Ethiopian Business
Development Services (BDS) Network
Contact:
info@bds-ethiopia.net
BDS - Newsletter
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No. 11 - March 2006
1st international
ICT conference in Addis Ababa
eLearning Africa, the 1st international conference on ICT for development, education and training to be held in the UNCC in Addis Ababa from May 24 - 26, 2006.
eLearning Africa intends to become the African eLearning capacity building event and - at the same time - a forum for all stakeholders engaged in the planning and implementation of technology-supported learning and training on the African continent.
Under the patronage of the H.E. Tefera Waluwa, Minister of Capacity Building Ethiopia, supported by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the European Commission, the event will offer a unique opportunity to gain invaluable insights into the latest activities and achievements from the ever-evolving eLearning world. More details on eLearningAfrica please find on: www.elearning-africa.com/
M+E officer - Value Chain Project - SNV
Data collected behind each separator
with indicator
Centralized M+E documentation in one folder and one box
The project
Monitoring and Evaluation System
(for
download (take the
right mouse button):
m-and-e-system.doc
135 KB
impact-study-2004.zip
177 KB
SNV/BOAM
M+E overview
tables and timeframes
m+e-report-7-05.zip
168 KB
have a look on the last BDS newsletter - special edition - on how to extract zip-files
Manual SWOT analysis
SWOT-Analysis.doc
116 KB
Extensive Monitoring and Evaluation Systems for local Institutions?
International experts and development projects often tend to put their high-quality M+E system on local partner organisations. Thus, in the past we have seen a growing culture of indicator-based planning and evaluation systems not only for international projects but also for local institutions. Often we can see a nice gallery of 47 indicators with detailed figures of expected results (in percentage and absolute figures) - for local institutions! And on top of that, most of the planning documents lack to indicate the sources of verification and the persons responsible for data collection.
But what problems do such monitoring and evaluation systems with these indicators encounter? International projects may have the necessary funds and staff for data collection and analysis, but not local institutions. They latter can only follow so long as they are pushed and assisted by international projects; but after project's end there will be no sustainability - the stipulated M+E system will immediately come to its end.
Everybody is speaking about
Impact Evaluation - what about Activity Monitoring?
Another problem in the recent M+E discussion
is that emphasis is made exclusively on "Impact evaluation". "Activity
monitoring" is too boring for a "scientific-based" M+E discussion. But in our understanding activity monitoring is the
basis of impact evaluation: How can one evaluate the performance and
quality of a programme if one does not
know what and how much has been done? Don't believe that activity
monitoring is that simple - we have seen many national institutions and
even international projects without any activity monitoring and systematic data
collection.
Activity monitoring in business development service delivery should at least capture the following data: number and type of businesses involved (by business-sector, region and gender), number and type of services provided (by gender), number and type of trainings provided (by gender) and partner organisations involved. If we got these basic data, then we can proceed with impact monitoring. In most cases you have to engage a local M+E officer who assures systematic and permanent data collection. Projects without an M+E officer are regularly in mess!
Project Monitoring and Evaluation
www.bds-ethiopia.net/m-and-e
The M+E system of the former GTZ MSE
Development Project was a simple one - not from the Harvard University, but efficient: we
developed a system of permanent activity monitoring and data
collection and engaged a permanent M+E officer. Impact monitoring was done
periodically, once per year, using an independent local consultant.
Questionnaires focussing on impacts measured by parameters such as income generation,
increased turnover and increased employment on the basis of initially defined
indicators. All data have been gathered in one
single M+E folder (see pictures left side) organised by separators presenting the project
indicators to be achieved (details see:
m-and-e-system.doc
(135 KB) and
impact-study-2004.zip
(177 KB).
In addition to that it should be assured that an indicator based M+E system defines right in the beginning the sources of verification and the responsible persons for data collection:
| Indicator |
Reference / Source of verification |
Timeframe | Responsible |
|
|
Where can we find the data? What kind of documents must be elaborated to compile the data? |
When should we collect the data or organize evaluation? |
Who will collect the data for this indicator? |
(Example
from the SNV Value Chain Programme "Support to Business Associations and
their Access to Markets -
BOAM"
www.business-ethiopia.com.
Download of the BOAM M+E System: 6-m+e-report-7-05.zip
168 KB)
... but projects often postpone filling the last three columns with the effect that nice initial planning documents are waiting for nothing to be checked.
M+E of Partner Organizations
If indicator-based M+E systems are appropriate for international
development projects with the necessary resources, we do not impose this project
M+E systems on our partner organisations. Organize periodical meetings and
discussions with the help of the below mentioned SWOT analysis and you will
get the minimum necessary for impact evaluation with partner organisations.
Convince them to open an office folder for data collection where all
activities and services will be documented in a centralized manner (see
approaches on Organizational Development and the Folder method on
www.bds-ethiopia.net/lesson-od.html)
SWOT Analysis (Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats)
|
One of the simplest but most efficient and participatory tools for impact evaluation with partners is the SWOT analysis: In group discussion, put cards on the SWOT table. In the final report, cards are classified, discussed and comments made including recommendations. |
You can do one general SWOT exercise for your entire structure or/and sub-structure-specific SWOTs in sub-groups to go more into detail.
Complete manual for SWOT analysis: SWOT-Analysis.doc 116 K
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