This guide outlines a step-by-step participatory process for developing a performance story report in the context of ‘performance story evaluation’ and natural resource management, but can be used for monitoring and in other contexts.
29th November 2021 by Jo Hall
This blog by Jo Hall and Patricia Rogers provides an update on the Global Partnership for Better Monitoring project.
Monitoring is a process to periodically collect, analyse and use information to actively manage performance, maximise positive impacts and minimise the risk of adverse impacts. It is an important part of effective management because it can provide early and ongoing information to help shape implementation in advance of evaluations.
15th September 2021 by Jo Hall
Effective monitoring is essential for managing performance, however, despite this, monitoring is often undervalued and understood quite narrowly.
While the term “Monitoring and Evaluation” (M&E) is widely used, the monitoring function has not always benefitted from the same level of investment, professionalization and systems strengthening as the evaluation function. Instead, the monitoring function is often relegated to or viewed as a lower-level, technical function. This comes at the expense of really using monitoring to manage performance and maximise impact.
BetterEvaluation is working with UNICEF to try and improve our collective understanding and practice of the monitoring function. This is part of the Global Partnership for Better Monitoring. This initiative focuses on trying to elevate the monitoring function to make it more visible and to provide information about how to plan, conduct and use monitoring activities well.
Phase 1 funded by UNICEF
Globally, the monitoring function in and across organisations has not always benefitted from the same collective investment and inter-organisation cooperation in professionalization and systems strengthening as the planning and evaluation functions.
I am keen to understand peoples' experience with rubrics in program monitoring and whether the progress expected in a program and detailed indicators can be accommodated in a rubric. I like the idea of consolidating results into a rubric by using indicator performance aligned with KEQs and levels (Excellent, Good, Poor etc) to synthesis results back up from indicator to outcome. My struggle is with the sheer quantity of indicators at a lower level that need to be tracked, particularly early in a program before any outcomes are possible.
The document reviews monitoring and evaluation practises carried out in agricultural and rural development projects, financed by the World Bank. It provides a critical analysis of strengthens and weakness of the M&E processes, lessons learned, and guiding principles.
This Brief provides an example of how Social Network Analysis (SNA) can be used, in the context of agricultural research. The authors describe what SNA is, and how it was applied, step by step. They also present the findings of a particular network analysis, so readers can understand what types of information a SNA can generate, its pros and cons. In this example, SNA is used as a monitoring mechanism to study the evolution of a research network, and consequently, the evolution of the types of research being conducted.
For more information on how the SNA was used, and the results, please refer to the full report.
