Monitoring, Review

and Reporting

Project Cycle Management

-----
A short training course in project cycle management for
subdivisions of MFAR in Sri Lanka

MFAR, ICEIDA and UNU-FTP

Ministry of Fisheries and Icelandic International United Nations University Fisheries

Aquatic Resources (DFAR) Development Agency (ICEIDA) Training Programme (UNU-FTP)
Sri Lanka Iceland Iceland
 Content
The role of monitoring, review and reporting
in the logical framework approach
 Learning objectives

After this lecture participants should

understand the importance of and the
difference between monitoring, evaluation
and auditing
 Implementation stage
The purpose of the implementation stage is to:
deliver the results
achieve the purpose(s)
contribute effectively to the overall objective of the
project

Manage the available resources efficiently

Monitor and report on progress

 Implementation
- a learning process

Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong

- Murphys law

How will we respond?

How can we learn from mistakes?
 Purpose
Monitoring, review and reporting are core
management responsibilities which involve the
collection, analysis, communication and use of
information on the physical and financial progress
of the project and the achievement of results
 Monitoring
Is the systematic and continuous collecting, analyzing
and using of information for the purpose of
management and decision-making

Monitoring should focus on:

- Physical progress
- Financial process
- The preliminary response by target groups to project
activities
- Reasons for any unexpected or adverse response by target
groups and what remedial action can be taken
 Monitoring
There are many ways to monitor the process
of projects

Sometimes people will just make informal inquiries to get

feedback from the people who are doing the work, especially
if there have been problems involved in the project
- How likely is it that the next milestone will be completed on
time?
- How is the moral?
- Did something ridiculously unexpected come up?
- Etc.
 Monitoring
Projects are monitored in different ways depending
on:
- The size of the project
How much it costs
How much resources are being used
- Who is the owner of the project?
How are things done normally?
- Who are the counterparts?
Do the counterparts have set procedures on how they
review progress of projects?
- How formal communications have to be?
Do I meet the boss at the bar or send a formal report?
 Review
The main purpose of reviews is to share information,
make collective decisions and re-plan the continuation of
the programme as appropriate

Involves regular reviews to provide the opportunity for

project implementers and other key stakeholders to further
analyze information collected to:
- Monitor
- Reflect on the implications
- Make informed decisions
- Take appropriate management action to support
effective implementation
 Review and counterparts

Counterparts such as NGOs, development

agencies and international development funds
need to know if their funds are being used in
an appropriate way

They will also need to have some means to

evaluate what they are doing and document it
in a consistent way so they can have
consistent useful information
 Evaluation
Evaluation can be distinguished form monitoring
and regular review by:

Its broader scope

It is less frequent
Usually at completion or ex-post
Those involved
Usually involves external or independent personnel
The users of the results
Planners and policy makers concerned with strategy policy
and programming issues rather than just managers
responsible for implementation
 Audit
Audit can be distinguished from monitoring,
regular reviews and evaluation by:
Its objectives
To provide independent assurance
Its scope
Financial focus or focus on the efficiency,
economy and effectiveness of activities
Those involved
Qualified independent auditors
The users of the results
For donors, partner country authorities and
senior project managers
 How?

The logical framework approach is an

extremely effective tool to support the design
and establishment of effective monitoring,
review and reporting systems through:

- Analysis of an existing situation

- Objectives
- Indicators and targets
- Assumptions
- Activity-, resource-, and budget schedules
LFA helps the design of
monitoring, evaluation and audit
 Reporting
We have to be able to document status, success or
failure whether it is for a small components or full
detailed final reports

All documentation is designed and decided in the

planning process so people involved should know
- what reports should be written
- what the reports should include
- when reports should be finished
- who should be responsible
- and there should be time available for the writing and
included in the schedules
 Project Completion
This essential final stage is to ensure efficient closure of
the project, and should:
Confirm whether all project objectives have been achieved

Ensure that best practice experience is recorded and

transferred to standards for future projects
project methods
management practices
strengths & weaknesses

Ensure that benefit realisation plans are in place

expected benefits
responsibilities for achieving
timetable & measurement plan

Recognise achievement
 Learning from projects
The last stage of the project cycle is Learning
from the project and evolving

This is the stage which is most often omitted by

organisations running projects

This is often because organisations have not

internalized monitoring and evaluation as a way
of thinking
 References
European Commission (2004). Project Cycle
Management Guidelines. Downloaded 1st March
from:
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/qsm/documents/pcm_
manual_2004_en.pdf