How to measure monitoring and evaluation system effectiveness?

Abdourahmane Ba

doi:10.4102/aej.v9i1.553

Abstract

Background: Although the roadblocks to development achievement in Africa emerge noticeably from resource scarcity, lack of security and good governance, or poor economic approaches, they also surface from ineffective development management practices. The monitoring and evaluation (ME) systems effectiveness assessment by the World Bank in 2007 revealed little effectiveness, mainly on cases studied in Africa.Objective: This research investigates the framework for monitoring and evaluation system effectiveness as a development management tool and shapes its measurements. It creates a framework that will help understand better the success factors of an effective ME System and how they contribute to improved development management.Methods: A trifold approach was used, which comprises three iterations — Literature review, Case Studies, and Survey. The first revisited the most relevant literature on development management and performance monitoring systems, while the second used a qualitative study of three cases in the West Africa region. The third is a survey of a sample of practitioners and managers in West Africa, where data was analysed using correlations and regressions.Results: There are significant linkages between ‘ME-System Quality’, ‘ME-Information Quality’, and ‘ME-Service Quality’. The results highlighted that the ‘Results-Based Management Practice’ of organisations, the effective ‘Knowledge and Information Management Culture’, including learning, and the ‘Evidence-Based Decision-Making Practice’ are directly influenced by effective ME System.Conclusions: Effective ME System contributes greatly to expand ‘Improved Policy and Program Design’, ‘Improved Operational Decisions’, ‘Improved Tactical and Strategic Decisions’, and ‘Improved Capability to Advance Development Objectives’.

Highlights

With the increasing need for accountability, there is a growing attention for evidence-based decision-making and measured risk-taking in the development management for donors and developing countries governments that bring back effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system at the crossings of Aid-effectiveness through the Results-Based Management (RBM) approach (Dabelstein & Patton 2005)
The ‘M&E-System Quality’ dimension of the effective M&E System model proposed in line with the case of the Office du Niger Contract Plan program is captured through tangible sub-dimensions including (1) Design Quality, (2) Set-Up Quality, (3) Operations Quality, (4) Maintenance Quality, and (5) Resource Quality
The measurements below were operationalised under these five sub-dimensions of ‘M&E-Information Quality’

Summary

Introduction

With the increasing need for accountability, there is a growing attention for evidence-based decision-making and measured risk-taking in the development management for donors and developing countries governments that bring back effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system at the crossings of Aid-effectiveness through the Results-Based Management (RBM) approach (Dabelstein & Patton 2005). Nelson highlighted that the ineffectiveness of projects and policy prescriptions to achieve their objectives is the result of their inability to model the complexity of the socio-economic system that they attempt to address (Nelson 2014). Effective management approaches are crucial, and Faguet pointed out that development management is an informed attempt to move institutions and organisations to higher degrees of performance (Faguet 2011). LeBel highlighted that if any development policy is to succeed, it must be gauged by an assessment and improvement of linkages and operations across social, economic, and political agencies (LeBel 2011). The roadblocks to development achievement in Africa emerge noticeably from resource scarcity, lack of security and good governance, or poor economic approaches, they surface from ineffective development management practices. The monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems effectiveness assessment by the World Bank in 2007 revealed little effectiveness, mainly on cases studied in Africa

Methods

Results

Conclusion