A monitoring and evaluation plan

M&E plan development is an indispensable tool to manage the process of assessing and reporting progress towards achieving project success and to identify what evaluation questions need to be addressed through evaluation. Frankel et al. (2007) describe an M&E plan as a central document which explains in detail the programme’s objectives and the interventions developed to achieve these goals. It also describes the procedures that will be implemented to ensure the goals are realized. An M&E plan is necessary for every project. However, the stage or period to develop the plan is in contention. Whereas Omonyo (2015) asserts that an M&E plan should be developed at the planning stage as part of the project initiation document (PID), Frankel et al. (2007) are of the view that the M&E plan should be created after the planning stage but before the design phase of the project. Key components of the M&E plan, according to Badom (2016), consist of a clear, measurable and achievable objective based on which indicators will be defined. Secondly, the M&E plan contains a SMART set of indicators covering all the elements of the project, namely inputs, process or activity, output, outcome and impact. The M&E plan also makes a provision for the collection and management of project information, an arrangement for gathering and analyzing project data and a proposed mechanism for generating feedback for decision making (ibid).

Summary

The chapter discussed M&E systems and frameworks critical for effective planning and management of the project cycle, providing a clear understanding of the M&E process and the relationship that exists between project activities. A detailed description and illustration of key M&E frameworks and systems are discussed in reference to construction project delivery. Criteria for assessing the quality of an M&E system, steps in developing an M&E system as well as the components and plans of an M&E system were at the center of this chapter. The next chapter under part II of this book will consider the theories, models and concepts in M&E research.

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