1. Presented by Madhuriya Kumar Dutta Trade and Investment Facilitation Department Mekong Institute, Thailand 16 May 2012

2.  A report is a communication tool to present M&E results by presenting raw data & information as knowledge.  A report is an opportunity for project implementers to inform themselves & others (stakeholders, partners, donors, etc.) on the progress, problems, difficulties encountered, successes & lessons learned during implementation of programs & activities  A report is a compilation of descriptive information.

3.  Data are raw facts and figures that on their own have no meaning Yes, Yes, No, Yes, No, Yes, No, 42, 63, 96, 74, 56, 86 None of the above data sets have any meaning until they are given a CONTEXT and PROCESSED into a useable form  These can be text, numbers, symbols

4.  To achieve its aims one need to process data into information.  Data needs to be turned into meaningful information and presented in its most useful format  Data must be processed in a context in order to give it meaning

5.  Data that has been processed within a context to give it meaning

6.  A Manager could use this information to decide whether or not to raise or lower price Yes, Yes, No, Yes, No, Yes, No, Yes, No, Yes, Yes Raw Data Context Responses to the market research question – “Would you buy brand x at price y?” Information ??? Processing

8. Focus on results & accomplishments Assess performance over the past reporting period, using established indicators, schedules, baselines & targets State explicitly whether & how much progress or results surpassed, met, or fell short of expectations & why Specify actions to overcome problems & improve performance, where necessary Identifies the need to adjust resource allocations, indicators, or targets, where necessary Results & accomplishments Performance Explicit Action Identified need Way forward & sustainability of results Discusses the way forward & the prospects for successful programme closeout or graduation & addresses aspects of sustainability of results

9.  Oral presentations  Discussion sessions  Informal contacts  Oral presentations  Discussion sessions  Informal contacts  Press & media releases  Visual presentations  Formal academic papers & books  Internet, e-mail & websites

10. Three types of communication are often required by donors (in addition to regular financial information): Written progress reports (quarterly) Internal mid- term evaluations Participatory final evaluations

11. ConciseConsistentFocusClear plain language  Be as concise as possible given the information that needs to be conveyed.  Be consistent with the amount of information to be presented.  Focus on results being achieved compared with the expected results as defined in the DMF or defined in the objectives.  Be clear on your audience (e.g. Country Directors, Governments, donors, technical persons).  Write in plain language that can be understood by the target audience.

12.  Be consistent in your use of terminology, definitions and descriptions of partners, activities and places. Define any acronyms.  Present complex data with figures, summary tables, maps, photographs and graphs.  Only highlight the most significant key points or words (using bold, italics or other stresses).  Include Success Stories in Box  Include references for sources and authorities.  Include a table of contents for reports over 5 pages in length. Consistency of terminology, definitions and descriptions Figures, summary tables, maps, photographs and graphs Key points Success Stories References Table of contents

13.  Think about sentence and paragraph construction.  Edit for grammar, spelling and punctuation errors.  Use the spell check function.  Use headings and sub- headings to make your text reader-friendly.  Correctly reference any material you use from other authors

14. CompletenessAccuracy/ReliabilityTimelinessGood presentationRelevance  Completeness – All information in 1 document.  Accuracy/Reliability – be sufficiently accurate for the purpose  Timeliness –useful results to be obtained in the time available.  Good presentation –use of graphs, charts and other diagrams helps make information more digestible.  Relevance – Only information that is of importance to the decisions being taken is of value.

15. Thank You