11

Designing and Building a Results-Based Monitoring

and Evaluation System:

A Tool for Public Sector Management

22

The Power of Measuring Results

• If you do not measure results, you can not tell success from failure

• If you can not see success, you can not reward it

• If you can not reward success, you are probably rewarding failure

• If you can not see success, you can not learn from it

• If you can not recognize failure, you can not correct it

• If you can demonstrate results, you can win public support

Adapted from Osborne & Gaebler, 1992

33

Ten Steps to Designing, Building and Sustaining a Results-Based Monitoring

and Evaluation System

Conducting a Readiness

Assessment

Agreeing on Outcomes to Monitor and

Evaluate

Selecting Key Indicators to

Monitor Outcomes

Baseline Data on

Indicators—Where Are We Today?

Planning for Improvement — Selecting

Results Targets

Monitoring for Results

The Role of Evaluations

Reporting Your Findings

Using Your

Findings

Sustaining the

M&E System Within Your Organization

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 108

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Introduction to Results-Based Monitoring and Evaluation

• Results-based monitoring and evaluation measures how well governments are performing

• Results-based monitoring and evaluation is a management tool!

• Results-based monitoring and evaluation emphasizes assessing how outcomes are being achieved over time

What Are We Talking About?

55

Remember

• Monitoring and evaluation are two separate, but interrelated strategies to collect data and report the findings on how well (or not) the public sector is performing

• During this workshop, we will be discussing:

– Monitoring as a tool

– Evaluation as a tool

– How the two interrelate to support good public management

– The ten steps to build a results-based monitoring and evaluation system to measure government performance

66

Reasons to Do Results-Based M&E

• Provides crucial information about public sector performance

• Provides a view over time on the status of a project, program, or policy

• Promotes credibility and public confidence by reporting on the results of programs

• Helps formulate and justify budget requests

• Identifies potentially promising programs or practices

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Reasons to Do Results-Based M&E (cont.)

• Focuses attention on achieving outcomes important to the organization and its stakeholders

• Provides timely, frequent information to staff

• Helps establish key goals and objectives

• Permits managers to identify and take action to correct weaknesses

• Supports a development agenda that is shifting towards greater accountability for aid lending

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Definition

Results-Based Monitoring (what we will call “monitoring”) is a continuous process of collecting and analyzing information to compare how well a project, program or policy is performing against expected results

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Major Activities Where Results Monitoring Is Needed

• Setting goals and objectives

• Reporting to Parliament and other stakeholders

• Managing projects, programs and policies

• Reporting to donors

• Allocating resources

1010

A New Emphasis on Both Implementation and Results-Based Monitoring

• Traditional monitoring focuses on implementation monitoring

– This involves tracking inputs ($$, resources, strategies), activities (what actually took place) and outputs (the products or services produced)

– This approach focuses on monitoring how well a project, program or policy is being implemented

– Often used to assess compliance with workplans and budget

1111

• Results-based monitoring involves the regular collection of information on how effectively government (or any organization) is performing

• Results-based monitoring demonstrates whether a project, program, or policy is achieving its stated goals

A New Emphasis on Both Implementation and Results-Based Monitoring

1212

Results Based Monitoring Requires Attention to Causal Logic ---or The

Theory of Change

• What is the “ logic” of the overall project, program or policy design?

• How do each of the components of the program help to establish an If-Then relation

• Is there a theory behind the change expected or seen? In other words does the change follow the logic proposed?

• Does this theory or logic hold during implementation?

1313

Results-Based Monitoring

Outcomes • Intermediate effects of outputs on clients

Outputs • Products and services produced

Activities• Tasks personnel

undertake to transform inputs to outputs

Inputs • Financial, human, and material resources

Goal(Impacts)

• Long-term, widespread improvement in society

Impl

emen

tatio

nR

esul

ts

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Results-Based Monitoring: Adult Literacy

Outcomes • Increased literacy skill; more employment opportunities

Outputs • Number of adults completing literacy courses

Activities • Literacy training courses

Inputs • Facilities, trainers, materials

Goal(Impacts)

• Higher income levels; increase access to higher skill jobs

1515

Definition

Results-Based Evaluation An assessment of a planned, ongoing, or completed intervention to determine its relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability. The intent is to incorporate lessons learned into the decision-making process.

1616

Evaluation Addresses

“Why” Questions – What caused the changes we are monitoring

“How” Questions – What was the sequence or processes that led to successful (or not) outcomes

“Compliance/ Accountability Questions”

Process/Implementation Questions

– Did the promised activities actually take place and as they were planned?

Was the implementation process followed as anticipated, and with what consequences

1717

Designing Good Evaluations

• Getting the questions right is critical

• Answering the questions is critical

• Supporting public sector decision-making with credible and useful information is critical

1818

Designing Good Evaluations

“Better to have an approximate answer to the right question, than an exact answer to the wrong question.”

Paraphrased from statistician John W. Tukey

“Better to have an approximate answer to the right question, than an exact answer to the wrong question.”

Paraphrased from statistician John W. Tukey

1919

Designing Good Evaluations

“Better to be approximately correctthan precisely wrong.”

Paraphrased fromBertrand Russell

“Better to be approximately correctthan precisely wrong.”

Paraphrased fromBertrand Russell

2020

Some Examples of Evaluation

Privatizing Water Systems Resettlement

Policy Evaluations

Comparing model approaches to privatizing public water supplies

Comparing strategies used for resettlement of rural villages to new areas

Program Evaluations

Assessing fiscal management of government systems

Assessing the degree to which resettled village farmers maintain previous livelihood

Project Evaluations

Assessing the improvement in water fee collection rates in 2 provinces

Assessing the farming practices of resettled farmers in one province

2121

Some Examples of Evaluation

Privatizing Water Systems Resettlement

Policy Evaluations

Comparing model approaches to privatizing public water supplies

Comparing strategies used for resettlement of rural villages to new areas

Program Evaluations

Assessing fiscal management of government systems

Assessing the degree to which resettled village farmers maintain previous livelihood

Project Evaluations

Assessing the improvement in water fee collection rates in 2 provinces

Assessing the farming practices of resettled farmers in one province

2222

Complementary Roles of Results-Based Monitoring and Evaluation

Monitoring Evaluation

Clarifies program objectives Analyzes why intended results were or were not achieved

Links activities and their resources to objectives

Assesses specific causal contributions of activities to results

Translates objectives into performance indicators and set targets

Examines implementation process

Routinely collects data on these indicators, compares actual results with targets

Explores unintended results

Reports progress to managers and alerts them to problems

Provides lessons, highlights significant accomplishment or program potential, and offers recommendations for improvement

2323

Developing A Results Plan

• Once a set of outcomes are identified, it is time to develop a plan to assess how the organization will begin to achieve these outcomes

• In the traditional approach to developing a plan, the first thing a manager usually did was to identify activities and assign responsibilities

• But the shortcoming in this approach is that completing all the activities does not mean the same as reaching the outcome goal

2424

Key Types of Monitoring

Output

Activity

Input

Outcome

Impact

Results Monitoring

Implementation Monitoring (Means and Strategies)

Imp

lem

enta

tio

nR

esu

lts

2525

Translating Outcomes to Action

• Note: Activities are crucial! They are the actions you take to manage and implement your programs, use your resources, and deliver the services of government

• But the sum of these activities may or may not mean you have achieved your outcomes

• Question is: How will you know when you have been successful?

2626

Implementation Monitoring Links to Results Monitoring

Outcome

Target2

Means and Strategies (Multi-Year and Annual Work Plans)

Means and Strategies (Multi-Year and Annual Work Plans)

Target1

Target3

Means and Strategies (Multi-Year and Annual Work Plans)

2727Partner 1 Partner 3

Partner 2

Partner 1 Partner 3

Partner 2

Partner 1 Partner 3

Partner 2

Achieving Results Through Partnership

Goal

OutcomeOutcome Outcome

Target 2Target 1

Means & Strategy Means & Strategy Means & Strategy