Indicator Baseline Target Milestones PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENTS

Who has seen the wind? Neither I nor you But when the leaves come trembling The wind is passing through THE CONCEPT OF INDICATORS

An observable or measurable characteristic that shows, or tells the extent to which an intended result is being or has been achieved A performance indicator answers the question, “How will we know achievement when we see it?” “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” INDICATORS

Tell us how we will recognize success Help us to clarify what we mean by our results Provides an outcome basis for monitoring and evaluation Ensures legitimacy and accountability INDICATORS “How will we know success when we see it?”

 Quantitative indicators: Measures of quantity Examples: # of, % of, frequency of ….  Qualitative indicators: Involve people’s perceptions about a subject Examples: quality of, extent of, degree of… TYPES OF INDICATORS

Direct Indicators – Indicators that can be attributed directly from the result being measured Proxy indicators – Indicators that are used to measure the result indirectly because it is non-existent, too difficult, too expensive or impossible to measure directly

What are good indicators? SPECIFIC The indicator needs to be as specific as possible in terms of quantity, quality, time, location, target groups, baseline and target for the indicator MEASURABLE Will the indicator show desirable change? Is it a reliable and clear measure of results? Is it sensitive to changes in policies & programmes? Do stakeholders agree on exactly what to measure? ACHIEVABLE Are the result(s) realistic and based on risk assessment, partnership strategy and other factors contributing to the underlying result RELEVANT Is it relevant to the intended result? Does it reflect the expectations and success criteria for change in the target groups? TRACKABLE Are data actually available at reasonable cost & effort? Can proxy indicators be used? Are data sources known? August 2011Management Practice - BRC 7

Brainstorm possible indicatorsDoes the indicator really measure the result? Can we get reliable data for this indicator, now and in the future? Does this indicator permit us to measure the result over time? Does it provide information upon which decisions can be based? Can we afford to use this indicator? Does this indicator make it easy to communicate the status of the result? Is this indicator gender-sensitive? Discard indicator or keep in reserve Yes No Confirmed Valid Reliable Sensitive to change Useful Affordable Simple Gender-sensitive Steps in selecting an indicator

“If you do not know where you are, you will have difficulty determining where you need to go.” THE BASELINE

It establishes a foundation from which to measure change. Without baseline data, it is very difficult to measure change over time or to monitor and evaluate. EXPLANATION: Baseline

Definition It is a specified objective that indicates the quantity, quality, timing and location of that which is to be realized. Targets

 Available baselines  Funding and resource levels  Timing (short term, medium term & long term)  Flexibility  Setting firm targets for new indicators  Realistic Factors: setting targets

Milestones Intermediary targets between the baseline and the final target Incremental changes leading to the final result Selecting milestones should consider – Timing – Cost and difficulty to collect the data – Milestones may be process measures

OutcomeIndicatorBaselineMilestone 1 Milestone 2 Milestone 3 Target