Building an M&E

Plan for a project /

program

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What is an M&E Plan?
• An M&E Plan is a document that describes a system
which links strategic information obtained from
various data collection systems to decisions that will
improve programs.
• It is a fundamental document for ensuring:
Accountability &
Measurement of success

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 Functions of an M&E
Plan
1. Describes how the program is going to measure its
achievements (ensure accountability)
2. Documents consensus among stakeholders on how the
program should be monitored and evaluated (encourage
transparency and responsibility)
3. Guides M&E implementation (standardization and
coordination)
4. Acts to preserve institutional memory in regards to M&E

M&E plan is a living document and needs to be adjusted

when a program is modified.
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Example of how an M&E
plan can be helpful in a
healthcare system
• Health Facility level (primary data collection point): Provides
information for
• Managing patients/clients
• Supervising health providers
• Managing logistics
• Reporting to district HIS, vertical programs and community

• District:
• Allocating resources
• Reporting to the provincial/national level

• National (Comprehensive vs. Vertical Programs)

• Allocating resources
• Collecting national data
• Reporting to international donors and other stakeholders
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 Elements of M&E Plan
1. Brief project description (background, problem to address /
purpose and objectives)
2. Purpose(s) of M&E plan
3. Brief history of M&E plan development
4. Project’s M&E framework
5. Indicator system
6. Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning System Set up
7. Progress Reporting structure
8. Capacity building plan
9. Evaluation Plan
10. Collaboration, Learning and Adaptation
11. M&E workplan
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12. M&E budget
1. Brief project
description
Include:
 Project background

 The problem the project seeks to address or its purpose

 The project objectives/ targeted results

 The scope of the project – including geographical focus, dates / duration

 Implementation responsibility of the various players

 Link to the relevant development plans (district, national, international or

donor) – can be diagrammatic or narrative!
 If necessary, the key resources invested in the project (human, logistical,
establishments etc)
 The project’s / program’s development hypothesis OR theory of change
(if…(what the project intends to do / high level strategies)……, then ……
(what the project wants to achieve/ high level results)…..
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2. Purpose(s) of M&E
plan
Specify purpose for:
 Monitoring of the project’s performance
 Evaluating the project’s performance

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3. Brief history of M&E
plan development
Helps to define:
Why the plan was developed in the first place
Why it is being revised

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4. Develop the project’s M&E
Framework
Include:
An introduction to the chosen framework (basic logical,
results, or log-frame)
A description of the critical assumptions used in the
development of the framework
The diagrammatic presentation of the chosen project’s
M&E framework showing clearly the causal sequence
A narrative write up of the high level results; emphasizing
 Why the result was chosen
 What it entails
 How it will be achieved
 What will be its contribution to the project

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5. Develop Indicator
system
• Organized by framework component OR the Indicator Tracking
Matrix
• Attributes of the Indicator Tracking Matrix include:
• Goal of the project,
• Each result of the project as indicated in the M&E
framework
• The intermediate results (if any) under each Result
• Name of indicator
• Description/definition
• Unit of measurement
• Data source (primary/secondary)
• Level of disaggregation
• Baseline & target value(s) by period (quarter, semi annual,
year)
• Frequency of data collection
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• Responsibility
 5. Develop Indicator
system
The indicator Tracking
No. Matrix
Indicator
Name
Definit Data Disaggr Baseline Target by period
ion & source egation value
Responsi
bility
unit of &
measu frequen
re cy of
data
collecti
on

1 2 3 4 5
Project Goal
Result 1:
Intermediate Result 1:

Space for the indicator details as per the headings above

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6. Monitoring, Evaluation
and Learning System set
up
• Brief Introduction
• The organizational governance structure for M&E unit – indicating a
description of the position name and their role in M&E (even for non-
M&E officers) and the overall description of the role of the M&E unit
• Data management system
• Data collection process
• Data storage and security plan
• Data flow and storage illustration
• Data analysis plan
• Data quality assurance plan
• Routine program monitoring plan
• Data dissemination and use plan
• How baseline values will be obtained (which assessments will be
done)
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7. Progress reporting
structure
• A description of reporting responsibility of the
project to the funders and other key stakeholders
and what will be reported
• The activity reporting schedule; can be tabular
showing:
• The type of report: weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi
annual, annual etc
• The reporting method (electronic, paper etc)
• The reporting deadline
• The brief of the content of the report e.g. narrative
report, quantitative indicator outputs, qualitative report
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8. Capacity building plan
• A description of the plan for building the capacity of
the human resources involved in M&E of the project
• The approaches to capacity building
• Period when capacity building will happen
• Plan for regular trainings, feedback on performance
and technical support

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9. Evaluation plan
• Description of the internal evaluations that will be
conducted by the project and which each evaluation
will be targeting to achieve
• Include list of evaluation studies to be undertaken, the
data to be collected and the expected use / purpose of
the data or study (can be presented in a tabular form)
• The external evaluations to be conducted
• Mid term or end of project?? When they will be
conducted and for what purpose..
• Which designs will be adopted for the various
evaluations
• Experimental vs non-experimental? 15
10. Collaboration, Learning and
Adaptation
• Who will be the main collaborators as M&E is implemented?
• District biostatisticians, planners, international and local NGOs??
• List of collaborating partners and area(s) of collaboration can be
listed in a tabular format.
• How will learning happen?
• Which project data will be used for learning?
• What approaches and platforms will you use to learn?
• How will the lessons picked from data be utilized?
• How will you adapt the learnings?
• Revise the strategies that are not working?
• Drop the strategies that are not working?
• Adopt strategies working elsewhere?
• Scale the strategies working within the project?
• When and how often will the M&E plan be updated?
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11. Workplan
• Activity schedule for M&E activities – presented
in a Gantt chart

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12. Budget
• A detailed budget of all M&E activities
• A budget extract of top-line activities & the
proportion of the M&E budget of the total
project budget (usually should range between 5
– 15%)

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Steps toward
constructing the M&E
plan
1. Preparing to build the plan
2. Constructing the theory of change
3. Constructing the evaluation framework
4. Identifying potential data sources
5. Selecting and defining indicators and their values
6. Designing the evaluation plan
7. Developing a reporting schedule and system
8. Planning for periodic adjustments
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In implementing the
M&E plan, consider the
following!
• Utility - serve practical information needs of
intended users
• Feasibility - be realistic, prudent, diplomatic and
economical
• Propriety - conducted legally, ethically, and with
regard to those involved in and affected by the
evaluation
• Accuracy - reveal and convey technically accurate
information
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