakeholders. If the project has well prepared M&E plan with its monitoring systems, assessments, surveys, the project team always see clear picture of the project implementation. is it on a right track or not.

Right!

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

Design M&E plan according to the project's Log frame indicators is the best and easier way to identify what works and what have to improve or have to change to meet the goal. M&E plan is necessary not only for project progress it is very important to communicate with donor and other stakeholders. If the project has well prepared M&E plan with its monitoring systems, assessments, surveys, the project team always see clear picture of the project implementation. is it on a right track or not.

I like that you mention that an M&E plan should also come up with indicators. However, it is also important to come up with tools for measuring and collecting data being measured by each indicator. Each indicator should also be defined to avoid ambiguity and inconsistency. There are however standard indicators in some sectors eg the HIV sector such as the PEPFAR indicators. In such cases, it will be easier to use such industry wide indicators than to develop your own indicators.

An M&E plan should be cost effective too. This is something that is rarely considered and a budget line should be included on the cost of the proposed M&E plan and monitoring system.

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

Monitoring and evaluation are important because they can provide:

• Evidence of how much has been or not been achieved
• Highlight problems
• Allow to implement corrective actions
• Determine achievement of results

The intention is to provide information that is credible and useful enabling incorporation of lessons learned into decision making processes.

Very correct!

I think you should create an M&E plan because you need to occasionally check how well the project is doing, how well the resources are being utilised and when the project is completed, how well the project's goals were met and what lessons were learnt.

I think MEH should have an M&E Plan because it is important to define at the start what we want to achieve from the project. All our efforts, trainings , money and manpower is directed toward outcomes. And if that is not clear, we will be all over the place and no significant contribution would be made. It is important to have the plan to streamline the process. We will be able to detect the leakages and make changes in our intervention of we know where we are going wrong.

@S-Ndlazi said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

Monitoring and Evaluation Plan is time specific and it is performed to judge whether a project has reached its goals and delivered what is expected according to its original plan. First of all, Monitoring and Evaluation(M&E) is important for one to assess that the project is achieving its set targets. It also helps with accountability.

Good remark but a good M&E in general tells us how successful a project can be

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

I think you should create an M&E plan because you need to occasionally check how well the project is doing, how well the resources are being utilised and when the project is completed, how well the project's goals were met and what lessons were learnt.

Quite a comprehensive answer!

@Ifesinachi-2019 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 you need to focus on the objective of the project which is not just to give small amounts as loans but to also see what the loan is used for and how they intend to pay back the loan.
Having objective in mind, you can draft a check list that clearly spells out what indicators you plan to monitor and how you intend to measure them.
Indicators can include;
How many loans have been given, how many were paid off, how many were paid off within the due period, etc.

You were right in pointing out that we need indicators for a good M&E plan.

@Ifesinachi-2019 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 you need to focus on the objective of the project which is not just to give small amounts as loans but to also see what the loan is used for and how they intend to pay back the loan.
Having objective in mind, you can draft a check list that clearly spells out what indicators you plan to monitor and how you intend to measure them.
Indicators can include;
How many loans have been given, how many were paid off, how many were paid off within the due period, etc.

It also gives us clue when the project is not going the right way so that necessary changes can be made to go back on track quickly.

I think if you want to gain success you have to create M&E plan so you can save time and effort and guarantee achieved targets.

Hello MEH manager,
M&E plan is basically a roadmap to the successful implementation of your activities. By devising M&E Plan primarily, you will be able to link evaluation question directly with programmatic goals. Secondly, the M&E plan is a data collection tool for measuring indicators. Thirdly, indicators you need to measure in order to provide an answer to your monitoring and evaluation question. Fourthly, it will measure the progress by highlighting successes and areas of improvement. Lastly, the M&E plan will a good source for data collection and management.

I think you should create an M & E plan because it will help you to coordinate MEH project , it will assist in the effective and efficient management of project resources for its implementation. It will equally help the organization to assess the extent to which project implementation is consistent to design. M & E plan will clearly spells out roles and responsibilities for staff with the aim of achieving project goal.

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

Hello MEH manager,
M&E plan is basically a roadmap to the successful implementation of your activities. By devising M&E Plan primarily, you will be able to link evaluation question directly with programmatic goals. Secondly, the M&E plan is a data collection tool for measuring indicators. Thirdly, indicators you need to measure in order to provide an answer to your monitoring and evaluation question. Fourthly, it will measure the progress by highlighting successes and areas of improvement. Lastly, the M&E plan will a good source for data collection and management.

Good remarks on the M & E for the manager

@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 progress needs to be measured noy forgetting the fact that data collected would go a long way to determine or process the success of the project.

I think you should create an M&E plan because it will help in data collection so as to determine the certain proportion of girls who would be interested in the microloan. Data collated will be subjected to close scrutiny so that the objectives of the micro loan can be achieved.

Hello everyone,

I think that you should create an M&E plan;

To determine the program's progress and results
To improve the management and efficiency of the program
To promote learning, identify lessons learned from the program
To enhance participation (interest, commitment) – which is related to the idea of participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E)
To increase the accountability of everyone and the processes in the program
Opportune decision making

I think this is such a well-thought out set of reasons. I am glad you brought up learning, but often times in M&E there is the tendency to forget how to incorporate our partners or stakeholders in the process and as an organization creating avenues for participation/collaboration is crucial.

@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

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

I believe M&E plan you can use as a management tool for determine and tracking project activities, gathering related data and be sure of project success. Developing M&E plan including Logic Model gives you a map or view of all activities and could help you to define values of the project such as pointed in outputs and outcomes and the indicators allow to structure project activities and data collecting methods. M&E plan help you to understand a value of your project and it's input.

I love that you brought up the Logic Model, in practice it is so important to indicate monitoring and evaluation in all sections of the LM. I think that ties into the idea of accountability as a reason for engaging in M&E but it also makes it easy to identify what lessons are being learnt as the project is ongoing.

@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?

Any project without proper M&E is already heading towards failure, I mean what project are you actually working on that you can't measure or evaluate? Plus you will want to improve on future projects, the sure way to achieve that is having a M&E now.

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

I think this is such a well-thought out set of reasons. I am glad you brought up learning, but often times in M&E there is the tendency to forget how to incorporate our partners or stakeholders in the process and as an organization creating avenues for participation/collaboration is crucial.

@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

Those are great insight there!

I think you should create a monitoring and evaluation plan because it will help to know exactly what you wpuld like to achieve at the end of the implimentation of the project. In addition to that you will be able to measure the progress of the project as you go along and be able to correct some mistakes that may occur as you are implimenting the project

I think you should create a monitoring and evaluation plan because it will help to know exactly what you wpuld like to achieve at the end of the implimentation of the project. In addition to that you will be able to measure the progress of the project as you go along and be able to correct some mistakes that may occur as you are implimenting the project

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

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

I think this is such a well-thought out set of reasons. I am glad you brought up learning, but often times in M&E there is the tendency to forget how to incorporate our partners or stakeholders in the process and as an organization creating avenues for participation/collaboration is crucial.

@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

Those are great insight there!

For sure it is a proper reason for creation of the M&E goals since is a fundamental tool for knowing the achievements and monitoring progress.

If a program seeks to thrive fater it's first year, then an M and E plan is important. This will help donors know exactly what funds is used for. MEL should have a detiledd number of recipients and monitor how funds are utilized

I think you should create an M & E plan because when you monitor your project you determine whether or not your objectives are being met. And when you do the evaluation using the data that was gathered from the monitoring exercise you will now realize when, how and the amount of impacts on your project. The result from this can prove to be either positive or negative, once this is done you can now make the necessary adjustments/changes in your strategy to reach your intended objective.

I think you should create an M&E plan because it will help you determine if the project has achieved its intended outcome and outputs with the available resources provided and to also measure its impact over time.

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

I think you should create a monitoring and evaluation plan because it will help to know exactly what you wpuld like to achieve at the end of the implimentation of the project. In addition to that you will be able to measure the progress of the project as you go along and be able to correct some mistakes that may occur as you are implimenting the project

I totally agree to this. M&E will allow us to also make adaptive measures should an activity not work out well.

@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 team MEH determine how well their objectives of lending to girls was achieved - how much was planned an dhow much was eventually borrowed, what the monies were used to achieve etc. It will also help them determine or at the least link the girls' success stories to the efforts of their project. Having an M&E plan will also help the team know what gaps exist and how they can be dealt with for effective outcomes.

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

@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

• just to add something Darcygray; i think its also important because it help to track if your project is meeting its objectives, thats the performance of the project.

I also agree with the above comments. MEL will ensure that the projects aligns with the project objectives and also ensure that it also aligns with the donors requirements.

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

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

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

I think this is such a well-thought out set of reasons. I am glad you brought up learning, but often times in M&E there is the tendency to forget how to incorporate our partners or stakeholders in the process and as an organization creating avenues for participation/collaboration is crucial.

@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

Those are great insight there!

For sure it is a proper reason for creation of the M&E goals since is a fundamental tool for knowing the achievements and monitoring progress.

I totally agree that having an M&E plan will help reduce risk of project failure

I think you should create a M&E plan so that you might be sure you are on a good path to achieve the intent of the project, if you don't do so, you might be lost, a such plan helps you also to collect data so that you could know your level of achievement and also to measure performance.

I think you should create an M&E plan because it will provide you with the information to make decisions both during the implementation of the project to course-correct when targets and objectives are not being met, it can help you to see patterns of what inputs lead to what outputs and outcomes, and lastly showing positive and verifiable results of your program will render it more attractive for continued funding.

@Bibi4Bibi said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of 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?

Creating an M&E plan will help team MEH determine how well their objectives of lending to girls was achieved - how much was planned an dhow much was eventually borrowed, what the monies were used to achieve etc. It will also help them determine or at the least link the girls' success stories to the efforts of their project. Having an M&E plan will also help the team know what gaps exist and how they can be dealt with for effective outcomes.

I agree with this description. I appreciate that you gave an answer specific to the program and were careful not to overstate the ability to draw causal conclusions.

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

I think you should create a monitoring and evaluation plan because it will help to know exactly what you wpuld like to achieve at the end of the implimentation of the project. In addition to that you will be able to measure the progress of the project as you go along and be able to correct some mistakes that may occur as you are implimenting the project

I like your answer because I often see that the act of creating an M&E plan is a process which facilitates implementers' articulation of what the project's goals and objectives actually are - though they may not be immediately aware that this precision was previously lacking from their project design.

@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.

I am in total agreement with you. It also helps the project manager to identify at what point in the project there was an impact (whether it be a negative or a positive) and act accordingly to make the necessary adjustment.

@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 this will help to measure the progress of your activities, track performance and also measures how well the project activities have achieved the project’s objectives

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

I think you should create an M&E plan because it will provide you with the information to make decisions both during the implementation of the project to course-correct when targets and objectives are not being met, it can help you to see patterns of what inputs lead to what outputs and outcomes, and lastly showing positive and verifiable results of your program will render it more attractive for continued funding.

I quite agree with you, because a good M&E plan could be the basis of attraction for mire fundings on the project

@tundexz said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of 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 that you should create an M&E plan because this will help to measure the progress of your activities, track performance and also measures how well the project activities have achieved the project’s objectives

Well said, the most important for any project.

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

I think you should create a M&E plan so that you might be sure you are on a good path to achieve the intent of the project, if you don't do so, you might be lost, a such plan helps you also to collect data so that you could know your level of achievement and also to measure performance.

Yes, more so a good M&E plan gives a sense of direction on what the outcome of a project would be

I think you should create an M&E plan because it has the following importance:
i) It ensures that planned results are achieved
ii) It supports and improves project management
iii) It generates shared understanding among the stakeholders of the project
iv) It generates new knowledge and supports learning
v) It builds the capacities of those involved in project monitoring and evaluation
vi)It motivates both the primary and the secondary stakeholders of the project by having trust in your organization and receive continous funding for the same project and/or future projects; and
vii)I t fosters public and political support for your project as the beneficiaries can clearly the usefulness of M&E and government and other politicians can equally depict how your project is contributing towards both the local and national aspirations.

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

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

I think you should create a M&E plan so that you might be sure you are on a good path to achieve the intent of the project, if you don't do so, you might be lost, a such plan helps you also to collect data so that you could know your level of achievement and also to measure performance.

Yes, more so a good M&E plan gives a sense of direction on what the outcome of a project would be

I agree with him that good M&E can give the mangement of the organization a sense of director in terms of expected outputs, outcomes and long term impact dedicate to the project intervention.

I think that you should create an M&E plan because it would help you identify your goals, create steps to achieving them, and help you keep track of how close or far off you are from achieving them

I think you should create an M&E plan to be able to keep tract on how the project is doing in terms of resources, budgeting data reporting and whether the objectives were achieved at the end of the project.

Also have learning on what worked and what didn't work

@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 and E plan because it helps you track your progress. With this plan, you will be able to track how many girls who had burrowed money and had successful used the loan in establishing a personal project that bring in returns for them and sustain them. Also you will also know the particular amount given and there are no biases in lending this loan and no repetitions too..

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

I think that you should create an M&E plan because __________

I think that you should create an M&E plan because not only it will help communicate to the donor but also develop and improve the organization itself to pursue and expand broader program.

Rationale for M&E of MEH:

Critical external and internal factors will drive the success of micro-lending facility.
One is the external donor funding, which will require periodic reporting based on data that clearly outlines success of the micro-lending facility - or areas that require changes - in order to continue the lending facility within the community. Clearly, if there is no collection and tracking of data that defines success (or risk) of the facility, then donors may renege or cancel commitment to continue future support.

Related to the external factor (donor funding and related objective) is the internal or community driven demand for the facility. Whether the donor objective is overall poverty-reduction through increased household income generation - or peaceful coexistence in a fragile environment - the micro-lending facility will strengthen operations if it understands the nuances of need within the communities it will service.

Understanding the communities' (and individual) needs will serve to better target the lending resources to ensure successful local business initiatives and loan-payback. Understanding the local environment and local need is a first step the will help further define relevant indicators or visible outputs of activity.

Thus, to ensure continued donor commitment, it will be necessary to capture not only the total number of loans and business start-ups, but also to capture evidence that may explain why a specific type of business is successful (or not). Data collected may simply identify amounts of increased business income /or/ increased household income, but also may be linked to identify/define examples of tangible community impact - which can more directly address broader or strategic donor objectives (and ensure continued support).

@baisha2168 said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

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

One of the major reasons why you should start an M&E plan is that it helps you see clearly what your project is trying to achieve and gives you a road map as to how to get there. Once you are not able to register the result of your actions/activities as reflected on your plan, you know immediately that you need to have a look at your plan and critique your processes. Ultimately, an M&E plan when executed, tells a story of project success reflecting project impact.

I agree with your statement, but also M&E plan helps to make sure that data is being used efficiently to make programs as effective as possible and to be able to report results at the end of the program.

Hello Baisha,
My name is Hugh. I also am in agreement with your statement that "tells a story of project success". What impresses me more is that you link the need of M&E to "project impact". My experience leads me to understand that successful activity can lead to favorable impact, which in turn may contribute to meeting a strategic donor objective. There are roles and responsibilities assigned to the M&E process later in this course, but relevant at the start is the importance of M&E as a tool that helps define how to link expressed local need to a broader donor objective.

@Salahuddin1 said in Module 1 Discussion: The Importance of M&E:

I think if you want to gain success you have to create M&E plan so you can save time and effort and guarantee achieved targets.

Hello Salahuddin,
Your comment about "targets" is indeed on-target.
Based on my experience, achievements are required to be "outlined/itemized" and reported on a regular basis to a donor. This is where the M&E road-map is critical. A strong M&E with relevant indicators will require measures, which presumes some degree of agreed upon base-lines (even zero / "0" as a start point) from which you and your team can set targets over specific time periods. Thus, the project has created "steps" by which to collect consistent data that begins to show "achievements" from a base-line towards a target. Though this may sound simple or rudimentary, this aspect of M&E sets-up a "process" that serves to secure strong data-quality that further supports the strength of an achievement - and eventually tracks decisive steps towards meeting an overall objective.
I look forward to staying in contact over the course-period, Hugh.

It will help you look more organise and focus

Not having an M and E plan , the project behave like the proberbal imcumbent political party here in Uganda, handing out monies during elections in returns to for votes, if the people do not give votes, figures are cooked to keep them in power. projects shall cook figures to lie to donor because they is no standard to be used to measure the project activities

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

other

Cause 1. It will help to check mate if the desired objectives of MEH can be achieved and within what time frame

2. To clearly set out procedures on how to effectively record progress.

I think you should create an M&E plan because unlike normal business organizations, in the social sector the success of an organization cannot be measured in the monetary wealth created by its operations, instead it needs to develop specific and measurable indicators that could help as a guide to improve on the way and have better results at the end...Because as the say says: what cannot be measured, cannot be improved!!

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

It will help you look more organise and focus

Hence, it will be a great tool to attract more funding and keep improving the organization's operations.

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

Hello guys! the discussion is getting quite interesting and I'll reiterate that M&E is very critical is assessing if the project is achieving its set targets and in the process of monitoring the development of the project, one is able to identify whether the strategic changes need to be reviewed accordingly. It is also a good enable for transparency and accountability to the donor which is very paramount for continuous funding.

You mentioned two things I consider extremely important transparency and accountability. These two aspects are very important for donors for continous funding, as well as for internal improvement along projects.