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www.iwmi.org

A water-secure world

Monitoring and Evaluation

Farah Ahmed (IWMI)

Date- 27th January, 2016

Location- Ho Chin Minh City, Vietnam

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A water-secure world

What is Monitoring & Evaluation?

• M&E for Performance Management = Accountability

Two main aspects of accountability:

1. Supporting project performance management

2. Supporting learning and adjustment towards outcomes

Who is it for?

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Why M&E is important for Uptake

Image sources: IDS 2012 (https://iddbirmingham.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/elise-wach.pdf)

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A water-secure world

Importance of M&E Linked to impact pathways and Theory of

change

In order to achieve outcomes one must ensure M&E systems into research projects.

M&E systems will ensure the following –

“How much’ is not the only question we might want to answer. We might also want to know how, why and under what circumstances each factor is important for the outcome. This helps in understanding when and under what circumstances uptake will take place in the future”

Supports research

• Setting clear objectives

• Identifying project stakeholders

• Increases knowledge for learning and sharing

Resource planning

•Ensures resources planning

•Monitors progress towards results

• Identifies risks within a project

•Reporting back on outcomes achieved

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1. M&E for Performance Management = Accountability

a) Project management:• Financial and administrative

• Output products on time and within budget

b) Monitoring and documentation towards outcomes. Projects gather data/evidence of:

• Engagement with research users

• Understanding research users’ needs and priorities

• Progress and changes along the impact pathway

• How research users do or do not use research (intended and unintended outcomes)

• Reasonable evidence that the project has made a contribution in the change process (when compared to the absence of the program)

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Ten key questions that need to be addressed before achieving

outcomes of a research uptake strategy-

1. Why do we want this research? Does this have an element of uptake at all in it?

2. Is research uptake appropriately reflected in the log frame?

3. You may have evidence coming out of a research project but have you

conceptualised it in the current context? Is there an appropriate evaluation strategy?

4. Is there a need to conceptualise a ‘theory of change?’

5. Is there a need to draw up an implementation strategy/plan incorporating

communications and outreach?

6. Define your goals? What are we trying to achieve?

7. What are your short and long term goals to achieve impacts?

8. Is there a need to draw up an impact pathways/ outcome map?

9. Who is our next users/ stakeholders for the research outputs? Are the outputs

relevant to them?

10. How will we address their concerns in relation to the current context?

Develop your project M&E plansExercise

8

a. Introduction – Description of the project and its contribution to the project

objectives

b. Indicator M+E plan

i. Indicator table with relevant explanations

ii. Analysis and reporting

c. Theory of Change (TOC)

i. Objectives

ii. Processes involved

iii. Assumptions

iv.Strategies

v. Risks

vi.Outputs/ outcomes/impacts

vii.M+E – including backstory and TOC reflection with guidelines

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Theory of change –Guidelines

Recommended steps to develop your theory of change (reference -3ie)

Step 1: Describe the policy question(s) that your evaluation is trying to address

Step 2: Identify the needs of the policy influencers you are targeting, and the leverage and entry points

you have with them

Step 3: Identify your desired results or vision of success in the near and longer term (outputs, intermediate

outcomes, policy impact/objective)

Step 4: Specify the factors (e.g. protective or risk factors, existing policy environment) you believe will

influence change.

Step 5: List the engagement strategies you believe will lead to change

Step 6: Articulate assumptions about how these changes might happen. This will allow you to check

whether the activities and outputs are appropriate for influencing change in the desired direction in this

particular context.

See examples of theories of change compiled by DfID:

http://www.dfid.gov.uk/r4d/pdf/outputs/mis_spc/Appendix_3_ToC_Examples.pdf

Additional resources: Review of the use of theory of change:

http://www.researchtoaction.org/2012/08/improving-the-use-of-theory-of-change/

Theory of change community of practice: http://www.theoryofchange.org/

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A water-secure world

Summarized Results Framework

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A water-secure world

Additional references for M&E

ODI Background note “A guide to monitoring and evaluating policy influence”

http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/download/5252.pdf

Presentation by John Young on “Monitoring and evaluation of influence”

http://www.impactevaluation2011.org/forum/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/C2-Effective-communication-and-stakeholder-

engagement-file-2.pdf

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A water-secure world

References –IDS, 2012, M&E of research uptake and influence, Challenges and opportunitiesIWMI Strategy paper 2014-2018CGIAR WLE-IWMI, Extension proposal 2015-2016. 2014 3ie official website - http://www.3ieimpact.org/

Thank you!