PADM 5345 - Evaluation of International Programs and Projects

3. Determining Performance Indicators and Means of Evaluation

5, 7 February 2024

The first step in completing a plan and in designing an evaluation is to determine what has to be evaluated. Programs and projects have objectives and outcomes that describe what they intend to accomplish. Often, however, these are not expressed in a way that they can be observed and therefore evaluated. Sometimes they are more pious hopes than realistic end-states. The problem is more severe for international organizations whose end results are often intermediate results in national programs.

To begin an evaluation the goals and objectives of a program or project have to be inspected to see what was really intended to be accomplished. When a good results-based approach has been used in project or program design, this is easy; when it has not, a certain amount of reformulation will be necessary. Then, you have to decide how each of these are going to be measured by specifying the performance indicators (what you would see if the outcome happened) and means of evaluation (how you would collect the data on the indicator). This session will repeat some of the issues first raised in the second session.

This means completing the data collection part of the logical framework and this session will focus on its use to determine what needs to be evaluated.

Questions covered	What are impact, outcomes and output? What are the characteristics of a well-formulated objective or outcome? How are performance indicators determined? What is the best way to collect data on the indicator?
Lectures	3. Determining What to Measure
Required readings	· United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Systematic Monitoring and Evaluation of Integrated Development Programmes, (United Nations publication, sales number E.78.IV.11, Chapters 3-6 International Atomic Energy Agency, How Well Are We Doing? A Guide to Programme and Project Evaluation for Agency Managers, IAEA Evaluation Series, Vol. 1, December 2002, Phase I. Determining Information Needs (used with permission). International Fund for Agricultural Development, A Guide to Project M & E: Section 5, Deciding What to Monitor and Evaluate , especially the section using the M & E matrix. Bamberger and Mabry, Chapter 10, ALL.
Recommended readings	United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF Procedure on the Implementation of the 2018 UNICEF Evaluation Policy.
Simulation	The teams have been selected for the projects. They will present the problems addressed and overall objectives on 7 February 2024. You will be using the AIMS logframe template (in the course Canvas).
Discussion questions	How do we determine what a program intends to accomplish? What is the difference between impact (achievement of objectives) and outcomes? What are the characteristics of a good performance indicator?
On-line session recording	Monday, Wednesday, 5, 7 February 2024 will be in the course Canvas.

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John R. Mathiason.
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Revised: January 23, 2024 .