1. Monitoring and Evaluation Systems for NARS Organisations in Papua New Guinea
Day 3. Session 8.
Routine monitoring

2. Learning objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be able to
Explain what routine monitoring is.
Describe how to plan each step in the management process for routine monitoring data.
Provide examples of data records and registers used in routine monitoring.
Explain why standard routine monitoring formats and guidelines may need to be developed in their organisations and know how they may be developed.

3. Data sources and data collection methods
How are we going to gather and organise the data and information needed to tell whether our intervention is working?
Identify the data sources and data collection methods – means of verification
Respond to manages’ and stakeholders’ information needs

4. Data sources and data collection methods
May be categorised as:
routine monitoring methods
periodic data collection methods
one-off collection method for special data as part of an evaluation

5. Routine monitoring methods
methods to collect data on inputs, activities and outputs of an intervention
applied continuously throughout the life of an intervention
provide data and information on the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of the implementation process

6. Routine monitoring methods
conducted mainly at the levels of project activities and projects
operational levels where resources are used, the technical work is done and the outputs will be achieved
possibly at program and organisational level

7. Routine monitoring methods
collected internally mostly by the implementers of the interventions
check if another group, person or unit has already collected the required data
use it, but check how collected, its reliability for your needs and are you allowed to use this data

8. Managing routine monitoring data
Management Process – the data journey (IFAD 2002):
Data sourcing
Data collection
Data recording
Data storing
Data collation
Data analysis
Data reporting and dissemination

9. Managing routine monitoring data – planning the data journey
Steps
Key Questions to Answer
Data sourcing
Can we use an existing secondary data source – data collected by another entity? Do we have to source/collect the data ourselves?
Data collection
Which mechanisms or means will we use to collect the data? (acquire reports or documents, measuring, interviewing individuals, group discussions, observation, research). Who will do it? When?
Data recording
How will we write down, visualise, photograph, or take video of data or impressions? What formats will we use to record the data and information? Who will use which formats to record data?
Data storing
Where and how will data and information be kept (paper, library, data base, management information system)? How will we retrieve data and information? Who will have access? Who will manage the information system?
Data collation
Who will use which methods to group data and prepare an overview? How will we add up individual data from different sources and prepare a summary of the data?
Data analysis
How will we examine the data using what method to give them meaning (summarise, do statistical calculations, compare data, establish trends)? How will we synthesise the data to provide a coherent explanation or arrive at a conclusion of what happened and be able to give recommendation on what needs to be done now?
Data reporting and dissemination
How will we share the data and information? To whom does the data and information need to be given? When do users need the information? Which formats are we using to report? How will we disseminate the information to other locations, users, decision makers? How will users provide feedback to report writers?
adapted from IFAD 2002

10. Managing routine monitoring data
Outline of a concept note for managing routine monitoring data:
Title of intervention:
Type of data to be sourced/collected:
Data source:
Data collection:
Data recording:
Data storing:
Data collation:
Data analysis:
Data reporting:
Use of data:
adapted from Görgens and Kusek 2009

11. Formats for recording routine monitoring data
written
video
photos
drawings

12. Formats for recording routine monitoring data
Written formats:
a) registers and records of activities:
e.g. reports of workshops implemented, minutes of meetings held with stakeholders, register of capacity building events conducted; trials established, policy fora held;
b) records of resource use and financial expenditure:
e.g. records of vehicle use, travel allowances, equipment use; record of financial expenditure in the financial management system; records of staff time inputs, work diaries; and
c) records and documents describing the outputs achieved:
e.g. number of persons trained, capacity building material, MoUs for new partnerships established, technical reports describing new plant variety developed, policy documents; collating data from project records and registers.

13. Formats for recording routine monitoring data
designed during the planning process for the M&E system
developed in collaboration with managers outside the M&E unit, such as finance managers, human resource managers
Example: Financial records
provide the data and information that is needed for the organisation’s financial management system
develop formats in close collaboration with the finance unit of the organisation

14. Examples of routine monitoring data records
Milestone/output record
Source: IFAD 2002
Milestone/Output
Target Date
Completion Date
Status/Causes of Delays
Notes/Recommendations

15. Examples of routine monitoring data records
Record of capacity building (CB) delivered
Source: Authors
CB Event Dates
Duration in days
CB Event Title
CB Purpose
No. of participants
CB Material Type
Facilitator
Comments M F

16. Examples of routine monitoring data records
Register of participants in capacity building (CB)
Source: Authors
CB Event Dates
CB Event Title
Names of Participant
Organisation of Participant
Contact Details of Organisation
Comments

17. Examples of routine monitoring data records
Record of project activities
Activity description as per planning document
Planned completion date
Estimated completion date
Budgeted total cost
Expenditure to date
Approx. internal staff person days spent
Approx. external TA staff person days spent
Estimate of activity implementation in percent (100% = full completion no further action required)
General comments and observations: highlights, constraints, learning during activity implementation
Source: Authors

18. Examples of routine monitoring data records
Quarterly project activity expenditure overview
Financial period:
Budget items (list the budget items in the project activity budget for which funds were budgeted this quarter)
Short description of items or activities funded
Expenditure Budgeted this Quarter
Actual Expenditure this Quarter
Variance
Total
Source: Authors

19. Standardise routine data collection methods
Develop standard formats and data management processes to use in a number of interventions simultaneously to record and manage routine data.
Used by all interventions at a particular level, e.g. a financial expenditure format used by all project activities.
To collect similar types of data in a number of interventions, e.g. a register of workshop participants or capacity building events implemented.
Not all routine monitoring processes can be standardised.

20. Standardise routine data collection methods
ensure that comparable data and information is generated in different projects and project activities, for example:
compare expenditure on specific budget items between two projects
compare the staff time input between project activities
promote the collection of data that is relevant
facilitate the analysis of the data
avoid duplication of efforts
save resources
make collecting routine monitoring data easier

21. Standardise routine data collection methods
develop forms and formats to be used to record the data
develop guidelines on how to manage data
coordinated by M&E unit
use concept note and the guiding questions presented to prepare guidelines on how to manage standard monitoring data
make guidelines and formats easily accessible to managers and staff
include in the overall organisational M&E plan
Thank you!