What Really is the 'M' in M&E?

Now that we agree to invest more in the 'M,' let's explore its various activities.

Hello and welcome to the 18th Edition of #LearnAdaptManage. Thank you to our 3,896 subscribers for joining us on our journey to use #evidence to inform decisions and actions in #internationaldevelopment. ?? Click the subscribe button on the upper right corner to join us!

In the last edition, I shared my thoughts about why we should invest more in the 'M' in M&E. Based on the feedback I received from most of you; there is an agreement that monitoring should be prioritized by all means.

Thank you to everyone who shared their comments. I have featured some of the responses without your names, but all credit goes to you! Thank you!

Today, I wanted us to take a step back and think about what activities go into monitoring. When we say we should be investing more in the 'M,' what do you really mean? We are starting with the basics and going deeper in future editions.

Before we dive into Monitoring, I want to highlight that the basis of our conversation should be a theory of change and/or program logic. We have covered a lot on theories of change (ToC) in the 3rd and 4th editions.

A Program Logic Model graphically presents the logical progression and relationship of the strategic program elements (inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, impact) and their causal relationships, indicators, and the assumptions of risk that may influence success or failure of the program. (UNAIDS)

I like this definition of a program logic model because it highlights inputs and activities. In most M&E systems, progress measurement starts at the output level (rightfully so, I guess?). When we talk about 'Monitoring' here, we are expanding it to cover everything in the program logic model.

We cannot divorce inputs and activities from the results (outputs, outcomes, impact) because logic starts with the inputs. We will get deeper into this conversation later, but if we as M&E professionals do not have a good understanding of the context, inputs, and activities, then whatever we are doing is disconnected, and we cannot claim to show any logical connections between the program and the results.

What is the key program data we need to monitor?

The UNAIDS M&E Fundamentals document clearly articulates the program data at the different levels of the program logic. This will be our starting point for what we need to monitor in the program.

• Inputs—the financial, human, and material resources used in a program or intervention.
• Activities—actions taken or work performed through which inputs such as funds, technical assistance, and other types of resources are mobilized to produce specific outputs.
• Outputs- are the immediate effects of program or intervention activities, the direct products or deliverables of these activities, such as the number of HIV counseling sessions completed, the number of people served, or the number of condoms distributed.
• Outcomes—the intermediate effects of an intervention’s outputs, such as changes in knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.
• Impacts—the long-term, cumulative effects of programs or interventions over time on what they ultimately aim to change, such as a reduction in HIV infection, AIDS-related morbidity, and mortality.

The first thing we must acknowledge is that the 'M' is more than results monitoring; it includes process monitoring (inputs, activities, and outputs). Does this mean that M&E staff need to manage workplans and track activity progress? What do you think?

This is the start of a conversation we will cover in the next couple of weeks.

Thank you?? for reading! What are your key takeaways from this edition? Please let me know in the comments section below ?? and share this newsletter with others you think would benefit.

Florence Randari is a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) professional who seeks to provide evidence-based guidance to international development actors so that they can achieve sustainable development. She is also a Collaboration, Learning, and Adaptation (CLA) practitioner seeking to empower all implementors with the required knowledge and skills to apply CLA principles in their day-to-day work.