Monitoring and Evaluation Systems for NARS organizations in Papua New Guinea Day 4. Session 11. Reporting

Learning objectives By the end of this session, participants will be able to: Justify why reports are a crucial part of an M&E system. Explain what types of reports are prepared in a NARS organization and can give examples. Explain the aspects that need to be considered when developing the reporting process for a particular report. Justify why reporting processes should be standardized at all levels of a NARS organization. Describe a report schedule for standard reporting in their organization.

Reports instruments for disseminating and using the M&E findings present data and information related to the implementation of the organizational strategy, such as the resources used and results achieved fulfil the information needs of different people, groups or audiences mostly in written style disseminated to ensure that the right information reaches the right user at the right time presented to scientists, technical personnel, managers, partners and stakeholders, government agencies and donors

Reports to provide information to managers and stakeholders for decision making to compare progress towards established objectives to ascertain the quality of the implementation process to assess the scientific and managerial quality of an intervention to compare different interventions (finances, staff time, resources) to identify significant deviations and take corrective action to document data, achievements and findings (institutional memory) to disseminate results among clients, beneficiaries, stakeholders to re-plan existing interventions or plan new interventions to take stock of work going on to provide evidence of results and impact to provide feedback and guidance

Reports should be prepared keeping the recipients in mind provide the recipients with the information relevant to their needs at the right time Information that is generated but not used is a waste of resources: information does not reach the person who needed it information did not reach in time clarity, synthesis and presentation of the information not appropriate

Reports last step of the data management process – the data journey but, the first thing to do when designing an M&E system/ planning the M&E arrangements: decide what types of reports will be produced and their dissemination

Types of reports in a NARS organization technical-administrative reports progress reports final reports special reports

Technical-Administrative Reports required by the administration of the organization or by stakeholders of the intervention information on specific aspects of an intervention, e.g. financial expenditure, resource use, technical aspects, e.g. research results distributed to the higher level managers, the requesting administrative unit, or to stakeholders prepared by the manager or leader of the respective intervention on a regular or ad hoc basis as required by the recipient often part of regular progress reports, i.e. the financial report or technical data may be part of the annual progress report

Progress Reports summarize an intervention’s achievements over a specific time period major instruments for disseminating and sharing M&E information in a NARS organization prepared routinely by managers and leaders of the intervention in NARS organizations the timing of progress reports will mostly be synchronized with the budget cycle (financial year) frequency depends on the organizational level at which they are prepared at the lower organizational levels usually more frequent than at higher levels

Final Reports prepared at completion of an intervention summarises the intervention’s achievements over its full life complement the routine progress reports, but more substantive and analytical includes initial objectives, justification, methodology and expected results plus: scientific data; achievements and findings of significance, new ideas, lessons learned, indicators for impact assessment

Special Reports prepared for evaluations conducted for an intervention before, during or after its implementation Examples: Mid-term evaluation report Impact assessment report

Examples of potential reports in a NARS organization NARS organization annual report. Annual program report. Annual project report. Six-monthly project report. Quarterly project financial report. Quarterly project activity report. Monthly project activity financial report. Project mid-term review report. Project outcome evaluation report

Information flow between levels good management requires good flow of information from one level to the next managers at the different organizational levels linked by reports reports completed from the lowest level via the next higher level to the highest level higher level report derives its data from the previous level detailed information at the lower level - consolidated and summarised information at higher level

Planning reports and reporting process 1.organizational level 2.Recipients of the report 3.Recipients’ needs and interest (content, format, dissemination channel) 4.Use of the report 5.Content and format 6.Responsibility for preparing the report 7.Timing of report preparation 8.Timing of report submission 9.Dissemination channel

Six Monthly Project Report 1.Project Title: 2.Outputs for the period: 3.Progress in relation to outputs: 4.Activities planned for next six months: 5.Required modifications to original plan: Budget Schedule Methods

Final Project Report 1.Project Title: 2.Executive Summary: 3.Initial Justification: 4.Initial Project Purpose: 5.Expected Results: (outcome/impact) 6.Methodology/Approach: (incl. scientific or technical data and information) 7.Achievements and Findings: 8.Lessons Learned for Implementation of Future Projects: 9.Conclusions: (incl. new areas for future projects) 10.Recommendations for Impact Assessment: 11.Financial Summary:

Standardising progress reporting in a NARS organization standard reports and reporting processes that will be used by all interventions to report and disseminate the M&E findings all interventions at a particular level, e.g. an annual project report format used by all projects progress reports, technical-administrative reports, final reports, special reports not all reports and reporting processes can be standardized

Standardising reporting in a NARS organization preparing a predefined report format to be used by staff preparing guidelines for staff describing the reporting process for each standard report providing orientation and direction to those writing the reports prepare the reports quicker provides the users with familiarity with the structure and presentation of the report facilitate analysis and comparison with different interventions or previous periods

Standardising reporting in a NARS organization responsibility of the M&E unit guidelines and report formats will be part of the organizational M&E plan

Developing a report schedule summary of the reporting processes of all identified reports for a particular intervention shows how the data and information generated by the intervention will be reported and disseminated prepared for each intervention and to summarize the standard reporting processes part of the M&E plan, either for intervention or for organization as a whole

Example of a report schedule organizational Level Title of Report Content/For mat Responsible for Preparation Frequency/T iming of Preparation Timing of Report Submission Channel for Dissemination Recipient of Report

Developing a report schedule keep information flow in mind lower level reports, such as project activities and projects feed into the more higher level reports, such as the annual report of a program or of the organization timing of the preparation and dissemination of the reports at different levels has to be synchronized report schedule for standard reporting assist managers to develop the M&E arrangements for their intervention

What makes a good report? Complementarity with other management instruments. Adequate format and structure. Appropriate frequency. Style in accordance with audience. Content relevant to audience. Source: Bojanic et al 1995

Common problems of progress reporting Standardized formats do not exist or are not used. Reports are not presented at the right time. Quality of reports is poor: little substance and analysis, and poorly written. Synthesis reports are not prepared at the program or organizational levels. Reports are not used to make decisions and scientists do not receive feedback information. Source: Bojanic et al 1995