Fundamentals of Project Monitoring and Evaluation for Program Officers

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DURATION:
2 weeks
ID:
PF208

Categories

Course

Course Description

Project monitoring and evaluation skills have become important aspects of project development, management tools for social change, and a cornerstone to community development in virtually all industries, including sustainable development, healthcare, education, and banking. To successfully implement a project or a program, an effective monitoring system must be put in place to ensure that projects and programs are on track and alternative measures are available in case the programs get off track. For a better understanding of the course, the first part of this course reviews the course outlines of project development and management and the second part analyzes the monitoring and evaluation systems. The focus of this course is to bring to the course participants the proven techniques, guidelines, and strategies for successful monitoring, evaluating, and completing community or government projects on time.

Course Learning Objectives:

This short course aims to enhance the skills of the program officers, managers, and senior officials on how to effectively implement, monitor, evaluate, and design sustainable programs and projects.

Course Content

The course is delivered in a workshop setting facilitated by seasoned professional facilitators with practical experience. One session will be devoted to site visits to relevant institutions. The “Fundamentals of Project Monitoring and Evaluation for Program Officers” course has some of the following key areas of learning organized into the following modules:

In-country orientation

•Registration
•In-country registration
•Organization’s Background
•Schedule of Activities
•Ground Rules
•Dos & Don’ts Rules and Regulation
•Logistics

Overview and Expectations of the Course

•Development issues and challenges in the new millennium
•History of project development
•Project development models

Nature of a Project

•Objectives
•Using the SMART tool to identify objectives
•Defining a project
•Programs versus projects
•Characteristics of a project
•What is Project Management?

Project Development Process

•Define project scope
•Specify features, design
•Baseline system
•Build the product, testing
•Deliver products to customers

Project Life Cycle

•Phase #1: Defining the scope of the project
•Phase #2: Planning the project
•Phase #3: Executing the project
•Phase #4: Delivering the project

The Parameters of a Project

•Scope
•Quality
•Cost
•Duration
•Resources
•Integration
•Communication
•Procurement
•Risk

Planning the Project Implementation

•Establishing project priorities
•Project priority matrix
•Project management trade-offs
•Tools for project planning: SWOT Analysis

Implementing the Project

•Creating a work breakdown structure
•Creating a project team and project review group
•Developing status report process
•Making changes to the project
•Assessing the quality of the project
•Making forecasts
•How to use WBS tool to identify staff
•Using the Logical Framework
•Team-building factor
•Dealing with risks and uncertainty
•Time management
•Risk management process
•Change process

Monitoring the Project

•What is monitoring?
•How to design the monitoring system
•The project control system
•How to design progress report system
•PERT Network tool
•Tracking Gantt Charts
•Formative evaluation
•Process evaluation
•Outcome evaluation
•Cost-benefit analysis
•Program documentation and reporting

Measuring Project Performance
Requires the understanding of three values:
1. Planned Value (PV)
2. Earned Value (EV)
3. Actual Cost (AC)

Finding Variances in the project
1. Actual Costs (ACS)
2. Budget at Completion (BAC)
3. Cost Variance (CV)
4. Schedule Variance (SV)

Calculating the Cost Performance Index (CPI)
Finding the Schedule Performance Index (SPI)
Completing the Estimate to Complete (ETC)
Preparing for the estimate at completion (EAC)
Finding the Variance at Completion (VAC)
The five rules of Earned Value Management (EVM)

Monitoring and Evaluation
-Fundamental concepts of program monitoring and evaluation
-What is Monitoring & Evaluation?
-Stages of Monitoring & Evaluation
-Factors that impact monitoring & evaluation
-Benefits of monitoring & evaluation?
-How to design effective monitoring & evaluation?
-How to assess the impacts of a project?
-Why and when to evaluate?
-Concluding remarks and reflections

Factors Affecting Monitoring and Evaluation
-Dependence on the clarity of objectives and availability of indicators
-Time constraints and the quality of monitoring and evaluation
-Objectivity and independence of evaluators and their findings
-Learning or control?
-Feedback from Monitoring and evaluation
-Responsibilities and capacities

Stages of Monitoring and Evaluation
-Project planning
-Project programming
-Identification and formulation
-Project implementation
-Plan monitoring, evaluation, and audit
-Activities and Assessment
-Project conclusion
-Carry out evaluation and audit assessments

Designing an Effective Monitoring and Evaluation System
-Establishing the purpose, objectives, and scope of the M&E system
-Identifying performance questions, information needs, and indicators
-Planning information gathering and organization
-Planning a critical reflection process and events
-Planning for quality communication and reporting
-Planning for the necessary conditions and capacities

Elements of Program Logical Framework Model
-Assumption/context
-Problem statement
-Implementation – Input/output activities
-Outcomes
-Impacts

How to Carry Out Effective Monitoring and Evaluation?
-Know the project aims and objectives as the baseline
-Determine what sort of data to be used – Quantitative or Qualitative data?
-What is the purpose of monitoring and evaluation? Formative or Summative?
-What are the Methods/tools/participants?

Result-Based Management (Life Cycle Approach)
-Setting the Vision
-Defining the Result Map and Result Based Management Framework
-Planning for Monitoring and Evaluation
-Implementing and Using Monitoring
-Managing and using Evaluation

Assessing the Impacts of the Projects
These are the longer-term effects that the project may have – how has participating impacted on the life of people who took part.
-Record expectations at the beginning
-Carry out a midpoint review
-Complete an end of session review
-Will they come again/ take part in future opportunities
-Think about sustainability for the future
-Did the event meet their expectations
-What did they enjoy/ not enjoy
-Things they gained
-Is there anything they want to do as a result of attending this event
-Ask for simple words to summarize an event

Exercise, Group Project, Case Studies, field trips

-Case studies and best practices
-Exercise and group presentations
-Models of project monitoring and evaluation
-Best practices in project monitoring and evaluation
-Selected case studies of M&E
-Pros and cons of M&E
-Challenges in program monitoring and evaluation
-Implementation Failures
-How to design evaluation metrics
-How to evaluate project against standards
-How to evaluate project against stakeholders’ expectation
-How to evaluate external processes

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the course, participants will benefit the following from the course:

-Participants’ skills will be enhanced in better management of community or government programs.
-The course will enhance participants in designing a step-by-step approach to developing and managing project monitoring and evaluation.
-The course will empower participants to become better able to assess needs, articulate plans, and evaluate projects.
-Participants will understand how to improve productivity, understand the basic project management skills, effectively organize projects, estimate project costs, and create dependable monitoring techniques.

Learning Methodology:
The course is based on a participatory, active learning approach, group discussion, case studies, problem-solving exercises, and group presentations. Active participation is required and the key to the success of the workshops. Other methods used in this course include case studies, guest speakers, project monitoring and evaluation exercises, problem-solving exercises. Assessment is through effective class participation, group presentation, group projects, and class attendance.

Who should attend?
The course is intended for senior staff in private or public sectors that have the responsibility for developing, designing, and implementing a project. Senior public officials, project managers, senior project consultants, heads of departments, supervisors, personnel officers, senior government staff, and other personnel as deemed appropriate by management.

Course Duration:
2 weeks

Training Locations

(a) Stamford, CT, USA
(b) New York City, NY, USA
(c) Washington, DC, USA       (d) Toronto, Canada  (e) Lagos, Nigeria  (f) Nairobi, Kenya  (g) Dubai, UAE

Scheduled Dates:
Mar 16-27; Jun 15-26; Aug 17-28, 2023

Course Materials
Course materials include PowerPoint presentation slides, carefully selected reading materials, exercises, case studies, reading references, and a laptop computer.

Course Fees
The course fee is $5,500 per person for two weeks. The course fee covers the following: instruction, course materials, and one brand new laptop computer to take home, administration expenses, field trips, cultural programs, and miscellaneous program-related expenses.

How to Register
To receive a letter of invitation and supporting documents, you must complete and forward the registration form to the training director as soon as possible. To participate in this course, the applicant must:

  1. Send a completed application form
  2. Have a bachelor’s degree/or have relevant work experience at the senior management level
  3. Be nominated by the head of his/her department
  4. Be a senior member of the department/organization
  5. Demonstrate a devoted interest in the course
  6. Have proof of English proficiency
  7. Demonstrate proof of financial sponsorship of the course.

CONTACT US:

For more information, please contact:

Center for Executive Training and International Development

295 Madison Avenue

12th Floor

New York, NY 10017, USA

Phone: +917 753 7225, +602 684 3228

Email: admin@cetid.net

Website: www.cetid.net