Effective Collaborative Action - Guidance Series August 2021

Guidance for Participatory Monitoring,

Evaluation and Learning System
This is part of a series of Guidance notes designed to assist users of the Effective
Collaborative Action methodology. You can find the full methodology here.

This Guidance provides advice on designing a participatory monitoring system that

serves both measuring learning and tracking our joint commitments, while also
reporting and communicating internally and externally to strengthen collective,
individual and systemic learning.

Introduction
Often, in collaborative efforts - an alliance, partnership, multi-stakeholder platform
or dialogue - monitoring progress and learning are left until the end, it is not
budgeted or resourced sufficiently, and it is done top-down without ensuring
stakeholder participation. Conventionally, evaluation involves external experts. In
contrast, participatory monitoring involves stakeholders as active participants in
tracking the progress but also in integrating learning collectively.

This guidance is does not tell you how to develop a monitoring system. It has been
written with the assumption that the user has a basic understanding and
knowledge of Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) systems or can rely on external advice
to develop it.

Focus on recognising that stakeholders must play a central role in the monitoring
and learning process. They do this by defining for themselves their own measures
of success for the process, which reflect the fulfilment of their shared vision, their
commitments, their perspectives and aspirations.

We offer a series of principles, options

for approaches, tools and examples that
aim to guide both the Backbone participatory monitoring
Support Team and the actions
stakeholders need to take in the design
and development of their participatory PMEL
monitoring, evaluation and learning
system (PMEL). It is suggested to use
and adapt what is appropriate in the evaluation learning
context of the collaborative effort. This
Guidance is not meant to be a recipe or
a step-by-step guide.

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This is living guidance. We encourage feedback from anyone who is developing and
applying a participatory monitoring system in a collaborative effort. Share your ideas
and experiences with us – [email protected].

Recommended Principles
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn." -
Xunzi (Xun Kuang), “The Complete Text”, chapter 8 " Ruxiao (“The Teachings of the Ru"). Third
century B.C.E.

We recommend utilizing the following principles in developing a PMEL system to

ensure it contributes to collective learning and adaptation:

• Co-design the PMEL at the beginning of your collaborative process.

Monitoring and learning should be a part of the process throughout the
initiative’s life. Plan in advance learning and reporting. Incorporate into
your process a reflective learning cycle: collection of data, evidence-based
monitoring and evaluation, reporting of results, reflection, learning and
adaption moments. Don't leave learning practices to the end.

• Use methods and language adapted to the participants’ needs and

interests. Ensure that the system created attends to culture and context
of those you are working with. Consider the pace, access and dynamics of
the stakeholders. Be flexible and adapt as you learn what works.

• Design the system as simple, practical and fun as possible. Work with the
backbone team and a group of stakeholders to co-create simple data
collection methods and analysis techniques, but also attractive and
engaging ways of monitoring and sharing learning, so that actors see
value in applying the PMEL system.

• Agree on the indicators you want to measure over time. Collectively

agreeing a maximum of 10 indicators to measure across everything.

• Don't be afraid of mistakes. Experiment in the development of the

monitoring system, don’t be afraid to think outside the box and learn
along the way. Use mistakes to adapt your collaborative effort process.

• Structure capacity building to strengthen participants skills in

monitoring. The PMEL system should include a plan to strengthen
stakeholder capacity for regular, consistent reflection and learning at
three levels- the individual, collective and system. Consider a varied offer
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of training, coaching and peer learning, tailored to the readiness of the

learners.

• Foster enthusiasm and celebration of the collective and systemic

learning. Creating a collective culture of learning requires time, dedication
and patience. Set up milestones to celebrate the accomplishments and
learning to keep the momentum.

• Always pay attention to gender and vulnerable and marginalized people.

Ensure that they are included, actively participate and contribute from
their perspectives in the whole monitoring and learning process. Make
sure that they are always involved and there is a balance in participation
of all groups and particularly marginalised people and women

• Always acknowledge the collective and individuals who contribute to the

collaborative effort.

Different Approaches to Consider

a. Awareness raising on participatory monitoring.

• Explain the purpose and benefit of monitoring progress for the collective
growth. Do not expect full involvement of participants from the start; see
the process in a natural organic way and be flexible. The participation and
ownership of participants usually increases over time. Initially, the
backbone team will have greater leadership in design, facilitation and
implementation of the System, and as the collaborative action initiative
progresses, that capacity will be transferred. A valuable practice is to
create an PMEL Group with a mix of stakeholders and build up champions
and agents of change capacity.

• At the beginning of your collaborative effort, dedicate time in sessions,

between sessions or informal spaces to introduce concepts of monitoring,
evaluation, learning, reflection and adaptation. Even in short processes of
one day or an hour online, you can do this with a few questions at the
beginning and end:

• What are your hopes from today / this session?

• What have you learned today?

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• What worked well and what can be improved?

• What might you do differently after today?

• What is your top insight from today?

• Use virtual tools such as mentimeter, slido or others to collect the insights
of the participants at the beginning and end of the sessions. The
advantage is that the results can be shown on the spot to show a
collective reflection and you can keep these as records for the future.

• The results of the monitoring and evaluation can be collected and shared
in an on-line 1 or 2-page summary document with the main insights on:
session objectives; the design; expectations from participants for this
dialogue; on commitments and buy-in; design considerations for
collaborative effort and next sessions.

• At the beginning of each session, you could ask participants to share a key
learning from or since the previous session.

b. Develop and co-design a monitoring and evaluation system to track your

commitments towards your shared vision.

In any process or project, a well-designed M&E system is critical for good

management and accountability. A timely and reliable M&E provides evidence-
based information to implement, learn and adapt, demonstrating progress and
highlighting our accomplishments and achievements

Here are some scenarios for designing the PMEL plan:

• Your plan has to respond to the objectives, outcomes and indicators that
were defined in the funding contract / original project design document.
In this case, there may not be much room to co-design it with the
participants. Nevertheless, do not miss the opportunity to socialise it with
everyone. And adapt it using a participatory approach, instead of the
traditional top-down by the backbone support team or by external
consultants.

• There is an opportunity to co-design the plan. This is the ideal scenario;

however, it is not usual that the conditions for doing so exist from the
beginning. It may be that the backbone support team leads the initial

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design of the M&E plan and as capacities are strengthened, participants

become more active and involved. Thus, improving the system to best
reflect their monitoring and learning needs and interests.

As with any M&E system, develop a protocol for collecting data needed to measure
and assess progress. Make sure it incorporates quantitative and qualitative
indicators that allow you to identify the level of progress and impact. For example,
you can use a qualitative indicator approach to document early signals of change
and support adaptive management for effective collaborative action. Other
examples can be found below.

Make sure you consider existing reporting and learning practices as a base line for
designing your plan. For example, ask participants:

• Are you collecting data, information and learnings? How?

• How do you usually share your lessons learned?

• Have you been trained on data collection, analysis and learning practices
before?

c. Put the machinery to work. Implement the PMEL system.

Once the plan is designed, it is time to put it into action and nurture it. The PMEL
Group can facilitate the implementation and act as champions of the process,
encouraging others to actively participate and recognize the value of the reflection
and action learning.

The aim is to move from top-down and external data collection to full participant
involvement:

• Start by involving the participants as data collectors. The Backbone

Support Team can develop simple instruments to collect data including
spreadsheets, interviews and survey. If the capacity exists, use virtual tools
and Apps in smart phones or other devices to gather information in a very
practical way.

• Engage participants to analyse. You can start with the data and
information analysis by the Group and with focus groups. This is a key
exercise for participants to learn about the value of rigorous data,
qualitative assessments and ultimately the rationale for monitoring.

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• Participants collectively interpret and draw conclusions based on

collected data and participatory analysis exercises. They analyse the
present situations and outline future strategies and solutions that
respond to what they have learned and reflected. Participants formulate
their own conclusions.

• Develop focus trainings for building skills and capacity to support the
process. Define the different roles of the stakeholders, PMEL Group,
Backbone Support team and others. Not all stakeholders need to
participate at all times. You can establish cycles of participation and rotate
roles as well.

• Visit the Guidance on Signals of Change for Effective Collaborative Action

to explore options for holding virtual or face-to-face sessions for applying
the tool than can be also applied to other contexts.

d. Tell the story.

Share your successes but also your failures and lessons from both. Options to do
that:

• Usually, funding contracts have their own reporting requirements and

report formats. Normally the Backbone Support Team is responsible for
this task.

• For other audiences, be creative. For example, visual tools and storytelling
is a good and powerful way to share with others. Make sure to have a social
communication specialist in the team. See below some examples on
using videos and testimonies and how telling the story increased
community engagement in work of M&E.

• If possible, capture lessons in an on-line system and make it public.

• Invest in writing your lessons in a peer-reviewed publication format.

• Train on skills to share and present impact, learnings and stories to create
individual and collective confidence. In order to do that, develop tailor
trainings to the type of audience.

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• Develop a confidential protocol to address the specific concerns of some

sectors that are not in a position to share certain information publicly,
particularly for recording interviews and testimonies.

Tools and examples

On design a Participatory M&E&L system:

http://www.managingforimpact.org/tool/participatory-impact-assessment-and-
learning-approach-piala

https://www.intrac.org/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Participatory-ME.pdf

https://www.saferspaces.org.za/learn-how/entry/participatory-monitoring-and-
evaluation

On monitoring for learning:

https://usaidlearninglab.org/qrg/me-learning

On monitoring commodities action plans:

Spreadsheet to monitor the action plan on a National Commodity Platform.

On report and share:

Interesting example on collective reporting on commitment in a visual and

practical manner https://www.sustaincoffee.org/assets/resources/SCC_2019-
Commitments-Hub-Report.pdf

Captivating methods to tell the story

https://www.participatorymethods.org/resource/digital-storytelling-capturing-
lives-creating-community

Telling the story as powerful for community engagement

https://aea365.org/blog/our-story-is-their-story-increasing-community-
engagement-in-project-monitoring-in-the-community-of-tumbit-melayu-in-
berau-indonesia-by-miki-tsukamoto/

On use of participatory video:

To engage participants: https://aea365.org/blog/yfe-week-julie-poncelet-catherine-

borgman-arboleda-and-jorge-arboleda-on-using-participatory-video-to-engage-
youth-in-evaluation-in-a-creative-and-empowering-way/

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https://insightshare.org/resources/participatory-video-and-the-most-significant-
change/

https://www.comminit.com/content/insights-participatory-video-handbook-field

Case studies

https://www.wur.nl/en/newsarticle/food-systems-transformation-demands-new-
approach-to-monitoring-and-evaluation.htm

https://www.saferspaces.org.za/learn-how/entry/setting-the-scene-for-
participation#Tools

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