United Nations Development Programme Handbook on Planning Monitoring

United Nations Development Programme Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results October 2009

United Nations Development Programme Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results Overview of the Presentation • • What does the handbook do ? Who is the handbook for ? The Reader of the Handbook will understand… What are the main changes? Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, Knowledge How to use the Handbook Useful tools

United Nations Development Programme Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results What does the Handbook do ? • Provides clear understanding of purposes, processes, standards and guiding principles for planning, monitoring and evaluation that can be applied to all development work • Enhances the results-based culture within UNDP with the objective to improve the quality of planning, monitoring and evaluation

United Nations Development Programme Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results Who is the Handbook for ? • UNDP staff in units with programmatic responsibilities, including associated funds and programmes ( e. g UNV) • UNDP managers with oversight , quality assurance role • Stakeholders and partners such as government, UN and development partners and beneficiaries • The UNDP Executive Board • Members of national, regional and global development community and evaluators

United Nations Development Programme Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results The reader of the Handbook will understand… • Good programme and project planning and design • Principles, norms, standards, policy, processes and responsibilities governing planning, monitoring and evaluation in UNDP • The role of M&E in strengthening UNDP development effectiveness and managing for development results • Critical role of monitoring and how it lays the groundwork for evaluation • Different types of evaluations in UNDP and their contribution to learning and accountability • Where to find additional information and guidance

United Nations Development Programme Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results Drivers for change since previous Handbook Lessons from a number of thematic evaluations and studies RBM evaluation New Strategic Plan with new objectives and priorities Revised Cross-cutting priorities/principles Stronger emphasis on national ownership, inclusiveness, development and use of national capacities, results, risk management and accountability • Stronger alignment among programme planning, monitoring and evaluation functions • Corporate reporting system for CPAP/outcome level planning and monitoring • • •

United Nations Development Programme Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results Drivers for change since previous Handbook • UN Norms and Standards for Evaluation in the UN system (2005) and other initiatives at the UNEG level for greater standard setting across the UN system • UNDP Evaluation Policy (2006) – clarifying roles and responsibilities, guiding principles and norms for evaluation • Regional workshops on RBM and Evaluation (2006/7) • Increasing professionalization of evaluation • Pilot assessment of the quality of outcome evaluations • Issues highlighted in Annual Reports on Evaluation, Evalnet discussions and interactions with partners and colleagues

United Nations Development Programme Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results How is the Handbook organized ? 1. Planning, monitoring and evaluation for development results 2. Planning for results 3. How to plan for M&E before implementing a plan 4. Monitoring for results 5 -7. Evaluating for results, managing an evaluation, and quality assurance 8. Knowledge from M&E in managing for development results

United Nations Development Programme Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results Planning What is different from the previous handbook? • New section on PLANNING • Emphasis on how to integrate cross-cutting priorities in planning • Emphasis on need to plan for monitoring and evaluation • Treatment of planning as a “team sport” • Introduction of “theory of change”/strategic map approach to planning

United Nations Development Programme Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results Key messages: Planning • A good plan serves as a blueprint for change • Planning improves focus on priorities and leads to more efficient use of time and resources • The planning process helps determine what success will look like • Good stakeholder analysis and engagement in designing programmes or projects is critical to success • A thorough problem analysis helps to determine what is the real problem to be addressed • A results map can be a very useful tool to capture the strategy for achieving results • The focus in results management should be on high-level results such as outcomes • It is important to have a communication strategy for results, and to have good management processes to keep the focus on results

United Nations Development Programme Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results Monitoring What is different from the previous handbook? • Emphasis on: • start thinking about monitoring during planning and set up for monitoring initially at end of planning • need to plan for monitoring (and evaluation) • monitoring for results – outcomes and outputs, programme and projects • Importance of continuous stakeholder engagement • Seeking opportunities to identify, develop and use national analytical, planning, monitoring and evaluation capacities • Linking project (output), outcome and programme monitoring through corporate systems (Atlas and ERBM Platform) • Clarifying roles, responsibilities, processes and tools • Link review mechanisms: projects - outcomes - programmes • Decision making based on monitoring data and evidence

United Nations Development Programme Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results Key messages: Monitoring • Setting up a Monitoring and Evaluation framework • Communicating to reinforce the results plan • Institutionalization of stakeholder participation and outcome groups • Firm up monitoring plans and arrangements before starting implementation at programme and project levels • Data collection, analysis, synthesis and reporting as one continuum • Make decisions based on monitoring and follow up • Measure progress objectively • Manage changes to plans systematically and inclusively

United Nations Development Programme Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results Evaluation What is different from the previous handbook? • Recognizing the importance of good planning and monitoring for evaluation • Greater emphasis and integration of national ownership in evaluation as a guiding principle • More detailed step-by-step guidance on how to plan for and manage an evaluation • Clarity on roles and responsibilities • Tools on costing an evaluation, selecting consultants, avoiding conflict of interest, developing TOR, quality assuring the draft report • A chapter dedicated to evaluation design and methodology and enhanced tools • Discussion on ethics

United Nations Development Programme Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results Key messages: Evaluation • Evaluation starts at planning and is planned with a purpose: • Determining purpose and use of evaluation • Evaluability enhanced by good planning and monitoring • Evaluation should be done in a way to enhance national ownership • Evaluation serves its purpose when conducted with rigor and used effectively

United Nations Development Programme Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results Using knowledge from M&E • Accountability for enhanced learning • Knowledge from M&E to inform future planning and programming • Sharing knowledge from evaluations to increase impact • Disseminating knowledge and monitor feedback

United Nations Development Programme Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results How to use this Handbook • The Handbook is intended to be used as a reference throughout the programme cycle • The Handbook is about planning, monitoring and evaluating results. It is not a Handbook on programme or project management (for these topics refer to the POPP)

United Nations Development Programme Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results Useful tools at www. undp. org/eo. handbook • Templates – – – Annual Work Plan Format with monitoring component , Evaluation Plan, Managment Response Template, Monitoring and Evaluation Capacity Matrix, Planning Matrix for Monitoring, Results Framework with Means of Verification • Checklists – – Validating Assumptions and Risks, Reviewing Outputs and Output Indicators, Reviewing Outcomes and Outcome Indicators, Reviewing a Results Map, Reviewing a Problem Tree, Assessing the Readiness for Evaluation • Compendiums – Planning, monitoring and evaluation in conflict prevention and recovery settings –BCPR – Guidelines on Outcome Evaluation (under development)