Project Monitoring and Evaluation
Individual Assignment
July, 2021
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1. Share us your own organization’s monitoring and evaluation practices. What area you
recommend for improvement and strengthen the M & E efforts?
Answer:
The commercial Bank of Ethiopia which is striving to embark into a world class bank is
rendering state of the art and reliable services to its millions of customers both locally and
abroad. The bank engages in different projects to meet its vision (to be a world class commercial
bank by 2025). Having this vision the bank is applying many projects on technologies and
construction buildings. These projects to be effective should be monitored and evaluated. Among
those projects, enterprise resource planning project, customer relationship management system,
call center project, agent banking project learning management system project, risk management
project and upgrade data center project are among the various IT projects in CBE. Since the
deadline for its vision is approaching projects should be on budget and schedule. Effective
monitoring and evaluation is one of the important tools to maintain the project on track. Let us
briefly discuss practice and challenges in monitoring and evaluation of projects undertaken by
CBE.
Regarding the monitoring and evaluation plan, the bank has monitoring and evaluation
plan for most of its project so they can refer while doing monitoring and evaluation. In
CBE projects there is monitoring and evaluation plan prepared by the involvement of
project managers, team leaders, consultants and other experts. But there are still few
projects that there is no monitoring and evaluation plan and they do not refer to it because
of the size of the project is too small. The monitoring and evaluation plan incorporates the
data to be collected, frequency of data collection; individuals in charge of M &E mostly
project managers and the schedule of monitoring and evaluation.
Regarding the budget for monitoring and evaluation, as it is demonstrated in most project
there is no special budget dedicated for monitoring and evaluation of projects in CBE
especially those construction projects. Accordingly, the finance for monitoring and
evaluation of projects is together with the project budget. Since CBE is a large financial
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institution in Ethiopia, the budget allocated for the projects is not as such tight. This in
turn will enable the monitoring and evaluation of projects to be relaxed.
Concerning the project monitoring and evaluation process implementation, monitoring and
evaluation of CBE projects are undertaken periodically. The budget is checked against the
actual expenditure monthly. And activities of the project are monitored and checked
monthly and even weekly. The schedule of the project is also compared against the actual
schedule performance within monthly bases in most cases of CBE projects.
Both mid-term and summative or end of the project evaluation is applied in CBE projects.
The mid-term evaluation is used to assure the projects are on the right track. Summative
evaluation helps to make sure that the projects achieve its objective. After doing summative
or end of the projects, lessons learned documentation is usually done. In this document
positive accomplishments and negative challenges in the process of doing the project are
documented.
The positive thing in monitoring and evaluation of CBE projects is availability of finance
and the availability of committed management. The five most challenges in the monitoring
and evaluation of projects in CBE are failure in selecting the right performance indicators,
lack of expertise, inaccuracy in data collection, failure in preparing evaluation design and
failure to process and analyze data.
Monitoring and evaluation helps to accomplish existing projects on time, cost and planned
performance. M and E uses to make sure that the project is on the planned and right way
and finally achieve its objective. The results from monitoring and evaluation and lessons
learned can also be important for proper planning and accomplishment of other projects
that will be undertake in the future. After assessing the practices of monitoring and
evaluation in commercial bank of Ethiopia projects the following recommendations are
forwarded so that the projects can have better performance in the monitoring and
evaluation in particular and effeteness of projects in general.
CBE shall have a separate budget for the monitoring and evaluation of projects.
Even though the bank has no problem in providing finance for projects, there
should be a dedicated budget for monitoring and evaluation of projects.
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The monitoring and evaluation plan shall be evaluated and revised by the deep
involvement of stakeholders so that appropriate performance indicators and data
collection, process and analysis can easily be done.
Proper performance indicators should be set for monitoring and evaluation of
projects. Unless there is no right performance set for the monitoring and evaluation
of projects, it’s hard to expect effective monitoring and evaluation.
The bank shall employ experts on monitoring and evaluation of projects and
provide capacity building trainings for the existing managers, team leaders and
other experts involving in monitoring and evaluation of projects. It is also better to
give trainings for the newly employed staffs in the project on the issue of monitoring
and evaluation techniques.
2. Select a given project/program and develop the job description (goal, duties, role, and
responsibilities)of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEAL) professional.
Answer:
Currently, there are several projects currently undertaking in Commercial Bank of Ethiopia.
Among these projects the CBE Head Quarter Building Project is one of the biggest and well-
known projects. The 52-storey CBE Tower is the tallest building in Addis Ababa, which is under
construction near the Ethiopia Hotel off Ras Desta Damtew Street. The height of the building is
206 m (676ft) and the building assembly consists of a high-rise office tower and two low-rise
building volumes. The total floor area is estimated to be 165,476.4 square feet. The office tower
has 53 floors (4B+G+48) includes the main departments of the Bank. The low-rise buildings
(4B+G+6 & 4B+G+8) are mainly conference centers, shopping center and parking garage. The
Commercial Center is a 4B+G+8 and the conference hall is a 4B+G+7. The 4B basement area is
commonly built for all these three buildings. From the total of the four parking basement floors,
one floor is totally going to be a mechanical parking. A large public spaces like Public Square,
has also included in the site. The building’s total height upon completion will make it one of the
highest tower buildings in Africa. The building, in addition to its height, will also have many
building support systems such as Heat Ventilation and Air conditioner (HVAC), Pressurized
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firefighting, Security Camera Television (CCTV), etc. that make the construction process quite
complex. The project building is warranted by the contractor for ten years time after the
completion date. On final completion, CBE Tower will be the tallest building in Ethiopia and it
will feature prominently in the list of tallest building in Africa. This project is selected and the
job description (goal, duties, role, and responsibilities) of Monitoring, Evaluation,
Accountability and Learning (MEAL) professional of this project is presented here after.
Sample job description of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEAL) professional for
CBE Head Quarter Project
Goal of MEAL professional
Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning (MEAL) is a core function in all CBE Head
Quarter Project, representing the bank commitment to accountability and transparency, and is
crucial aspect of project quality management.The MEAL professional will be expected to lead on
MEAL system implementation including monitoring, accountability initiatives, support
evaluations, compile lessons learnt, MEAL budgeting and recruitment. The post holder will be
expected to ensure professional, high-quality communication about the CBE Head Quarter
Project activities and results. The MEAL professional will assume responsibility for full-cycle
monitoring and evaluation of CBE Head Quarter Project, developing appropriate methodologies
and tools to design evaluations.
Major duties role, and responsibilities
Develop, implement, and assess monitoring frameworks for CBE Head Quarter Project.
Develop the overall framework for project M&E systems in collaboration with CBE
representatives (consultant and senior project staff), including requirements, reporting,
baseline, and evaluation surveys; develop and monitor project management plan to
systematically document performance.
Facilitate design of “SMART” objectives, logic models, monitoring frameworks, and
evaluation plans during annual work-planning process.
Ensure the alignment of M&E activities with CBE mission and objectives.
Contribute to the development of annual work plans to identify project targets and ensure
inclusion of M&E activities.
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Maintain existing indicator tracking tools; develop additional databases and tracking tools
as needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of project interventions
Analyze data for accuracy, flag validation or quality issues, and contribute to project
fixes
Ensure quality and timely submission of project progress reports; manage preparation of
additional reports for the Bank top management.
Generate monthly indicator reports for tracking progress against key indicators as needed.
Conduct field visits for data validation and to monitor the quality and completeness of
data sets; coordinate data collection at project sites to monitor project implementation and
ensure timely compilation and reporting of data; capture and document lessons learned;
and champion the scaling up best practices
Provide technical leadership and support to project and partner staff in planning and
implementing M&E systems and activities, data-based program decision-making, and
results reporting; provide training as needed.
Edit content and presentation of all reporting and deliverables before submittal to ensure
superior quality and professionalism
Coordinate responses to requests for information
Contribute to developing and reporting of project reviews, assessments, surveys, and
other analytic or evaluation processes and products
Support recruiting, interviewing, and training new M&E staff and/or consultants
other duties as assigned
3. Write an essay on and evaluate the proposed M& E system for Ethiopia’s Ten Year’s
Perspective Plan (2021-2030 GC).
Answer:
The Government of Ethiopia has unveiled a Ten-Year Development Plan ‘Ethiopia: An African
Beacon of Prosperity’ which will run from 2020/21 to 2029/30. The new ten-year development
plan, which is in line with the Homegrown Economic Reform Agenda of the country, is a
successor to the country’s five year Growth and Transformation Plan-II (GTP II). The plan
focuses on agriculture, manufacturing, mining, tourism, urban development, innovation and
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technology as crucial development sectors. The energy sector is also given due emphasis as it
sets ambitious targets for cross-cutting energy needs across all sectors of the economy. The
development plan will also focus on “women and youth” and aim to ensure the leadership of the
private sector in the economy. It aims to stimulate the increased participation of the private
sector in the economy by creating a conducive investment climate, providing incentives and
building public-private partnerships. The role of the government in the next decade would be to
improve infrastructure, develop and enforce regulatory policies, and invest in parts of the
economy that do not attract the private sector. A brief discussion and evaluation on M& E
system for Ethiopia’s Ten Year’s Perspective Plan (2021-2030 GC) is presented here after.
The Planning and Development Commission of Ethiopia has set the M& E system for Ethiopia’s
Ten Year’s Perspective Plan (2021-2030 GC). A National Plan commission is responsible for
Monitoring and evaluation of the countries development plan. It also coordinates the preparation
and evaluation reports, consultative forums and distribution of reports. As indicated in the plan,
the principal aim of the national monitoring and evaluation plan is to ensure successful
implementation of development plans of diverse time spans through systematic and scientific
monitoring and evaluation systems. Monitoring and evaluation of the ten-year development plan
in a systematic and scientific way that allows not only identifying and addressing challenges in a
timely way, but also to establish transparency and accountability in the implementation process.
For a monitoring and evaluation system to be effective, it needs to have transparent and
measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). In view of this, the Planning and Development
Commission has, in cooperation with all implementing bodies and in having each implementing
body identify its own performance indicators, developed national KPIs. The ten-year
development plan will therefore be monitored and evaluated against these KPIs.
The Ethiopia’s Ten Year’s Perspective Plan (2021-2030 GC) set the midterm review as one tool
for effective M& E system. The purpose of the midterm review is to trace and check how far the
major objectives and targets are being successfully met, and in the event that necessary
rectifications were needed, to take remedial measures based on reliable evidence in such a way
that the remaining plan period could be successful. This means the ten-year development plan
will have a midterm review phase that could even lead to revision of the targets and changing
course on the implementation strategies if deemed necessary.
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The Ethiopia’s Ten Year’s Perspective Plan (2021-2030 GC) also set An ex-post evaluation. As
indicated in the M& E system for Ethiopia’s Ten Year’s Perspective Plan (2021-2030 GC), ex-
post evaluation will also be conducted at the end of the plan implementation period. The purpose
of this end of cycle evaluation is to assess the successful implementation of the objectives and
targets as they have been laid out in the development plan, to identify best practices and
drawbacks, if any, with underlying reasons, conduct in-depth analysis and investigation in order
to draw lessons for corrective measures to be taken in future similar development plans.
The other system of monitoring and evaluation of development plan implementation is to
conduct targeted evaluation research on selected subjects. This will help to scrutinize the
implementation successes and challenges of selected macroeconomic and sectoral policies,
programs, reforms, and projects. Thus, the purpose of this type of evaluation research would be
to identify, at any time, subjects that need to be prioritized, conduct research in a priority order
and seriously examine the progresses being made along with its successes, challenges and
generate information that would inform policy decisions and future planning.
Although the Ethiopia Ten Year Development Plan set the M& E system that help to ensure
successful implementation of development plans of diverse time spans through systematic and
scientific monitoring and evaluation systems, there are still room for improvement for it. The
following point need to be considered in this respect.
The National M&E system should be exercise in a participatory and transparent manner.
Consultations should be made at regional and federal levels with various stakeholders and
citizens at different level. Policy matrix with annual targets and indicators should be
prepare to monitor over all and sectoral performances. Annual reports should be prepare
in consultation with regions and sectors and then approved by government and
distributed. In order to ensure transparency and accountability in the implementation of
the National Development Plan, National M&E Guideline should be prepared and
implemented.
National plan council should be establish and be supposed to led by the prime minister
which involves regions is responsible for monitoring and evaluation of major targets and
indicators and provides policy direction
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Other credible sources of information such as research findings could also be used
particularly to evaluate progresses of the national plan implementation.
The selection of indicators was based on the global indicator framework but customised
to the Ethiopian context.
The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) of the Department of Economic and
Social Affairs (DESA) under the Development Account Project conducted the assessment
of the statistical capacity of the Ethiopian National Statistical System (ETNSS) to
compile the global SDG indicators and prepared report.
4. From the Ethiopia’s Ten Year’s Perspective Plan (2021-2030 GC) select one major
development objective and create indicators for M & E purpose [Hint: Refer how
indicators are created for sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Answer:
The ten-year development plan lays a long-term vision of making Ethiopia an “African Beacon
of Prosperity” by creating the necessary and sufficient conditions. To achieve the national long-
term plan of making Ethiopia an African beacon of prosperity, the various major development
objectives are identified. The demography and human resource development is one of the major
development objectives of the ten-year development plan.
The demography and human resource development generally emphasize on full implementation
of the existing population policy through incorporating newly emerging population issues in the
revision of the policy as well as in the planning and implementation of socio-economic
development initiatives. In this regard, the key focus areas include ensuring that activities related
to human resource development contributes to overall economic performance, carefully
managing the demographic transition to maximize the benefit from the demographic dividend; in
particular, ensuring that federal sectoral bodies that are responsible for implementing population
policy and programs have incorporated population related matters in their respective plans and
implement them accordingly; improving access to family planning services, expanding women
education, promoting the integration of population issues into the overall development initiative
of the country through information, education, communication and advocacy; ensuring that vital
information on population are generated regularly, that rural urban and from small town to
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bigger urban centers migration have positive economic outcomes with reduced pressure on rural
areas and small towns and improved capacity of towns/cities to accommodate migrants. Relevant
sector offices are required to coordinate their efforts for the successful accomplishment of the
planned objectives.
Indicators are clues, signs, or markers that measure one aspect of a program and show how close
a program is to its desired path and outcomes. They are used to provide benchmarks for
demonstrating the achievements of a program. The following are the indicators are proposed for
the demography and human resource development objective of Ten Years Development Plan for
M & E purpose.
access to family planning services (percentages)
population growth rate (percentage)
maternal mortality per 100,000 birth
under 5 and under 1 mortality rates per 1,000 birth
the ratio of health professionals per 1,000 patients
the ratio of primary hospitals per 100,000 people
community health insurance coverage (percentages)
average life expectancy
access to pre-school education (percentages)
net enrolment rate in grades 1-6, grades 7- 8 and 9 – 12 (percentages)
grade 8th completion rate (percentages)
male to female ratios in pre-school, grades 1- 6, grades 7-8 and grades 9 – 12 levels
(percentages)
the number of public and private higher education institutions
the number of public and private technical and vocational education and training
institutions
the share of female students in graduate and post-graduate education
The share of female university students in science and technology programs.
the teacher-student ratio at the undergraduate level
the share of persons with disabilities and female in undergraduate programs
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5. Compare and contrast Project M& E with project Control.
Answer:
Project Monitoring and evaluation is the collection, recording, and reporting of project
information that is of importance to the project manager and other relevant stakeholders. On
other hand, project control uses the monitored data and information to bring actual performance
into agreement with the plan. Project M & E deals with supervising activities in progress to
ensure they are on-course and on-schedule in meeting the set targets and goals, while project
controlling deals with establishing standards and comparing actual performance with them and
then taking corrective actions, if required. Monitoring is over looking while controlling is the
actual handling of a given situation.
Project M & E is the regular systematic collection and analysis of information to track the
progress of program implementation against pre-set targets and objectives. It aims to answer the
question “did we deliver?” Monitoring gives information on where a policy, program or project
is at any given time (or over time) relative to respective targets and outcomes. Monitoring
focuses in particular on efficiency, and the use of resources. Evaluation deals with questions of
cause and effect. It is assessing or estimating the value, worth or impact of an intervention and is
typically done on a periodic basis – perhaps annually or at the end of a phase of a project or
program.
Project Controls on other hand is a process that encompasses the resources, procedures, and tools
for the planning, and controlling of all phases of the capital project lifecycle. This includes
estimating, cost and schedule management, risk management, change management, earned value
progressing, and forecasting. According to the PMBOK Guide (the Project Management Body of
Knowledge), project control is a “project management function that involves comparing actual
performance with planned performance and taking appropriate corrective action (or directing
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others to take this action) that will yield the desired outcome in the project when significant
differences exist.”
Over all, project M& E refers to the process of watching, keeping track of and gathering data
about performance and progress of the project. Project Controlling on the other hand refers to the
process of actively exercising power over, guiding and supervising behavior, tasks and activities
in a project. Controlling can include setting up a system, procedures and policies to guide and
regulate work processes. Control is about active actions – not passive monitoring. Control is a
vital element of project governance.
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