usaid’s approach to monitoring capacity building activities experiences, lessons learned, and best...
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USAID’s Approach to Monitoring Capacity Building Activities
Experiences, lessons learned, and best practices
Duane Muller, USAIDNovember 5, 2007
UNFCCC Experts Meeting on Capacity BuildingSt John’s, Antigua
USG commitment to Capacity Building
• Range of agencies and programs committed to capacity building for climate change
• Efforts by industry, states, local governments, universities, schools and NGOs
Types of assistance USAID provides
• technical assistance• capacity building & institutional strengthening• training and scholarships • food aid and disaster relief • infrastructure construction • small-enterprise loans • budget support • enterprise funds • credit guarantees
USAID’s Global Climate Change Program
Assistance to over 45 countries:
• Clean energy technology• Sustainable land use/ forestry• Adaptation to climate change
Capacity building=cross cutting
Monitoring & Evaluation
Complementary roles
Monitoring and Evaluation
MONITORING
• Clarify program objectives
• Link project activities to their resources/objectives
• Translate into measurable indicators/set targets
• Collect data on indicators
• Report on progress
EVALUATION
• Analyzes why and how intended results were/were not achieved
• Assesses contributions of activities to results
• Examines results not easily measured
• Explores unintended results
• Provides lessons learned/recommendations
Experiences with Monitoring
Traditional Project Monitoring vs.
Performance Monitoring
Traditional Project Monitoring
Tells us what is happening:
• Are project activities or tasks on schedule?
• Is spending consistent with spending plans?
“LIMITED FOCUS”
What does performance monitoring involve?
• Tools for measurement
• Assessment of current situation
Performance Baseline Performance Target
• Data collection methods
Performance Targets
Defines the specific, planned level of result to be
achieved for each indicator, within an explicit timeframe.
How much? Quantity
How good? Quality
When? Time
8 Steps to Monitoring
1) Indicators/Definitions
2) Data source
3) Method: data collection
4) Frequency: data collection
5) Responsibilities: acquiring data
6) Data analysis plans
7) Plans for evaluations
8) Plans for reporting/using performance information
Performance Indicators
What works and what doesn’t
Two types of Indicators
OUTPUT
Measures immediate things
Example:
Number of people trained
OUTCOME
Measures the impact
Example:
Number of tons of CO2
sequestered
PERFORMANCE INDICATOR UNIT TYPE
Quantity of greenhouse gas emissions, measured in metric tons CO2 equivalent, reduced or sequestered as a result of USG assistance in energy, industry, urban, and/or transport sectors
CO2 equivalent Outcome
Number of people trained in global climate change including UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, greenhouse gas inventories, mitigation, and adaptation analysis
persons Output
Number of laws, policies, agreements or regulations addressing climate change proposed, adopted, or implemented as a result of USG assistance
Policies/ agreements, etc.
Outcome
Characteristics of Good Performance Indicators
1) Valid
2) Reliable
3) Useful for Management
4) Adequate
5) Timely
6) Practical
4 steps to selecting performance indicators
1) Clarify the results statements
2) Develop a list of possible indicators
3) Assess each possible indicator
4) Select the “best” performance indicator
Performance Indicators can serve as useful tools
• Measure inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and some impacts
• Can be integral to a monitoring system
• Communicate achievements
• Identify problems
• Serve as a management tool
Performance Indicators: Limitations
• Don’t capture what is going on at the local level
• Don’t take into account the enabling environment
• Broad indicators can be subjective
• Often have policy implications
Lessons Learned: Indicators
• Avoid broad statements
• Identify targets for change
• Study the activities & strategies
• Be inclusive
• Be selective
Foreign Assistance Reform
A New Strategic Framework for
Foreign Assistance
The Problem
• Foreign assistance has not been strategically focused
• Lack of systematic goal and subsequent indicators
• Inability to track funds and associated results centrally
Foreign Assistance Coordination and Tracking System (FACTS)
Pilot tested in 2007
Instrument for collecting standardized data • improve the coordination and efficiency
• increase transparency of assistance funds
• improving performance and accountability for results
Lessons learned• Feasible
• Requires resources and data, takes time, involves communication
Paris Declaration on AID Effectiveness
Taking action to strengthen ownership, alignment, harmonization, results and mutual
accountability of foreign aid.
Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness (2005)
• Over 100 signatories
• Capacity development is an endogenous process
• Emphasis on indicators at the local level
In sum, we have we learned…
• Monitoring is complex
• Performance indicators can be useful tools, but there are limitations
• FACTS– Considerable resources– Time requirement– Constant dialogue/communication– Refinement with experience
Where do we go from here…..
• Is the Paris Declaration effective for capacity building monitoring and evaluation efforts?
• Should the ‘country driven approach’ be applied to capacity building monitoring and evaluation efforts?
For further information:
Duane Muller
USAID
EGAT/ESP/GCC
Tel 1-202-712-5304
Fax 1-202-216-3174
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.usaid.govKeyword: climate change