VC M&E Module 3 - Assess Capacity and Resources

VALUE CHAIN MONITORING AND EVALUATION GUIDE

MODULE 3

Assess the Initiative’s M&E Resources &

Capacity

April 9, 2023

2

GETTING STARTED

OBJECTIVE OF MODULE 3To map your resources and capacity so you can make good decisions as you continue the M&E system design process, particularly when you begin to select indicators, tools and information management processes.

Be thrifty!

Be realistic!

Be creative!

April 9, 2023

3

GETTING STARTED

OVERVIEW• NOTHING is more important than the resources

and capacity available to the initiative to carry out M&E.

• Most effective M&E systems match the system’s purpose and design with the project’s ability to implement it.

• Do not try to do more than you are realistically capable of achieving.

April 9, 2023

4

GETTING STARTED

As you go about mapping your project’s resources, the following must be considered:

Financial capacity

Human capacity

Physical capacity

April 9, 2023

5

So, key inputs for this step are:

• Anticipated or actual

budget

• Project manager

• Possibly, project staff

MATERIALS / INPUTS RECOMMENDED

April 9, 2023

6

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

1

•Assess the Initiative’s Financial Resources To Implement M&E

2

•Assess the Initiative’s Human Resources Needs and Capacity for M&E

3

•Assess the Physical Resources To Implement M&E

4

•Reflection on the Implications for the M&E System Design

April 9, 2023

7

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE: STEP 1

Assessing Financial Resources

•M&E is expensive!•Important to generate an understanding of what resources are available to support M&E

April 9, 2023

8

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE: STEP 1Consider the following expenses:

• Direct M&E staff salaries• Indirect salary allocations to support M&E • Outsourcing costs for services such as data collection,

data analysis, or training • Travel budgets to support M&E meetings, retreats,

field visits, etc.• Consulting budgets to support baseline, midline and

endline evaluations, as well as action research• Hardware costs for tools such as PDAs, GIS devices,

software (e.g., statistical programs), mobile phones, or tablet computers

• Communications costs including website development, newsletters, etc.

• Publications and media development costs

April 9, 2023

9


Investigate additional sources of funding:• Donors interested in funding research proposals

submitted by value chain initiatives (CARE lead members can come in handy to help find them).

• Engage research assistants, graduate students and interns on an interim basis to pursue strategic analyses and studies.

• Be proactive and entrepreneurial, but careful – being too ambitious can overwhelm you and your colleagues.

April 9, 2023

10


• Brainstorm the potential costs or line items you think you will need for M&E.

• Review the budget to see how much money has already been allocated to these areas. If you are still in the design phase, gather information from past projects on M&E costs for those line items and develop an initial estimate of M&E costs to give yourself a starting figure.

• Capture your information in the draft M&E Budget Worksheet.

COMPLETING STEP 1

April 9, 2023

11

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE: STEP 1Budget Item Available

budgetComments

M&E FUNDS

M&E staff positions / salaries

Evaluation (baseline, midline, endline studies)

Monitoring system design and data collection

Research, studies (from consultancy lines)

Events – training workshops, learning events, routine meetings

Technology - GIS mapping, mobile phones, etc

Total available M&E funds

SAVE THIS WORKSHEET!!! YOU WILL CONTINUALLY REFER TO IT AS YOU DESIGN YOUR M&E PROGRAM!!!

M&E Budget Worksheet

April 9, 2023

12

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

1 •Assess the Initiative’s Financial Resources To Implement M&E

2 •Assess the Initiative’s Human Resources Needs and Capacity for M&E

3 •Assess the Physical Resources To Implement M&E

4 •Reflection on the Implications for the M&E System Design

April 9, 2023

13

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE: STEP 2Assessing Human

Resources•M&E systems require people to carry out:

Information collectionData analysisReport preparationSharingReflectionInformation dissemination

April 9, 2023

14


COMPLETING STEP 21. Brainstorm the technical skills you anticipate the

M&E system will need.2. Identify all individuals with a direct and indirect

responsibility for M&E.3. Use the M&E Human Capacity Worksheet to capture

the technical skills and individuals you have listed.4. Fill in the worksheet.5. Identify which individuals or units you anticipate

taking on the tasks you have identified.6. Finally, reflect on your matrix.

April 9, 2023

15


M&E Technical Skills Needed

Individual / Unit % time M&E

M&E Officer

Project Manger

LME Unit Director

ACD/PM&E Regional

CoordinatorField Staff

Data collection partner

CBO partner M&E staff

CARE USA EDU

Summary Assessment of Human Capacity

M&E Human Capacity Worksheet

April 9, 2023

16

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

1 •Assess the Initiative’s Financial Resources To Implement M&E

2 •Assess the Initiative’s Human Resources Needs and Capacity for M&E

3 •Assess the Physical Resources To Implement M&E

4 •Reflection on the Implications for the M&E System Design

April 9, 2023

17

Assessing Physical Resources

Physical resources for M&E include: Computers and other hardwareSoftware for data storage and analysis,

such as Excel or SPSSMotorized and non-motorized vehicles for

transporting personnel to information collection activities

Telephones and/or mobile phonesGIS toolsInternet connectivityMobile network access


April 9, 2023

18

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE: STEP 3COMPLETING STEP 3

1. Brainstorm the physical resources you anticipate needing.

2. Discuss how readily you can access each, whether directly or through existing partners.

3. Assess whether you can fill any gaps through the

existing budget. If you are working on a proposal, assess what it would cost to fill this gap and whether you can realistically build this into the project budget.

4. If you do not think you can fill the budget gap, mark this as an issue to be taken into consideration as you advance the M&E system design process.

April 9, 2023

19

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

1

•Assess the Initiative’s Financial Resources To Implement M&E

2

•Assess the Initiative’s Human Resources Needs and Capacity for M&E

3

•Assess the Physical Resources To Implement M&E

4

•Reflection on the Implications for the M&E System Design

April 9, 2023

20


Reflection

•Consolidate resource information

•Review findings

•Generate conclusions

April 9, 2023

21

COMMON PITFALLS

•Initiatives do not adequately assess their M&E resources and capacity.•Initiatives do not match the M&E design to their M&E capacity and resources.•Initiatives do not manage client expectations•Initiatives do not scale down their M&E plans sufficiently when confronted by M&E capacity and resource demands.•Initiatives fail to consider the political aspects of M&E involved in budget and resource allocations•Initiatives overestimate client support for M&E. •Clients treat unfavorable information in a way that creates disincentives to generate and disseminate information, which makes it difficult in turn to use information productively. •Initiative management de-emphasizes M&E and/or fails to provide it with consistent and visible support.•M&E is viewed by initiative management and staff as a separate function (or in other words, as a non-core function) to be done periodically and then primarily for external clients.•Clients are primarily interested in positive results and either ignore or punish bad news, thereby discouraging learning and adaptive management.

April 9, 2023

22

QUESTIONS?

COMMENTS?

April 9, 2023

23

Multiple ways to continue the discussion and continue learning:• Initiate a monthly session on the M&E guide

and case studies from across CARE. Contact [email protected]

• Join the Market Engagement Community of Practice on LinkedIn.

• Join a task force to review and refine the universal indicators. Contact [email protected]

Want to Learn More?

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

VC M&E Module 3 - Assess Capacity and Resources

Technology

Transcript of VC M&E Module 3 - Assess Capacity and Resources