Good project monitoring and evaluation systems provide a means by which organisations can measure
- progress
- achievements
- the impact and value of those achievements
- the actual, and opportunity costs of these benefits
- beneficiary satisfaction
The information generated enables project managers to
- remedy problems before they become disasters
- compare results achieved by different methodologies
- increase effectiveness of staff development programmes
- enhance project design
- improve working practices
- target promotion
- get better value for money
- access additional resources
- consolidate and extend partnerships
In order to be of value project evaluation systems must deliver information which is:
- expected: - according to an agreed design and timescale, fitting with project review and reporting schedules
- timely - to help manage the present and design the future
- easy to use - presented in a way which clearly indicates performance and areas of concern
- accurate - properly compiled, statistically valid, explained and justified
- cost effective - delivering benefits in satisfying requirements for accountability, providing evidence for allocation of resources, and routes to improving performance far greater than the cost.
CAN provides
- systems design including:
clarification of objectives
setting measures of success
integrating with quality assurance systems
developing feedback forms, questionnaires - implementation plans
- entry / start point benchmarking
- statistical and/or qualitative analysis
- carrying out surveys by post, phone and interview
- management reports
- out-turn reports
- full impact studies
Based upon
- expertise in the development of evaluation and monitoring systems based upon many years of managing delivering capacity building, community regeneration, enterprise development and direct provision of services to the public
- knowledge of the requirements of reporting systems based upon work with European Funds, Local Regeneration Boards, Regional Government Offices, Central Government Departments and Local Authorities
- ability to work fast to ensure that systems can be put in place quickly.
Working Examples
For Slough Community Based Economic Development (CBED) Group, CAN carried out a comprehensive evaluation of their Lottery funded LETS development programme. Stakeholder groups' views were gathered using a mixture of mail, telephone and face-to-face interviews. The resulting data was combined with other research to produce a detailed out-turn report highlighting successes of the project, areas for improvement, a recommendation for future project work and availability of funds.
For Greenwich Co-operative Development Agency, CAN is supplying a system to evaluate simultaneous delivery of many projects which also provides monitoring outputs for each of the projects. The system is designed to act as a useful project management and quality assurance tool.