Constant monitoring and evaluation of development projects is one of the most critical parameters to ensure that the project meets its deadline and desired results. Effective M&E mechanism brings out the reasons why targets are not achieved on time and helps bring out the solutions to rectify that.
Monitoring is a periodically recurring task starting from planning stage of a project or programme. Monitoring allows results, processes and experiences to be documented and used as a basis to steer the decision-making and learning processes. The data acquired through monitoring is used for evaluation.
Evaluation is assessing systematically and objectively a completed project or programme (or a phase of an ongoing project or programme that has been completed). Evaluations appraise data and information that inform strategic decisions, thus improving the project or programme in the future.
Evaluations should help draw conclusions about five main aspects of the intervention:
Relevance
Effectiveness
Efficiency
Impact
Sustainability
Information gathered in relation to these aspects during the monitoring process provides the basis for the evaluative analysis. M&E is an embedded concept and constitutive part of every project or programme design. We see M&E as not an imposed control instrument by the client or an optional accessory (“nice to have”) of any project or programme. We believe it is ideally understood as dialogue on development and its progress between all stakeholders. Monitoring is integral to the evaluation.
ADI has been involved in Monitoring & Evaluation of various externally funded and major government funded projects. Few to mention, ADI was involved in Odisha Forestry Sector Development Project in order to make and design an application, which would deal with online Forest management system, and upload the same on the server so that the top level management can plan and take decisions accordingly. This application aided Joint Forest Management (JFM) activities like EPA, Plantation and SMC. Also, designed and developed another application for micro-finance known as the Income Generation Activity (IGA). It will ensure reports are generated and diverse and huge field data managed in a simplified manner.
Also, consulting the OFSDP on Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) like economic baseline surveys, VSS assessment, etc. Our expert designed and developed application; project management; setting up & managing a team of 25 people that included data entry operators/ field executives and networking executives; data collection from all the divisions and getting them entered at a central system; presentation before the stakeholder; development monitoring; MIS designing and development, training manuals; troubleshooting; regular monitoring and evaluation. We were involved in evaluation of Panchayat Planning and Implementation Experience in West Bengal for Strengthening Rural Decentralisation (SRD). This was initiated in order to feed into the project design of SRD for which Government of West Bengal is seeking financial support from DFID. We were involved in evaluating The World Bank funded Integrated Watershed Development Project (IWDP) – Phase II for the State of Jammu & Kashmir.
