Training Course on Project Management, and Monitoring & Evaluation-Rwanda

About the Course

Most interventions by development organizations are implemented through projects. These projects are aimed at helping to solve problems affecting the beneficiary communities. Change in the well-being of these communities depends on the ability of development organizations to deliver project results effectively and efficiently. Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is a continuous management function that determines whether or not a project is making progress toward achieving its objectives, identifying implementation bottlenecks, and highlighting any unintended consequences from its activities. This course is intended to strengthen participants’ understanding of core concepts in project management, as well as monitoring and evaluation in order to be in a position to successfully implement development projects.

Target Participants

This course is designed for researchers, project staff, development practitioners, managers and decision makers who are responsible for project or program-level M&E.

What you will learn

By the end of the course the learner should be able to:

• Understand the project management lifecycle in the context of development projects
• Design an effective project focused on the needs of the beneficiaries
• Understand contextual issues in project management that are unique in development sector
• Apply different tools, techniques and processes in project management
• Direct and coordinate project team to execute a development project successfully
• Understand the core concepts in monitoring and evaluation of projects
• Develop and implement an M&E system
• Apply robust monitoring strategies to track project performance
• Use M&E findings to improve and strengthen project
• Effectively evaluate a project against the set objectives

Course duration

5 days

Course Outline

Fundamentals of Project Management

• Defining projects
• Overview of project management
• The Triple Constraints in Project Management
• Functions of a Project Manager
• The project Lifecycle
• Project Identification and Design

Project Set Up and Planning Phase

• Stakeholder Management Plan
• Project Implementation Plan
• Project Management and Governance Structure
• Risk Management Plan
• M&E Plan
• Project Financial Plan

Project Implementation

• Launching the Project
• Managing Project Implementation
• RACI Matrix
• Project Tracking and Adjustment
• Managing Issues and Risks

Project Monitoring and Evaluation

• Monitoring strategies
• Data Collection for Monitoring
• Tools for monitoring and performance measurement
• Change and schedule control

End – of – Project Transition Phase

• Types of Transitions
• Planning for closure
• Administrative and Financial Closure
• Project Learning
• Evaluation

Introduction to M&E

• Definition of monitoring and evaluation
• M&E and project management
• Why monitoring and evaluation is important
• Key principles and concepts in M&E
• Monitoring and evaluation processes

Results-Based Management

• Introduction to results-based management approach
• Steps in results-based management
• Application of results-based management in project design
• Understanding the results chain approach

Project Logic Design

• Introduction to problem analysis
• Understanding M&E causal pathway
• Developing the project results levels: goal, outcomes and output
• Formulating activities

Project Indicators

• Introduction to project indicator
• Indicator development
• Predefined indictors
• Linking indicators to results in programs
• Indicator matrix
• Program indicator performance tracking

Completing the M&E Tools

• Completing the logical framework
• Developing a theory of change
• Completing the performance measurement framework

Project Monitoring

• Introduction to programs monitoring
• Types of monitoring
• Monitoring strategies
• Tools for monitoring and performance measurement

M&E Reporting

• Introduction to reporting
• Key elements in progress reporting
• Reporting schedules

M&E Plan

• Introduction to M&E system and M&E Plan
• Components of the M&E Plan
• Developing the M&E Plan
• Implementing the M&E plan

Baseline Studies in Results based M&E

• Importance of baseline studies
• Process of conducting baseline studies
• Baseline study vs evaluation

Project Evaluations

• Introduction to project evaluation
• Types of evaluations
• Process of conducting evaluation
• Project evaluation criteria
• Developing evaluation questions
• Developing evaluation matrix
• Evaluation reporting

Overview of Impact Evaluation

• Introduction to impact evaluation
• Project attribution for outcome of interest
• Impact evaluation designs

Learning in M&E

• Introduction to learning
• Documentation of lessons learned and best practices
• Use of learning to improve and strengthen projects
• M&E Results dissemination