On this page we answer the question, what is Monitoring and Evaluation and Learning? We explain why we think it’s important and our approach.
You can also view our related training courses and news. We also offer consultancy, facilitation and coaching on this subject.
Accepting that circumstances and factors surrounding social interventions and projects tend to be dynamic and emergent requires a major focus on learning. We understand MEL as the reflection-action learning processes happening during and after any social intervention aimed at maximizing contribution to transformative changes, including implementing organisations’ changes. "Not everything that can be counted counts…not everything that counts can be counted." W. Bruce Cameron.
From a learning perspective, MEL participation of different stakeholders – understood as methods, tools, approaches, practices and attitudes – is not just considered a “good practice” but actually constitutes a core, pragmatic principle to inform processes of organisational learning and decision making. Since knowledge is to be created by actors on the ground, programmes need to be informed by stakeholders’ interpretation and participation in making sense of their experiences.
We believe that our role as evaluators is to facilitate collaborative processes that are empowering and contribute to a sense of ownership for stakeholders.
In our experience, when introducing a participatory and facilitative approach to reflection and data collection, new insights and learning will emerge which are of direct and immediate use to the stakeholders involved, so that the outcome of the evaluation is not limited to the report and accountability to funders and donors.
In our MEL activities we focus our attention on data and information coming from participatory processes from grassroots for decision making and learning at organisational level.
We use different evaluation frameworks such as casual frameworks including logframes and Theory of Change (ToC), Participatory Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning; contribution frameworks, such as Outcome Mapping and Process Tracing, as well as gender analysis approaches with intersectional perspectives which are closely linked with evaluation frameworks around power asymmetries.
In our work we apply a wide range of technical skills for social research, including qualitative and quantitative tools to aid data generation, and collective and multi-stakeholder analysis and sense making. We particularly favour transformative participatory tools that are oriented in reflection and action.
This week IMA Consultants Dani Guijarro and Iñigo Retolaza have facilitated a 2 day workshop for Greenpeace Spain and Greenpeace International staff involved in strategic planning, M&E and communication, it aimed to explore how to implement IMA´s Theory of Change approach and tool in the GP planning and M&E System.
Using current programmes as pilot case studies, Dani and Iñigo have trained staff from different departments on analytical and methodological tools, skills and meta-skills to facilitate processes of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation that ensure an (un)learning perspective, using our ToC approach.
Website: http://www.gov.ls/gov_webportal/ministries/development%20planning/dev_planning.html
I’ve increasingly been struck this year with the strength of the notion that the way the problem is understood and depicted determines what we do. And the idea that language is generative is becoming more alive to me in all the recent work we’ve been up to.
Talking about organisations, for example, as open, complex (not complicated!) living networks, requiring healthy feedback loops, living with uncertainty and conflict as part of the terrain, where a member affects the whole and the whole affects each member produces very different results from talking about organisations as if they were closed structures to be managed…
When...
See more
In Madrid, our trainers Dani and Inigo have been working with Dinamia, a social consultancy specialising in economic, social and educational projects, both in Spain and Latin America. Dinamia has been working collectively since 2004 and is made up of professionals from the social and solidarity economy, who propose working with new management models and strategic consulting for public and private institutions and the Third Sector.
Using a Theory U approach, combined with different strategic planning tools as Theory of Change, Dani and Inigo facilitated Dinamia’s Strategic Planning Process considering perceptions and expectations of different actors inside and outside Dinamia, an exploration...
See more
Great sharing on our last day of Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) Training of Trainers, near Tarcoles, on Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The 6 participating Latin America and Caribbean country teams presented solid strategies for supporting the development/revision of pilot site fisheries management plans. Coaching provided by REBYC II-LAC project coordinator, senior lecturer from University of West Indies, Chris Grose and Silvia Capezzuoli.
Learn more about EAFM here...
http://www.eafmlearn.org/
We were pleased to recently host members of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mozambique, in the UK for a 10 days tailor made workshop on Monitoring and Evaluation for Results. The participants were part of the Agricultural Productivity Program for Southern Africa (APPSA) which seeks to improve technology generation and dissemination within and among participating countries in southern Africa by building capacity within national R&D systems and enhancing regional collaboration. Using the current organisational documents of APPSA, we covered the fundamentals of M&E and then went into depth about tools and techniques related to M&E including Theory of Change, Participatory Data gathering...
See more
The Italian NGO ACRA works in different countries, directly implementing projects and working through partners.
Recently, staff at HQ articulated the need to harmonise their understanding of M&E concepts and tools. Leigh and Silvia facilitated a workshop for ACRA in Milan, allowing project and support staff to develop their own understanding of what M&E means to ACRA.
We worked on theories of change for a couple of projects and critically, spent time looking at how to develop and strengthen the relationship between projects and the wider, organizational learning environment, ensuring engagement and accountability.
We were very pleased asked by AVERT to support their thinking process as they develop their next 5 year Strategic Plan. As a starting point we explored the team’s thinking around AVERT’s work and reason for being- working globally on HIV and AIDS prevention. Using Theory of Change we discussed the importance of personal and organisational assumptions, highlighting how much we need to be aware of these as they frame our view of reality and social change. The AVERT team developed their theory of change over a number of weeks and IMA provided continuous support.
The next step was facilitation of the...
See more
Giulio and Daniel have recently been to Murmansk (Russia) where they facilitated a Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation design system for the Barents, Baltic Nature and People Programme. The workshop supported the WWF Russia Murmansk staff in designing a Participatory M&E system integrated with qualitative data collection and analysis. Participants had a practical experience around the value of timelines and Stories of Change for M&E purposes integrating a qualitative approach to the usual Key Performance Indicators (KPI's).
A rare occurrence happened last week, four of our in-house consultants were in the office at the same time!
It was a perfect opportunity to ask them what they have been up to and what they have got planned in our first vlog!
If you have questions you would like to hear our consultants answer or topics you would like them to discuss in the next one, please leave a comment.
Thanks, Ruth Jolly, Chris Grose, Giulio Ghirardo & Silvia Capezzuoli.
We believe that for a training course to be a real learning experience, participants need to feel they go home with real ‘takeaways’ which they can comfortably put into practice to improve their work. 18 participants from UNDP, World Bank, Ghana Revenue Authority, Rwanda Electricity Corporation, KOICA, Centre for Communication Programmes Nigeria, Danish Refugee Council, Porticus Trust Kenya, SIDA and independents gathered together for 2 weeks at our seafront venue to talk, listen, learn and share experiences. We know that all 18 participants from 11 different countries definitely acquired new skills and tips at a personal level. In terms of professional development, key...
See more
