What is a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan?
A monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plan is a document that helps to track and assess the results of the
interventions throughout the life of a program. It is a living document that should be referred to and
updated on a regular basis. While the specifics of each program’s M&E plan will look different, they
should all follow the same basic structure and include the same key elements.
An M&E plan will include some documents that may have been created during the program planning
process, and some that will need to be created new. For example, elements such as the logic
model/logical framework, theory of change, and monitoring indicators may have already been
developed with input from key stakeholders and/or the program donor. The M&E plan takes those
documents and develops a further plan for their implementation.
Why develop a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan?
It is important to develop an M&E plan before beginning any monitoring activities so that there is a clear
plan for what questions about the program need to be answered. It will help program staff decide how
they are going to collect data to track indicators, how monitoring data will be analyzed, and how the
results of data collection will be disseminated both to the donor and internally among staff members for
program improvement. Remember, M&E data alone is not useful until someone puts it to use! An M&E
plan will help make sure data is being used efficiently to make programs as effective as possible and to
be able to report on results at the end of the program.
Who should develop a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan?
An M&E plan should be developed by the research team or staff with research experience, with inputs
from program staff involved in designing and implementing the program.
When should a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan be developed?
An M&E plan should be developed at the beginning of the program when the interventions are being
designed. This will ensure there is a system in place to monitor the program and evaluate success.
Who is this guide for?
This guide is designed primarily for program managers or personnel who are not trained researchers
themselves but who need to understand the rationale and process of conducting research. This guide
can help managers to support the need for research and ensure that research staff have adequate
resources to conduct the research that is needed to be certain that the program is evidence based and
that results can be tracked over time and measured at the end of the program.
Learning Objectives
After completing the steps for developing an M&E plan, the team will:
1. Identify the elements and steps of an M&E plan
2. Explain how to create an M&E plan for an upcoming program
3. Describe how to advocate for the creation and use of M&E plans for a program/organization
Estimated Time Needed
Developing an M&E plan can take up to a week, depending on the size of the team available to develop
the plan, and whether a logic model and theory of change have already been designed.
Prerequisites
How to Develop a Logic Model
How to Develop a Theory of Change
Steps
Step 1: Identify Program Goals and Objectives
The first step to creating an M&E plan is to identify the program goals and objectives. If the program
already has a logic model or theory of change, then the program goals are most likely already defined.
However, if not, the M&E plan is a great place to start. Identify the program goals and objectives.
Defining program goals starts with answering three questions:
1. What problem is the program trying to solve?
2. What steps are being taken to solve that problem?
3. How will program staff know when the program has been successful in solving the problem?
Answering these questions will help identify what the program is expected to do, and how staff will
know whether or not it worked. For example, if the program is starting a condom distribution program
for adolescents, the answers might look like this:
High rates of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted
Problem
infections (STIs) transmission among youth ages 15-19
Promote and distribute free condoms in the community at youth-
Solution
friendly locations
Lowered rates of unintended pregnancy and STI transmission
Success among youth 15-19. Higher percentage of condom use among
sexually active youth.
From these answers, it can be seen that the overall program goal is to reduce the rates of unintended
pregnancy and STI transmission in the community.
It is also necessary to develop intermediate outputs and objectives for the program to help track
successful steps on the way to the overall program goal. More information about identifying these
objectives can be found in the logic model guide.
Step 2: Define Indicators
Once the program’s goals and objectives are defined, it is time to define indicators for tracking progress
towards achieving those goals. Program indicators should be a mix of those that measure process, or
what is being done in the program, and those that measure outcomes.
Process indicators track the progress of the program. They help to answer the question, “Are activities
being implemented as planned?” Some examples of process indicators are:
● Number of trainings held with health providers
● Number of outreach activities conducted at youth-friendly locations
● Number of condoms distributed at youth-friendly locations
● Percent of youth reached with condom use messages through the media
Outcome indicators track how successful program activities have been at achieving program objectives.
They help to answer the question, “Have program activities made a difference?” Some examples of
outcome indicators are:
● Percent of youth using condoms during first intercourse
● Number and percent of trained health providers offering family planning services to youth
● Number and percent of new STI infections among youth.
These are just a few examples of indicators that can be created to track a program’s success. More
information about creating indicators can be found in the How to Develop Indicators guide.
Step 3: Define Data Collection Methods and TImeline
After creating monitoring indicators, it is time to decide on methods for gathering data and how
often various data will be recorded to track indicators. This should be a conversation between program
staff, stakeholders, and donors. These methods will have important implications for what data collection
methods will be used and how the results will be reported.
The source of monitoring data depends largely on what each indicator is trying to measure. The program
will likely need multiple data sources to answer all of the programming questions. Below is a table that
represents some examples of what data can be collected and how.
Information to be collected Data source(s)
Implementation process and
Program-specific M&E tools
progress
Service statistics Facility logs, referral cards
Reach and success of the program Small surveys with primary audience(s),
intervention within audience such as provider interviews or client
subgroups or communities exit interviews
The reach of media interventions Media ratings data, brodcaster logs,
involved in the program Google analytics, omnibus surveys
Reach and success of the program Nationally-representative surveys,
intervention at the population level Omnibus surveys, DHS data
Focus groups, in-depth interviews,
Qualitative data about the
listener/viewer group discussions,
outcomes of the intervention
individual media diaries, case studies
Once it is determined how data will be collected, it is also necessary to decide how often it will be
collected. This will be affected by donor requirements, available resources, and the timeline of the
intervention. Some data will be continuously gathered by the program (such as the number of trainings),
but these will be recorded every six months or once a year, depending on the M&E plan. Other types of
data depend on outside sources, such as clinic and DHS data.
After all of these questions have been answered, a table like the one below can be made to include in
the M&E plan. This table can be printed out and all staff working on the program can refer to it so that
everyone knows what data is needed and when.
Indicator Data source(s) Timing
Training attendance Every 6
Number of trainings held with health providers
sheets months
Number of outreach activities conducted at youth- Every 6
Activity sheet
friendly locations months
Number of condoms distributed at youth-friendly Condom distribution Every 6
locations sheet months
Percent of youth receiving condom use messages Population-based
Annually
through the media surveys
DHS or other
Percent of adolescents reporting condom use
population-based Annually
during first intercourse
survey
Number and percent of trained health providers Every 6
Facility logs
offering family planning services to adolescents months
DHS or other
Number and percent of new STI infections among
population-based Annually
adolescents
survey
Step 4: Identify M&E Roles and Responsibilities
The next element of the M&E plan is a section on roles and responsibilities. It is important to decide
from the early planning stages who is responsible for collecting the data for each indicator. This will
probably be a mix of M&E staff, research staff, and program staff. Everyone will need to work together
to get data collected accurately and in a timely fashion.
Data management roles should be decided with input from all team members so everyone is on the
same page and knows which indicators they are assigned. This way when it is time for reporting there
are no surprises.
An easy way to put this into the M&E plan is to expand the indicators table with additional columns for
who is responsible for each indicator, as shown below.
Data
Indicator Data source(s) Timing
manager
Training attendance Every 6 Activity
Number of trainings held with health providers
sheets months manager
Number of outreach activities conducted at youth- Every 6 Activity
Activity sheet
friendly locations months manager
Number of condoms distributed at youth-friendly Condom distribution Every 6 Activity
locations sheet months manager
Percent of youth receiving condom use messages Population-based Research
Annually
through the media survey assistant
DHS or other
Percent of adolescents reporting condom use Research
population-based Annually
during first intercourse assistant
survey
Number and percent of trained health providers Every 6 Field M&E
Facility logs
offering family planning services to adolescents months officer
DHS or other
Number and percent of new STI infections among Research
population-based Annually
adolescents assistant
survey
Step 5: Create an Analysis Plan and Reporting Templates
Once all of the data have been collected, someone will need to compile and analyze it to fill in a results
table for internal review and external reporting. This is likely to be an in-house M&E manager or
research assistant for the program.
The M&E plan should include a section with details about what data will be analyzed and how the
results will be presented. Do research staff need to perform any statistical tests to get the needed
answers? If so, what tests are they and what data will be used in them? What software program will be
used to analyze data and make reporting tables? Excel? SPSS? These are important considerations.
Another good thing to include in the plan is a blank table for indicator reporting. These tables should
outline the indicators, data, and time period of reporting. They can also include things like the indicator
target, and how far the program has progressed towards that target. An example of a reporting table is
below.
Lifetime % of target
Indicator Baseline Year 1
target achieved
Number of trainings held with health
0 5 10 50%
providers
Number of outreach activities conducted at
0 2 6 33%
youth-friendly locations
Number of condoms distributed at youth- 25,00
0 50,000 50%
friendly locations 0
Percent of youth receiving condom use
5% 35% 75% 47%
messages through the media.
Percent of adolescents reporting condom
20% 30% 80% 38%
use during first intercourse
Number and percent of trained health
providers offering family planning services to 20 106 250 80%
adolescents
10,00
Number and percent of new STI infections 11,000 10% reduction
0 20%
among adolescents 22% 5 years
20%
Step 6: Plan for Dissemination and Donor Reporting
The last element of the M&E plan describes how and to whom data will be disseminated. Data for data’s
sake should not be the ultimate goal of M&E efforts. Data should always be collected for particular
purposes.
Consider the following:
● How will M&E data be used to inform staff and stakeholders about the success and progress of
the program?
● How will it be used to help staff make modifications and course corrections, as necessary?
● How will the data be used to move the field forward and make program practices more
effective?
The M&E plan should include plans for internal dissemination among the program team, as well as wider
dissemination among stakeholders and donors. For example, a program team may want to review data
on a monthly basis to make programmatic decisions and develop future workplans, while meetings with
the donor to review data and program progress might occur quarterly or annually. Dissemination of
printed or digital materials might occur at more frequent intervals. These options should be discussed
with stakeholders and your team to determine reasonable expectations for data review and to develop
plans for dissemination early in the program. If these plans are in place from the beginning and become
routine for the project, meetings and other kinds of periodic review have a much better chance of being
productive ones that everyone looks forward to.
Conclusion
After following these 6 steps, the outline of the M&E plan should look something like this:
1. Introduction to program
● Program goals and objectives
● Logic model/Logical Framework/Theory of change
2. Indicators
● Table with data sources, collection timing, and staff member responsible
3. Roles and Responsibilities
● Description of each staff member’s role in M&E data collection, analysis, and/or
reporting
4. Reporting
● Analysis plan
● Reporting template table
5. Dissemination plan
● Description of how and when M&E data will be disseminated internally and externally
