Sample of Monitoring and Evaluation Report [DOWNLOAD]

Monitoring and Evaluation is an important activity that is done in order to ensure regular tracking of Project activities. corrective action and continuous improvement. M&E begins just before Project implementation commences. For effective tracking to take place, there is need for proper reporting to take place. When the Sample of Monitoring and Evaluation Report is provided to you, take time to read through this whole article to understand what a M&E report is, why it is important and components of monitoring and evaluation report.

What is an M&E Report?

The monitoring and evaluation report of a project is a document that communicates the progress made in the implementation of the Project. While this article refers to an M&E report, in the real sense, the reports that contribute to monitoring evaluation reporting and learning is the Monitoring report and the Evaluation report.

(1) Monitoring report

The Monitoring report is a document that communicates on the progress made in the implementation of regular day to day activities. This can be done daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly. Day to day activities are the project interventions leading to results such as the output, outcome or impact.

Although monitoring is mainly activity focused, it may also be used in the tracking of outputs and outcomes.

(2) Evaluation report

The Evaluation report is a document that communicates the overall results achieved by the project. The evaluation measures the impact, relevance, efficiency. effectiveness and sustainability of the project. To understand what the project monitoring and evaluation report is, simply refer to the video below.

Why is an M&E Report Important?

Like all reports that have ever been made around the world, reporting aims to achieve information provision for effective decision making by management. The provision of a report stimulates continuous learning and corrective action. For better understanding, below is a list of reasons why reporting should be taken seriously.

>> Continuous learning: Learning takes place almost all the time. In projects, information obtained from reports can be used to help avoid repeating any mistakes that may have been made in the past. The learning phase is essentially a critical factor for improving the way the project is being implemented.

>> Efficiency and effectiveness: Implementation of a project can prove expensive especially because alot of mistakes are taking place. Because reporting contributes to effective decision making by management, this will lead to reduction in the costs of projects.

>> Proper storage of records: The m&e report contributes to effective record keeping. The availability of timely records helps in undertaking a trend analysis.

Components of Monitoring and Evaluation Report

Report Structure

To compile an effective Monitoring and Evaluation Report, you must essentially ensure the following contents are included:

1.0. COVER PAGE

The cover page is the front page the displays the title of the report, date when the report was compiled and author. The front page must at a blink of an eye explain to the reader what the report is about. If you are writing a report for the first time, you can draw inspiration from the reports compiled by other people around the world. Below are examples of report titles.

As you can see, each of these title pages have alot in common. There is the name of the report, the date the report was compiled and the Author. You can add an extra touch to the cover page by making it more presentable and colourful.

2.0. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Executive Summary is the section of the report that gives the overall summary of what the report is about. It is usually a good idea to compile the executive summary after completing the entire report because at that point you would have obtained all the findings for you to give a concise summary. Here are some tips you can employ when coming up with the Executive Summary.

(a) Make Preparations: To get ready, read the entire report and note its goal, main points, and main suggestions.

(b) Introduce: Start with a succinct opening that outlines the report’s goal and key topics.

(c) Talk about the main points: Each significant point you will discuss should have a level heading, and they should appear in the same sequence as they do in the whole report. For each important topic, compose a concise paragraph. When making suggestions, go over the advantages of the suggested course of action.

(d) Be sure to thoroughly proofread the whole text, as you should with any sort of writing.

3.0. TABLE OF CONTENTS

A table of contents (TOC) is a list of a written work’s chapter or section names or brief descriptions together with their corresponding starting page numbers, typically situated on the page before the work’s introduction. The TOC will essentially help the reader locate specific sections of the report with ease and without having to open each and every page.

4.0. INTRODUCTION

The introduction is the opener of the whole report that introduces the reader to the findings. In the introduction, you should give a background of the Project including what it aimed to achieve. Thereafter talk about the activity being conducted, why it is being conducted, when it was conducted and by who. The introduction should essentially be used as a starting point to engage the reader as to the rationnale and importance of the report in terms of the Monitoring and Evaluation of Project Interventions.

5.0. OBJECTIVES

Another important section are the objectives. Objectives simply state what the activity leading to the compilation of the report aimed to achieve. Objectives must be concise and straight to the point. You may wish to refer to an example below, which states the objectives of conducting an evaluation.

Example:

(A) Overall objective: The overall objective of this study is to measure whether the project achieved its intended impact throughout the implementation period.

(B) Specific objectives: The specific objectives of conducting the study was:

i. To measure the effectiveness, efficiency, impact, relevance and sustainability of the project;

ii. To formulate recommendations that will feed into the planning of the next project phase;

iii. To analyse the behavioral change of the respondents; and

iv. To analyse and report on meaningful trends since the inception of the project.

6.0. METHODOLOGY

The methodology of the report details what approaches were employed in the execution of the study. The methodology encompasses a number of issues such as the research design, sample size, type of data collection methods and tools used. To expande on this lets look at an example of a methodology below .

Source: ResearchGate

Reading through this section, it is evident that the research methodology section outlines among important things the overall purpose and research design. The section on research design provides more detail on the relevance of the Methodology. The point is , the design will explain whether it will employ quantitative research or qualitative research. It will also highlight what the research aims to achieve using these methods.

7.0. FINDINGS

The findings are simply the information which the report should communicate to the reader. The findings should highlight the progress achieved in relation to all the key performance indicators in the project. The Key Performance Indicators that are being assessed must be categorically listed in the report. For each indicator clearly indicate the results achieved in comparison to the baseline value. To better understand this, look at the example below;

Indicator: % of community members living in poverty

Results achieved 2023: 20% of beneficiaries are living in poverty

Baseline in 2019: 40% of beneficiaries are living in poverty

In your findings, the report will be more interesting and engaging if you made a comparison between the before and after situation. In this case, a comparison between 2023 and 2019.

8.0. DISCUSSION

This section has been provided for the writer to explain what the above findings actually mean. In this section, the writer has an opportunity to explain why results achieved had actually improved or declined. When writing the discussion component, you may wish to refer to references from sections of the internet that hold authority. When arguing your case try as much as possible to be objective and to the point. Always look at the findings you had collected, other supporting references and expert judgement as you draw your conclusions.

It must be noted, while the discussion section may be a separate section, as a writer you may opt to include it in the findings. Doing this may ensure proper coordination and easily flow in the reading of the report.

9.0. CONCLUSION

This is the most important part of the report. Did the Project achieve its objectives or did it fail in the achievement of its objectives? In the conclusion, simply state whether the Project achieved its goals or not based on your findings. The conclusion should be concise and to the point without having to be opinionated. In writing your conclusion, always base your writing on the facts obtained on the ground in relation to your data collection activities.

10.0. RECOMMENDATIONS

Followed by the conclusion, the recommendations are very important. This is because they provide information on what should be done to correct the wrongs. To best understand the link between Objectives, Conclusion and Recommendations below is a very good example.

Example

Objectives: To assess whether the poverty levels had reduced by 30% as planned

Conclusion: The Project had failed to achieve 30% reduction in poverty levels. However, the Project successfully achieved a 20% reduction in poverty levels. The failure to achieve the target was because of the following challenges:

>> Lack of adequate funding;

>> Poor climate to facilitate for improved production of crops;

>> Lack of adequate loans to project beneficiaries.

Recommendations: To resolve the challenges associated with achieving the targets, the following recommendations have been developed;

>> Provide additional funding of 1 million USD Annually;

>> Promote climate smart practices;

>> Target provision of adequate loans to all project beneficiaries. The recommended amount is 200 USD per beneficiary.

Sample of Monitoring and Evaluation Report [FREE DOWNLOAD]

This section provides information on Sample of Monitoring and Evaluation Report. An example of a Evaluation report and a Monitoring report is provided. The Sample of Monitoring and Evaluation Report can be downloaded below:

Evaluation Report

To download an example of the Evaluation Report, simply click the Link below:

LINK: Evaluation Report

Monitoring Report

To download an example of the Monitoring Report, simply click the Link below:

LINK: Monitoring Report

Sample of Monitoring and Evaluation Report