Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation (PME) HANDBOOK

1 SECRETARIAT - 150 route de Ferney, Box 2100, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland - TEL: +41 22 791 6033 - FAX: +41 22 791 6506. Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation (PME). HANDBOOK . Approved by the ACT Governing Board May 2012. 1. ACT Alliance PME HANDBOOK Appr. May 2012. Table of Contents List of Abbreviations and Acronyms 5. List of boxes, figures & tables 6. INTRODUCTION 7. ACT Alliance's Strategic Framework 8. Purpose for PME in ACT Alliance 9. Monitoring and Evaluation : Definitions and Relationship 10. Key features of ACT PME 12. Towards common ACT PME terminologies 12. Planning, M&E and Learning: All Working Together for Results 13. M&E and Accountability 14. Focus on outcomes and impact 17. M&E in Humanitarian and Development contexts 18. ACT PME and Gender 19. SCOPE OF ACT PME 21. Direct activities 22. Advocacy and PME 22. Capacity Development and PME 23. Other conditions for ACT PME 25. PROJECT DESIGN (PLANNING) 27. Planning for project design 28. Assessment and Analysis 28.

2 Stakeholder analysis 28. Needs assessments vs baseline surveys 30. Developing project objectives 31. Completing design: Proposal Writing 32. PLANNING FOR M&E SYSTEMS 35. M&E timeline 36. Selecting and defining indicators 36. 2. ACT Alliance PME HANDBOOK Appr. May 2012. Types of Indicators 37. Qualities of Indicators 38. Towards Common ACT Global Indicators 42. M&E Frameworks 44. Developing the logframe 44. M&E Plan 49. M&E methods and tools 50. Quantitative and Qualitative methods 50. Type of M&E Tools 51. Choice of M&E Tools and Methods 51. Setting M&E databases 54. Pre-testing M&E procedures 55. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS 56. Data collection process 56. Preparations for data collection 56. Sampling 57. Building rapport and maintaining confidentiality 58. Conducting interviews and recording data 59. Data entry and Analysis 59. Analysis of quantitative data 60. Analysis of qualitative data 61. Dimensions of data analysis 62. Interpretation of analysis 63.

3 Enhancing data interpretation 63. Issues for interpreting M&E results 64. M&E results and programme performance 65. Presentation of M&E results 65. Managing errors associated with M&E data 66. USE AND USERS OF M&E RESULTS 67. Evidence-based decisions 68. Evidence-based reporting 70. Evidence-based Advocacy 72. M&E AND LEARNING 72. Good practice and learning 72. 3. ACT Alliance PME HANDBOOK Appr. May 2012. Reviewing and learning from ACT appeals and RRFs 74. MANAGING M&E SYSTEMS 75. Quality of M&E data 75. Ethics and Integrity of ACT PME 76. PME Roles and Responsibilities 76. NECESSARY CONDITIONS AND CAPACITIES FOR ACT PME 77. Critical capacities for ACT humanitarian response 78. Organizational capacities 78. Critical PME capacities 79. Periodic review of M&E functioning Monitoring the Monitoring 80. ACT PME Peer Support system 82. APPENDICES 83. APPENDIX 1: The logframe (format) 83. APPENDIX 2: Monitoring and Evaluation Plan 84. APPENDIX 3: Performance Tracking Table (PTT) 85.

4 APPENDIX 4: Beneficiaries Counting Table 86. APPENDIX 5: M&E systems performance Monitoring table 87. APPENDIX 6: PM&E Glossary 88. References 92. 4. ACT Alliance PME HANDBOOK Appr. May 2012. List of Abbreviations and Acronyms ACT - Action by Churches Together ALNAP - Action Learning Network for Accountability in Humanitarian AUP - Agreed Upon Procedures CDI - Capacity Development Initiative CDC - Centre for Disease Control and Prevention CSOs - Civil Society Organizations CoC - Code of Conduct DAC - Development Assistance Committee DCA - Dan Church Aid ECD - Early Childhood Development EoP - End of Project FGD - Focused Group Discussion ICCO - Inter Church Organization for Development Cooperation IRS - Indicator Reference Sheet KPI - Key Performance Indicators LRRD - Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development M&E - Monitoring and Evaluation MoV - Means of Verification MSC - Most Significant Change OCA - Organizational Capacity Assessment OVI - Objectively Verifiable Indicators OECD - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development PCM - Project Cycle Management PME - Planning.

5 Monitoring and Evaluation PRA - Participatory Rural Appraisal PTT - Performance Tracking Table Q&A - Quality and Accountability RM - Requesting Member RMA - Resource Management Audit RRF - Rapid Response Fund RTE - Real Time Evaluation SMART - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound SOP - Standard Operating Procedures ToR - Terms of Reference 5. ACT Alliance PME HANDBOOK Appr. May 2012. List of boxes, figures & tables Boxes Box 1: PME and Accountability Box 2: Assessing the planning/design strength for an ACT appeal Box 3: Ten ACT global indicators Box 4: Programme design logic and the logical framework Box 5: Summary steps in constructing a Logframe Box 6: Advantages and limitations of Logframes Box 7: 10 steps in setting up a simple M&E database Box 8: Cases of wrong interpretation of M&E data Box 9: ACT progress report: Feedback & improvements Box 10: Learning mechanisms Box 11: Dimensions for reviewing & learning from multiple ACT appeals/RRFs Box 12: Managing PME systems - Good practice Figures Figure 1: ACT Alliance's Strategic Framework Figure 2: Scope of ACT PME.

6 Figure 3: Steps in project design Figure 4: Project Design as a basis for M&E. Figure 5: Constructing Logframe elements Table Table 1: Hierarchy of programme results Table 2: Programme dimensions and Gender Table 3: Planning M&E for capacity building Table 4: Management-related assessment tools Table 5: Stakeholder analysis table Table 6: Sample M&E Calendar Table 7: Indicator with and without target Table 8: Measuring change on indicators Table 9: Recommended minimum M&E frameworks & tools for ACT Appeals/RRFs Table 10: Common data analysis computer programmes Table 11: Analysis plan Table 12: M&E results and programme performance Table 13: Programme level improvement decisions Table 14: Users and use of M&E results Table 15: Capacity building during crises Systems and Tools Table 16: Key areas for PM&E Capacities Table 17: Assessing the functioning of PME in ACT appeals/RRFs 6. ACT Alliance PME HANDBOOK Appr. May 2012. INTRODUCTION. ACT Alliance is a new global force with a unique role to play in humanitarian, development and advocacy work as articulated in its mission statement.

7 Wide coordination within ACT members, capacity of the national forums in delivering humanitarian activities and the drawing on the capabilities of individual ACT. members collectively enhance the strength of ACT Alliance. These institutional environments provide a broad spectrum for learning and continuous improvement, hence the opportunities for addressing issues of performance, and Quality and Accountability (Q&A) in ACT humanitarian and development work. The ACT Founding Document provides, among other ACT objectives, that ACT Alliance shall be engaged in high quality and effective transformational development programmes that contribute towards positive change in people's lives as well as respond quickly and effectively to humanitarian emergencies to save lives, ease suffering and support communities1 . It is in this founding document that ACT's commitment to Q&A is established to guide the collaborative and joint work of ACT members. This is further translated into the first ACT strategic plan (2010-2014), and other various instruments including the ACT accountability framework.

8 The first ACT Alliance strategic plan (2011-2014) provides 6 strategic aims (see ACT strategic framework on pg 2) one of which is dedicated to addressing the issues of Q&A by promoting a culture of Q&A; ensuring accountable governance; enabling communities to make complaints; strengthening forum coordination;. strengthening planning, Monitoring , Evaluation ; promoting shared learning; and achieving and maintaining HAP certification. This strategic aim on Q&A is linked to the rest of other ACT strategic aims and ensures that the entire work of ACT is delivered in a manner that promises quality and impact. Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation , along with other standards, provide the main vehicle through which issues of Q&A are addressed in the work of ACT Alliance. Systematic and regular Monitoring will ensure collection, analysis and utilization of vital programme information to inform programme decisions while ACT. evaluations will help identify lessons and leverage learning within ACT.

9 It is envisaged that this HANDBOOK will provide a common Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) reference for promoting evidence-based decisions making and expanding opportunity for sharing lessons for improving programme quality and results of ACT. appeals and Rapid Response Funds (RRFs) as well as development practice across the Alliance. Better planning and functional Monitoring and Evaluation systems help in translating Q&A issues into real practice of programme management and implementation. 1. Founding Document, ACT Alliance (February 27, 2009), Approved by Joint Executive Committee meeting, pg 4. 7. ACT Alliance PME HANDBOOK Appr. May 2012. ACT Alliance's Strategic Framework Our mission: As churches and church related organisations, we work together for positive and sustainable change in the lives of people affected by poverty and injustice through coordinated and effective humanitarian, development, and advocacy work. Aim 1: Sustainable Aim 2: Efficient and Aim 3: Advocacy for Aim 4: Quality and Aim 5: Effective and Aim 6: A strong ACT.

10 Development through effective emergency justice Accountability visible communication Alliance empowerment response Establish Promote a culture Nurture relationships Facilitate Promote Ensure coordinated, foundations for of quality and with mass media implementation of sustainable timely and effective advocacy accountability Create world class ACT objectives development response Support country Ensure accountable communications in Strengthen capacity Make rights a reality Improve planning related advocacy governance emergencies Ensure a stable Assess development and coordination Strengthen Enable communities Ensure effective income effectiveness Prioritise gender humanitarian to make complaints internal Ensure membership Prioritise risk equality and advocacy Strengthen forum communications in strategic alliances management protection Initiate and sustain coordination Increase members Foster strong Maximise Incorporate advocacy on climate Strengthen co-branding member relations development recovery in change planning, Raise Enable formal potential emergency Facilitate joint Monitoring .