A project is a planned undertaking of interrelated and coordinated activities designed to achieve certain specific objectives within a given budget and period of time. A project is generally part of a broader undertaking such as a development program, to which it will only make a contribution.

A program is a coherent framework of action to achieve certain global objectives, comprising a separate set of activities (grouped under different components), which are oriented towards the attainment of specific objectives. It therefore consists of interventions on a larger scale than a project and may actually include several projects whose specific objectives are linked to the achievement of the higher level common objectives.

The cycle of planning, monitoring and evaluation begins with a needs assessment and the collection of information relevant to desired goals and indicators to be measured. The information gathered must be applicable to the needs, the reality, the environment, socioeconomic characteristics, and the services already available in an area, in order to build the necessary foundation for the plan. This becomes more important in view of the limited resources.

Any project/program, whether small or big, far-reaching or limited in scope, regional or national, begins with a needs assessment. It must be clear who decides on priorities and defines the needs. For example, a refugee camp may ask for a sewage network, while the donors offer to improve the telephone system. A strategic plan will help here, because it takes into consideration the available resources and the actual problems and constraints. It is always necessary to revise the plan and examine whether it corresponds to the needs of the people or not, i.e., one must ensure that the plan is reasonable, logical, practical, and worth providing money for. For example, if building a school or a road is a priority for the community, the various aspects of the implementation, operation and maintenance should all be taken into consideration, e.g., instruments, computers, desks, equipment, personnel, training capacities, etc. A plan should never be over-ambitious, because then it may not achieve more than 50 percent of its objectives; a plan should be feasible and respond to a clearly identifiable need.

Information is the basis of all planning; without an appropriate assessment of the prevailing conditions and resources, planning will fail. In order to do an assessment data is needed, for example, on the population, the environment, agriculture, industry, the people’s current situation, their needs, characteristics and professional backgrounds, the social situation, current diseases, etc. Then key performance indicators (KPI) are determined in accordance with the compiled data. It is a bottom-up process and requires the participation of as many target group members as possible. If a program for a village is to be drawn up, for example, one has to go out into the field, see the reality, and ask the villagers what they need and involve them in the planning, implementation and evaluation process.

There are many different tools and methods for research and data collection. These include questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, group discussions, observation, inspection and secondary sources, such as reports and documents. Each tool helps monitoring and evaluating but it is always good to diversify rather than use only a single tool. The tools themselves are usually prepared by a specialist (e.g., a sociologist, social worker, psychologist, economist), depending on the project and issues to be evaluated. For the collection of information one can draw on primary and secondary data sources. Secondary data sources are all kinds of existing material on a certain project, such as the publications of the Central Bureau of Statistics. If the needed information is not available or additional data is required it must be collected from primary sources.

One method often used is the Participatory Rapid Appraisal (PRA), an exercise that is carried out by involving the concerned community in defining needs. For example, if one wants to examine the industrial situation, one could go to relevant departments in the Ministry of Industry and other offices concerned with industrial development and inquire what information is important for these institutions, what kind of problems are encountered regarding the collection of information, etc. A PRA gives a quick initial idea, on the basis of which more detailed surveys can then be conducted.

At the outset of each project a baseline data survey should be carried out; it provides the necessary information on the real environment, context and situation of a certain issue or project and builds the basis for monitoring and evaluation activity. For example, the information that in the last five years 1,500 pupils entered school is insignificant by itself if one cannot assess what progress it implies, i.e., what the situation was like five years ago. Raw statistics are meaningless unless they are compared to a base. A baseline survey is therefore the precondition to discovering project impacts and effectiveness.

The baseline survey is the starting and reference point upon which achievements are judged at any stage in the project process. Baseline surveys are the scientific basis used to assess and measure progress and to assure the availability of qualitative and quantitative data. Baseline data therefore facilitates and/or assists management tasks, decision- and policy-making, and planning. One of the mechanisms for putting a baseline in place and collecting data is to do a pilot study. The pilot study is an experimental step, on the basis of which one can ensure the success of a broader program or of a certain style or method of work. It also gives a first insight into the manpower situation, i.e., data on employees, their distribution, qualifications, training status, experience, education, etc.

Baseline surveys are also important in terms of cost effectiveness, especially in a country such as Palestine, which depends to a great deal on external resources. Here, the availability of adequate baseline data helps those responsible to make reality-based decisions, execute projects and policies cost effective, and bring about the desired results.

Before starting with a baseline survey, one must be aware of the difference between quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data is basically related to numbers connected to the economy, population, education, consumer and production figures, health, diseases, services, etc. Qualitative data is not measured with numbers but in terms of professionalism, stakeholder satisfaction, efficiency, effectiveness, and related criteria. Examples are the quality of life, the quality of material, quality of food, quality of education, quality of health services, and so on. With regard to the private sector, quality of service, i.e., the way to deal with clients and customers, is important. In human relations the quality of behavior is important, i.e., one’s manners, ethics and attitudes.

An example from The Palestinian Council for Housing will illustrate the concept of a baseline survey. A housing project had as a goal and mission the intention to address the housing problem and provide low-income housing. The first step was to decide what information was needed in the framework of the housing project (baseline survey). On the micro-region level (e.g., Gaza, Nablus, or Hebron) information about the population was identified (e.g., number of inhabitants, average size of family and house, marital status, etc.). Then data on the housing situation was collected (e.g., number of existing housing units, average number of people per unit, number of people per room, age and status of the houses, need for repairs, ownership status, etc.). Next, the income situation was examined (e.g., average monthly income, sources of income, total family income, workers per household, household expenditure, etc.). Other important information required included the availability of land for the project (PNA-controlled, farming land, etc.) and the location (village or city, in the north or south, on hills or on the plain, etc.). Finally, the cost factor needed to be considered. Since the vision was to build housing units affordable by people with a low income, the cost was set between $20,000 to $25,000. However, by the time the housing had been completed, the cost had reached $55,000. Thus, the project did not reach the people with low incomes. Therefore it is important to know the real cost of building a house in a certain area and levels of income distribution.

Once a project is designed, the process of securing adequate financing becomes the major task. This means that at the baseline stage, information on the sources of funding (e.g., private banks, other financial institutions, loan-giving institutions, etc.) and their respective conditions must be collected and computerized in the form of a report or database.

The collected information allows those involved in the project to state what exists at a particular time interval in terms of housing, i.e., the status quo, and what needs to be done in order to reach the goal of improving the overall housing situation. The baseline data describes and assesses the total number of housing units needed within a given period, taking into consideration how many years the completion of housing units will take and how much money and manpower is required, etc. The baseline serves also as a reference against which the success of the project will be measured in the future.

Planning and data collection is a two-way process. In order to plan, data is needed as well as a plan to obtain the data. Both are important, because without data one cannot plan and data must be collected according to a plan. When collecting information, the tools that are used are very important if one wishes to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data.

KPIs are developed from the information obtained through the baseline survey and/or workshops, brainstorming sessions, etc. KPIs relate to the expectations of the stakeholders (donors, administrators, the board of directors, the beneficiaries, and others involved in the project) as well as to the prevailing local project conditions (political, socioeconomic, etc.) and their suitability for the planned project. Every organization should have a set of qualitative and quantitative indicators that allow it to measure the extent to which it achieves its goals in accordance with the vision, the strategy, and the operational objectives.

In formulating a list of KPIs, one should ask questions such as what constitutes high project performance, what are the project objectives, and what aspects of good participation/governance should be measured? Furthermore, the indicators should respond to the set assumptions and goals and be valid, relevant, sensitive, specific, cost effective and timely. Without indicators the work will be somewhat random and without direction.

Sustainability and Surveillance

Collection of adequate information is also a precondition for sustainability or continuity. No one wants a project to go half way and then collapse. For example, if some donor countries donate half a million dollars for building a hospital, as well as constructing and equipping it, those concerned should also prepare a plan of operation and a budget, and make sure that the necessary staff are available, etc.

Projects are usually there to change - not protect - the status quo; if the desired change is to be sustainable, durable and effective it must be institutionalized, i.e., become part of people’s lives and resources, part of the social and economic system. Institutionalization is the establishment of systems for others to follow. It is a long process, and it can take years for a change or goal to be institutionalized. If projects are executed without evaluation and monitoring, their results will not be institutionalized and the same mistakes will be repeated.

One of the problems with sustainability in Palestine and other developing countries is that most of the inputs – expertise, money, technology, etc. – comes from the East or West, while local capabilities are not sufficiently invested. As a result, the expansion and growth achieved will not sustain. In the late 1980s, a Western finance minister once said that the aid of the donor community amounts to technological colonialism. Technology is changing rapidly. By the time less developed countries adapt to it, new inventions and technologies are created by the West and the cycle continues. In order to achieve sustainability, the countries in the South must challenge the tradition of importing technology, be creative and innovative, and try to substitute some of the imports with their own body of knowledge.

Another related issue is surveillance, which requires the setting up of a mechanism to control the process. Sustainability surveillance is similar to a cost-benefit analysis; it raises awareness of how money, time and other resources were spent and whether these expenditures were worth it.

Every project needs monitoring indicators in order to assess and evaluate progress. If an organization has no indicators, or those in place are not relevant, new ones must be created. In this context a comparison with the inputs of other institutions working in the same field should be made.

Another important issue is management quality, which is the basis for a good project; without it the project is futile. Management quality means managing the four ‘M’s efficiently: money, man, machinery and material. Indicators for management are, for example, the work turnover, quality of output, production and services, effectiveness, the team spirit of the employees, the way a project operates, utilization of resources, and/or the employees’ commitment to and satisfaction with what they are doing. The quantity of services alone is not sufficient: it is the quality that matters.

In governmental and non-governmental offices a lot of time is wasted, mainly due to carelessness; a great deal of time is spent eating hummus and ful together, reading the newspaper, getting together for a cup of tea, telephoning, inquiring about how one’s children are, leaving early for appointments and returning late, forgetting appointments and having to re-arrange them, etc. This kind of work mentality derives from the feeling that one does not have to be productive.

Besides management quality it is essential to ensure service quality in terms of both the goods that are produced and the services that are provided. Service quality means nothing but the best. Staff should perceive the need to constantly raise the quality level; if this is not possible, there should be at least an attempt to sustain a certain standard. One of the problems the Palestinians face in the economic sphere is the fact that quality standards are poor. The European market, for example, has a set of criteria and if these are not met, goods and services will not be allowed to enter the market. Organizations or initiatives that are concerned with consumer protection and welfare, such as those found in the West, help in guaranteeing quality.

Monitoring and evaluation should be a continuous process throughout the project cycle because it contributes to project sustainability, the attempts to stay on the right track, and ensures its implementation. Problems that arise will be dealt with at the right time, so that the path of work can be corrected before it is too late. Therefore, monitoring and evaluation should be continuous; it should begin with the planning phase and be carried out throughout the implementation phase as well as at the conclusion of a project.

Evaluation tries to measure effectiveness, results, and outputs of a project in comparison to the inputs, the degree to which change has taken place, and the areas of impact of the project. Evaluation thus refers to all kinds of changes with regard to the socioeconomic life, the planning process, the strengthening of local capacities, and the increase in opportunities for self-reliance.

Evaluation should therefore be an integral component of the project/ program’s work plan from the very beginning. The work plan is outlining the operation system for the entire project, including the division of labor, the anticipated expenses, the various steps to be taken, and so on.

Monitoring is referring back, continuously or in stages, to the activities in a program, in order to keep track of the program’s implementation and ensure that it takes places within the framework of the set goals. Monitoring means surveying the different steps of a project, including the time factor, the activities and the budget expenditures, and assessing its weak and strong points, i.e., whether a certain service reaches the target group and to what extent. Monitoring should adhere strictly to objectives of the project because it is costly, takes time, and requires people.

Continuous monitoring provides valuable feedback on the overall performance of a project as well as on the implementing organization. The eventual goal of monitoring is to draw conclusions and transmit the knowledge and experience gained to other projects and/or organizations. In order to be beneficial, monitoring must express the lessons learned. Accountability and transparency constitute a problematic issue because there are always organizations that do not want to reveal to the public their financial assets nor the components of their spending. The public that is being served, however, should have the right to receive information on the activities, the projects, and the funds received and spent.

The goal of evaluation and monitoring is to increase the efficiency of projects, allocate time, human and material resources in the best possible way, and secure the sustainability of the development process initiated. Monitoring and evaluation should take into consideration the following:

The participation in the process not only of the top management but of all those involved in the project.

The use of scientific methods and a guarantee of objectivity.

Institutionalization, including the provision of job descriptions for those whose duties and responsibilities involve monitoring and evaluation.

Coordination and cooperation between the different departments in the organization.

Knowledge of the techniques and methods of data gathering and computerization.

Readiness to acquire experience in the management and maintenance of projects and to draw on the lessons learned.

At the beginning of the monitoring and evaluation process, basically two things are examined: the finances and the activities in relation to the timetable (starting and end dates). In other words, a comparison between the project plan and the actual outcome and an examination of the variants that occurred and the reasons behind them. For example, a project might have been scheduled to start on May 15 but instead it started on 15 July. In tracing the reason future delays can be avoided.

Financial monitoring traces the budget allocation for the different line items of a project and looks at how much and on what money was spent. In this context, Indicative Planning Figures (IPF) are often used. For example, a rural development project might involve an area of 12 villages and a population of 1.5 million. The question then is how to distribute the available funds among them: e.g., by size of population (i.e., amounts per capita) or the degree of poverty in each village?

To sum up, the objectives of monitoring and evaluation are as follows: