M&E workplan

There is no definitive way to conduct M&E; however, a highly recommended starting point is the development of an overarching M&E work plan for the intended programme. It is critical that the M&E process is discussed extensively and planned thoroughly before conducting any M&E activities; inadequate planning can waste both valuable time and resources. An M&E work plan needs to be flexible and explicit, clearly showing the steps to be used to monitor a programme's scheduled activities and assess the progress achieved in attaining its goals and objectives. An organisation must understand and agree upon what needs to be measured and how it will be measured. Crucially, it is important not to collect excessive data, nor data that have minimal meaning or relevance to the programme. An organisation must decide and concentrate on what is appropriate, feasible, relevant and essential.

M&E Frameworks

An M&E framework is a tool for structuring the monitoring and evaluation process. However, different M&E frameworks exist that can be applied as appropriate, sometimes in conjunction with one another. Five examples of such frameworks include:

• Comprehensive M&E framework
• Monitoring, evaluation and reporting (MER) results-based framework
• Participatory M&E framework
• Framework for clinical audit
• Quality improvement framework

A more in-depth discussion of these frameworks is available in the forthcoming APCA mentorship manual.

• What is M&E
• Why do M&E
  • Project M&E
  • Quality Improvement Tool
  • M&E Workplan and Framework
  • M&E Tools
• Palliative Care Research
• M&E Resources