May 12th

Monitoring and Project Control

Objectives

Monitoring Complete Project Status

Knowledge Area Process

Integration • Monitor Project Work

Scope • Assess Scope Status

Time • Schedule Monitoring

Cost • Cost Monitoring

Quality • Assess Quality

Human Resource Management • Manage Project Team

Communication • Performance Reporting• Manage Stakeholders

Risk • Risk Monitoring

Procurement • Contract Administration Monitoring

Project Proposal /

Project Charter

Goal

Outputs

Purpose

inputs

Logical Framework

Critical Path Method

Annual Performance Target Table

Output Based Budget

Output 1 _______ _______ Output 2 _______ _______

GANTT Chart

Task

Time

Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Y5Indicator

The Logical Frameworklinks naturally to other project managementtools

Conceptual Design and Monitoring

Inputs

4 Categories of MonitoringProject

DescriptionIndicators Source of

VerificationAssumptions

Goal text text text

Objective(s) text text text

Results text text text

Activities text text text

2. Outcomes Monitoring - Is the causal relationship between the results and the objectives correct?

2. Outcomes Monitoring - Is the causal relationship between the results and the objectives correct?

1. Operational Monitoring (bean counting)

• Service Delivery • Physical Distribution• Financial tracking• Procurement and

inventory tracking

1. Operational Monitoring (bean counting)

• Service Delivery • Physical Distribution• Financial tracking• Procurement and

inventory tracking

3. Objectives Monitoring - Is the causal logical between the objectives and the goal correct?

3. Objectives Monitoring - Is the causal logical between the objectives and the goal correct?

4. Risk Monitoring – Pay special attention to monitoring your assumptions at the Activity and Results levels during implementation

4. Risk Monitoring – Pay special attention to monitoring your assumptions at the Activity and Results levels during implementation

Monitoring the Project Constraints

• Compare against the triple constraint baselines– Cost – Time– Scope (Product and Project)

• Identify variances• React as necessary

Project Baselines

• The original plan, plus or minus approved changes

• Baselines – Scope: statement of work, work breakdown

structure– Cost: project budget– Schedule (Time): network diagram, Gantt

chart

Do we ever want to change the Baseline?

Stakeholder Monitoring NeedsWhat does each need to know – when and why?

Project ManagerOrganization and PartnersBeneficiariesProject TeamDonor

What is the most cost-effective means of getting the information?

Inputs

Utilization-Focused M&EStakeholder Need to Know How Often Responsibility

Cost and Complexity of Data Collection

6 Questions for Monitoring Plans

1. What information is needed to track the indicator?2. Who will collect the information? How often will it be

collected?3. What data collection methods are appropriate?4. How will the information be analyzed? Who will

analyze it? How often will it be analyzed?5. Who will report the results?6. Who will receive the results? What decisions will be

made with this information?

The Monitoring Plan

Monitoring Responsibility Worksheet

Why evaluate? The main objectives of program evaluations are:•To inform decisions on operations, policy, or strategy related to ongoing or future program interventions •To demonstrate accountability to decision-makers (i.e. donors).•Shows a clear linkage between your design (using LogFrame) and your actual deliverables.

After Action ReviewReview the activity and its related objective or deliverable. For each one ask the following:

1. What did we set out to do?2. What did we achieve?3. What went really well? 4. What could have gone better? 5. What prevented us from doing more? 6. What can we learn from this?

Final Evaluations• Conducted toward the end of the project.• Largely judgment oriented – determining overall

merit, worth or value of a project.• Generally include an external evaluator and require

more planning and investment.

External vs. Internal Evaluators•Provides a fresh look at the project and can draw from other project experiences• Not personally involved, easier to be objective• Is not part of the power and authority structure of the project• Trained in evaluation methods and has wide experience planning and conducting other evaluations• Better able to focus for longer periods of time on evaluation tasks

•Has in-depth understanding of the project and can interpret attitudes and behaviors of participants and stakeholders•May lessen anxiety as he is well-known to project stakeholders and has established relationships •Less expensive

• May have limited understanding of the project, and participants and stakeholders involved and therefore needs time to digest information on the project

• May cause more anxiety as he does not have an established relationship of trust with project stakeholders

• More expensive

• May be unwittingly constrained by attitudes such as “We have always done it this way”

• Personally and professionally involved, so harder to be objective

• Is part of the power and authority structure of the project

• May not be trained in evaluation methods and may have limited experience planning or conducting evaluations

• May have time constraints for evaluation due to other duties

External Internal

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Ex-Post Evaluations• Conducted at a defined period of time after project

completion.• Knowledge-oriented, emphasizing sustainable impact

evaluation• Are especially useful when advocating for

interventions in a specific program or portfolio area.• Not conducted as regularly as final evaluations.