Summary of Findings

Adopted from Chris P.A. Bennett: ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF PROJECT PERFORMANCE ASSESSEMENT / MONITORING AND EVALUATION (M&E, MRV)

  • Used to inform “lessons learned” and formulate recommendations
  • As measured through four criteria (effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, and impact) of Organic Compost project

Effectiveness: how well project was able to help targeted groups (Bennett, 2015)

Efficiency: whether benefits were delivered at lowest cost

Sustainability: whether benefits of project go beyond the project’s lifetime

Impact: whether there were consequences even beyond the direct consequences of the project

Example Summary of Findings for Organic Compost project (Team Ciherang)

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Common Tools used to Evaluate Project Design and Implementation

Read more under Program Documents page. The following concepts are adopted from: Chris P.A. Bennett: ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF PROJECT PERFORMANCE ASSESSEMENT / MONITORING AND EVALUATION (M&E, MRV)

  • Problem Tree (part of conceptual underpinning): looking at the core problem that the project is trying to solve and ensuring its implementation matches the root causes, not just the proximate causes of the core problem
  • Investigating context: (potential intervening socio-economic and environmental factors and interactions) for purposes of evaluating project based on empiricism (has it worked elsewhere?), and beneficial impacts of a project
  • Logical Framework: summary of a development project in matrix format outlining purpose, goals, activities and resources required, potential pitfalls, and ways of measuring achievement (Bond, 2003)
    • used to investigate the relevance of a project
    • determining whether implementation and design match project goals
    • based on core problem outlined in problem tree
    • identifies core components
    • encourages systematic thinking of a development project (Bond, 2003)
    • provides involved stakeholders with access to project details and an opportunity to make project decisions (Bond, 2003)

Example: Desa Ciherang Organic Compost Project Logical Framework (full evaluation available under Program Documents page)

Project delivery Intervention Logic Objectively Verifiable Indicators Assumptions & Risk Management
OVERARCHING PURPOSE / AIM / OBJECTIVE Increase income-earning opportunities for the rural poor to alleviate poverty Income-growth via a multi-variant income analysis (e.g. participants vs. non-participants

Per capita Income Growth

Multi-stakeholder understanding of community context, needs, and ability to adopt new technology
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE(S) Teach a method of compost to add value to organic waste and help villagers sell their product

Encourage self-sufficiency

Independent Quality Assessment IPB will help villagers sell their product (e.g. connecting their product to market)

Consistent and effective communication between partners

Skills for production, packaging and marketing are taught

OUTPUTS Hands-on, complete training for workshop Follow through

Invoice

Number of participants

IPB has sufficient funding for workshops

Villagers are receptive to information provided

Manual is accessible and easy to use

INPUTS Manual

Trainers with expertise in animal husbandry/ organic waste management

Sales records Manual exists and is relatively easy for use in the community

Income from sales circulates among villagers equitably

  • Key Stakeholder Analysis: Who is involved, which institutions, and how do they interact?. These questions can be used to assess whether interaction between stakeholders is sufficient, conflicts exist, decision-making is collective, and enough information-exchange is present.
  • Identifying Assets: Done at both design and implementation phases, this step  involves asking important questions about which assets are needed and if there are sufficient ones, whether there is sustainability in attaining these assets, and equitable distribution of assets as well as proper management (e.g., physical, knowledge, human, financial, natural, and social) 
  • Dialogue: analyzing stakeholder interaction and measuring the trajectory of trust (done at both design and implementation phases)
  • Analyzing Governance: Done at implementation phase, this tool involves determining the status of institutional behavior on a project based whether it included many stakeholders, held decision makers accountable, etc.  
  • Trajectory of trust: engaging all stakeholders, treating beneficiaries as equals, overcoming cultural barriers such as norms and hierarchies, pride, envisioning benefits for the whole society when empowering the rural poor, realizing the importance of information exchange (Bennett, Course Content/Notes)
  • Appreciative inquiry: asking about general feelings on a project
  • Cost benefit analysis: see Evaluations of Team Purwasari or Team Ciherang for examples under 2015 Evaluations page