How to measure monitoring and evaluation system effectiveness?

Abstract

Background: Although the roadblocks to development achievement in Africa emerge noticeably from resource scarcity, lack of security and good governance, or poor economic approaches, they also surface from ineffective development management practices. The monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems effectiveness assessment by the World Bank in 2007 revealed little effectiveness, mainly on cases studied in Africa.

Objective: This research investigates the framework for monitoring and evaluation system effectiveness as a development management tool and shapes its measurements. It creates a framework that will help understand better the success factors of an effective M&E System and how they contribute to improved development management.

Methods: A trifold approach was used, which comprises three iterations — Literature review, Case Studies, and Survey. The first revisited the most relevant literature on development management and performance monitoring systems, while the second used a qualitative study of three cases in the West Africa region. The third is a survey of a sample of practitioners and managers in West Africa, where data was analysed using correlations and regressions.

Results: There are significant linkages between ‘M&E-System Quality’, ‘M&E-Information Quality’, and ‘M&E-Service Quality’. The results highlighted that the ‘Results-Based Management Practice’ of organisations, the effective ‘Knowledge and Information Management Culture’, including learning, and the ‘Evidence-Based Decision-Making Practice’ are directly influenced by effective M&E System.

Conclusions: Effective M&E System contributes greatly to expand ‘Improved Policy and Program Design’, ‘Improved Operational Decisions’, ‘Improved Tactical and Strategic Decisions’, and ‘Improved Capability to Advance Development Objectives’.