RESULT-BASED MONITORING AND EVALUATION

Introduction
Results-based management is a management strategy by which all actors on the
ground, contributing directly or indirectly to achieving a set of development
results, ensure that their processes, products and services contribute to the
achievement of desired results, outputs, outcomes and goals). Result based
management rests on clearly defined accountability for results and requires
monitoring and self-assessment of progress towards results, including reporting on
performance.
Once it is agreed to pursue a set of results through a program, implementation
starts and monitoring becomes an essential task to ensure results are being
achieved. Finally, Monitoring and evaluation provide invaluable information for
decision-making and lessons learned for the future.
Results-Based Monitoring
Results-based monitoring is a continuous process of collecting and
analyzing information to compare how well a project, program, or
policy is being implemented against expected results.
Key monitoring tools or mechanisms
Self assessments
Field visits
Reports
Review
Feedback from partners or beneficiaries on progress

Results-Based Evaluation

Results-based evaluation is an assessment of a planned, ongoing,

or
Completed intervention to determine its relevance, efficiency,
effectiveness,
impact, and sustainability
Evaluation focuses on expected and achieved accomplishments, examining the
results chain, processes, casualties in order to understand achievements or lack
thereof.
Evaluation aims at determining the relevance/appropriateness, effectiveness,
efficiency, impact and sustainability of the interventions and contributions of the
organizations.
Evaluation is to be decided during the initial planning process.
It requires planning and may need the involvement of external evaluators.
It is based on the set of indicators set during the initial planning process.
Difference between Results-Based Monitoring and
Evaluation
Monitoring is focused on tracking evidence of movement
towards the achievement of specific, predetermined targets
Evaluation takes a broader view of an intervention, considering
not only progress towards stated goals, but the logic of the
initiative, as well as its consequences
Both are needed to be able to better manage
policies, programs, and projects

Importance of Result based Monitoring and Evaluation

Growing pressures in developing countries to improve
performance of public sectors
Tracks results of government actions over time
Is a management tool
Complementary Roles of Monitoring and Evaluation
Monitoring

Clarifies program objectives

Links activities and their resources to objectives

Translates objectives into performance indicators and sets

targets

Routinely collects data on these indicators, compares actual

results with targets

Reports progress to managers and alerts them to problems

Evaluation
Analyzes why intended results were or were not achieved
Assesses specific causal contributions of activities to results

Examines implementation process

Explores unintended results

Provides lessons, highlights,significant accomplishment or

program potential, and offers recommendations for
improvement

Comparison between Traditional & Result based M&E

Traditional
Inputs
Activities
Outputs
Results-Based
combines traditional with assessment of outcomes and impacts
allows organization to modify and make adjustments to theory
of change implementation processes.
The Power of Measuring Results
If you do not measure results, you cannot tell success from
failure
If you cannot see success, you cannot reward it
If you cannot reward success, you are probably rewarding failure
If you cannot see success, you cannot learn from it
If you cannot recognize failure, you cannot correct it
If you can demonstrate results, you can win public support
Ten steps to building a result-based M&E System
Step 1: Conducting a Readiness Assessment
Step 2: Agreeing onPerformance Outcomes to Monitor and
Evaluate
Step 3: Selecting Key Indicators to monitor outcomes
Step 4: Gathering Baseline data on indicators
Step 5: Planning for

Improvements Setting realistic targets

Step 6: Monitoring for Results
Step 7: The Role of Evaluation
EvaluationWhen to Use?
Any time there is an unexpected result that requires further
investigation
When resource or budget allocations are being made across
projects, programs, or policies
When a decision is being made whether or not to expand a pilot
project
When there is a long period with no improvement and the
reasons for this are not clear
When similar programs or policies are reporting divergent
outcomes
Step 8: Reporting Findings
Step 9: Using Findings
Ten Uses of Results
Findings
Responds to elected officials and the publics demands for
accountability
Helps formulate and justify budget requests
Helps in making operational resource allocation decisions
Triggers in-depth examinations of what performance problems
exist and what corrections are needed

 Helps motivate personnel to continue making program

improvements
Step 10: Sustaining the Monitoring &Evaluation System within the
Organization
Critical Components crucial to Sustaining M&E System
Demand
Clear roles and responsibilities
Trustworthy and credible information
Accountability
Capacity
Incentives

Result based management life cycle approach

There are three salient features of result based management:

Accountability
National ownership
Inclusiveness
These features should be embodied in results-based management from
beginning to end.

Accountability

Along with results-based management, the issue of accountability has assumed

increasing importance over the last decade. The language of accountability and
results are often used interchangeably to the confusion of users. It is therefore
helpful to try and unpack the applied meaning of accountability at different levels
of engagement, as follows:
Governments serve as the primary owner and executing agents of programmes of
Cooperation and are accountable to their people, through their parliaments, for
delivering on national development objectives (sometimes referred to as national
goals, national outcomes, etc.).Results that occur at this level should be primarily
attributable to the Government, although circumstances may vary.
An actor that has an implementation role is accountable to the executing agency for
the delivery of goods and services. Typically, implementing agents are primarily
accountable for the achievement of outputs. Likewise, the achievement of outputs
can be primarily attributed to an implementing partner. Finally, providers of inputs,
such as vendors and contractors, are accountable to implementing agents for the
satisfactory delivery of specified items. At each level, there is an expectation that
an accountable party has the capacity to undertake its responsibilities to make its
contributions to results. If this capacity is not in place, then either capacity needs to
be developed or, where applicable, alternative arrangements sought.
National Ownership
This requires leadership and engagement of all relevant stakeholders, in all stages
of the process. National ownership does not mean control over resources or a
commitment to donor interests, to which the donor attaches support to achieve
results in specific areas. The donor attaches the highest importance to national
ownership (included but not limited to government ownership) and therefore the

results at higher level, e.g., at the impact and outcome levels, are predominantly
owned by national actors.
Inclusiveness
Finally, inclusiveness is another important Result Based Management feature.
Result Based Management must involve all relevant stakeholders, including,
whenever possible, different levels of government, social partners and civil society,
such as indigenous peoples, minorities and direct beneficiaries. One should not
expect stakeholders to be responsible for results and indicators they did not define,
negotiator agrees on. Stakeholder engagement is not only necessary for partnership
but also sustainability. Increasing evidence shows that sustainability is more likely
when stakeholders are involved in the development process from the onset: country
analysis, defining results and indicators, implementation, and monitoring and
evaluation of programmes and projects
What is result?
A result is a describable or measurable change in state that is derived from a cause
and-effect relationship. There are three types of such changes (intended or
unintended, positive and/or negative) which can be set in motion by a development
intervention that generates outputs, outcomes and impact. While it is expected that
result based management will lead to positive outcomes, since efforts most often
try to improve the socio-economic conditions of poor people, this is not always the
case. Change can sometimes lead to unintended consequences or negative impact.
Thus, it is important to manage for results that can truly have a real and meaningful
improvement on peoples lives.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION PLAN

1. Examine programme results
2. Identify relevant indicators and determine their feasibility
3. Design the means of verifications and methodology for collecting the necessary
data to generate the indicators
4. Generate baseline data
5. Set targets and milestones with full participation of the constituents and other
patners
6. Agree on who should do what: success of any monitoring and evaluation system
depend largely, on the existence of an adequate and properly functioning
institutional framework
7. Develop a detailed data collection tools and timeline.
8. Develop a plan to disseminate and use monitoring and evaluation findings.
KEY TO MONITORING AND EVALUATION
Quantitative or qualitative factor or variable that provides a simple and a reliable
means to measure achievement, to reflect the changes connected to an intervention,
or to help assess performance of a development actor
In any program/project, indicators depend on outcomes/objectives. While results
tell us what the programme plans to achieve, indicators tell us how to measure and
ascertain if those results/outcomes are realized or not.

REFERENCES
1.UNDP Handbook on planning, monitoring and evaluating for development
results, (2009).
2. Result based management, monitoring and evaluation, Workshop on the review
of Ethiopia decent work country programme, 8-10 august 2011.
3. Building Evaluation capacity to strengthen governance, Rist,Rac,World bank
Publications,2011
4. Evaluating Capacity Development: Horton, Douglas,ISNAR,2003.

Key to M&E
Quantitative or qualitative factor or variable that
provides a simple and