Tool 4

Program Monitoring Check List & Annual Partner Forum

The purpose of this tool is to support TP staff in conducting program monitoring, both the on-going monitoring during the annual implementation cycle, and the annual monitoring as being done through the annual Partner Forum.

Therefore, this tool relates to steps 4 and 5 in the IBIS monitoring cycle as explained in the IBIS Guidelines for Thematic Program Monitoring.

  1. Continuous program monitoring

Continuous program monitoring primarily deals with the ongoing monitoring that takes place during the annual cycle of the TP, thus relating to step 4 in the TP monitoring cycle.

The overall purpose of the continuous program monitoring is to track overall progress of the program in relation to the program objectives and in relation to annual program objectives, program budget and activity plans at program level. In other words, whereas project monitoring deals with the single partner/project, TP level monitoring tracks the overall program progress in a broader perspective, taking the project level progress into consideration when doing so.

The monitoring at program level is ongoing in its nature, which means that monitoring takes place throughout the year. However, as stipulated in IBIS Monitoring Guidelines, reports or records – for example minutes from program meetings or monitoring visits to partners/projects – should be elaborated and kept at program level. The IBIS Monitoring Guidelines document outlines the minimum requirements of systematic reporting on a quarterly and half-yearly basis.

Issues to include in TP level monitoring are:

  • Assess the overall progress towards achieving program objectives
  • Analyse partner-relationships and synergy between projects and partners – based on the project monitoring reports (described in Tool 2).
  • Assess TP level activities (e.g. training, sharing of experience between partners, joint advocacy initiatives between partners or at TP level)
  • Assess TP staff capacity to support partners/projects and IBIS’ added value to partners/projects
  • Monitor TP budget implementation and cost efficiency and effectiveness (see Tool 9)
  • Assess the TP context and discuss its impact and possible changes it causes in TP strategies

The sources of information for the continuous program monitoring are:

  • Project level monitoring reports
  • TP staff observations from project level activities and TP level activities
  • Monitoring visits by TP Coordinator and TP staff to projects and partners and visit reports
  • Notes and minutes from TP level meetings
  • Financial reports from TP coordinator
  • Other material produced by partners and other stakeholders
  • MSC stories collected by staff and partners
  • Official documents such as government progress, activities or laws/rules/regulations related to the thematic area of the program

The main actors in this continuous program monitoring will be TP staff. Depending on the nature of the TP, it might include TP facilitators, TP officials, TP advisors and TP Manager/Coordinator /Director. However, the exact composition of people involved depends on the structure and size of the TP. Furthermore, partners should be involved in program level monitoring whenever possible, and the program level monitoring should be conducted taking into consideration partners’ views on TP implementation.

The program reports or minutes from quarterly meetings referred to in the IBIS Monitoring Guidelines do not follow a fixed format, as these internal reports or minutes will depend on the composition of the TP and its geographical scope. What is important is that the reports or minutes from meetings in a systematic way reflect upon lessons learnt and possible adjustments to program strategies and activities within the program – and that this systematized monitoring information is shared between program staff and if needed, /Country Management in order to make the necessary changes in program implementation.

A Mid-year Program Monitoring Report should be elaborated. As can be seen in the IBIS Monitoring Guidelines, this mid-year report should be shared with Country Management and be the basis for a dialogue between the TP management and Country Management, as well as be an internal tool for program staff to assess progress. This dialogue should be focused on the management decisions that need to be taken as a result of the main findings of this report.

The monitoring reports will vary in their form and scope, depending on the context in which the TP operates, and the type of TP. Nevertheless, the issues mentioned above (p.1) to be included in TP level monitoring should be dealt with in this report – such as the TP context, joint activities, budgets and expenditures and synergy between partners and projects as well as IBIS’ added value.

Below is mentioned, in bulleted form, the range of elements to include in all mid-year Program Monitoring Reports:

  • Basic information

Program:

Monitoring period:

Issues covered in report:

Who has elaborated the report:

  • Context monitoring: Assessment of changes in context

Changes that have occurred that are important to the TP

Implications for the TP (in terms of adjustment in approaches and strategies – see also below)

  • Results monitoring: Progress in relation to program indicators and program objectives:

Program objectives / Program indicators / Activities related to the objective in reporting period / Assessment of these activities in relation to the achievement of objectives
Specific objective 1 / Indicator 1
Indicator 2 / Activities carried out in relation to the achievement of specific objective 1 as measured through indicators 1&2 / Reflection on progress towards achieving the objectives and lessons learnt.
Specific objective 2 / Indicator 1
Indicator 2 / Activities carried out in relation to the achievement of specific objective 2 as measured through indicators 1&2 / Reflection on progress towards achieving the objectives and lessons learnt.
Specific objective 3 / Indicator 1
Indicator 2 / Activities carried out in relation to the achievement of specific objective 3 as measured through indicators 1&2 / Reflection on progress towards achieving the objectives and lessons learnt.
…
  • Assessment of relevance of chosen strategies and discussion of possible adjustment of strategies due to either changes in implementation or changes in the TP context
  • Financial monitoring (See tool 9)
  • How is program spending in relation to the TP’s annual and overall budget?
  • Analysis of budget deviations
  • Is a budget revision pertinent/necessary?
  • Considerations on cost-efficiency and effectiveness– did we implement the activities in the most cost-efficient and effective manner?
  • Lessons learnt and plans for the following time period

In most cases, these monitoring reports should not be longer than 10 pages, in some cases even less. What is important to focus on is the outcome of the activities undertaken by the program – how do the activities undertaken and the contextual changes contribute to the overall achievement of the TPs objectives? In other words, it is important always to ask oneself the question “and then what?” “What changed as a result of this activity?”

  1. Annual Partner Forum

The overall objective of the Annual Partner Forum is to measure progress of the TP in relation to its agreed objectives, to assess implementation strategies and adjust these strategies where necessary.

The Partner Forum includes all relevant stakeholders to the program and is a participatory exercise that contributes to enhancing learning and synergy between IBIS and partners – and most importantly – between partners.

The Partner Forum must be held in ALL IBIS thematic programs, no matter the scope and theme of the program.

In preparation of the Partner Forum, TP staff is expected to organize a joint reflection and preparation session, where project level results as well as program level results are discussed and assessed.

While the mid-year Program Monitoring Report is elaborated once a year (i.e. mid-year), the monitoring elements mentioned above should be discussed between TP staff in preparation of the Annual Partner Forum. In other words, although the program is not expected to elaborate a final Program Monitoring Report in preparation of the Annual Partner Forum, the program should reflect on the issues covered above in a systematic way through the elaboration of a draft report. This draft report should guide the Partner Forum discussions and therefore be sent out to participants in the Annual Partner Forum prior to the forum.

The reflections and preparations for the Partner Forum, should, to the extent possible, be conducted with the participation of a HO resource person.

After the Partner Forum, TP staff and the HO resource person jointly analyze the outcome of the Partner Forum and agree on actions to be taken, adjustment of strategies and report this to the Country Management. Moreover, thorough minutes from the Partner Forum including decisions and agreed plans should be elaborated by program staff and disseminated to partners immediately after the Partner Forum.

Finally, the outcomes of the Partner Forum together with the TP assessment of the progress of the program towards objectives are systematized in the Annual TP OPS report. (See GLS, under Planning, monitoring and evaluation).

There is no fixed model for how to organize the Annual Partner Forum, but for more information on the Annual Partner Forum, see:

  • IBIS Monitoring Guidelines (step 5) and
  • IBIS GLS on concrete experiences from Ghana, Mozambique and Guatemala on Partner Forums:
  • ahs.ibis.dk
  • Global Learning System
  • Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation
  • Programme Methodology
  • Programme Committees

Revised January 2012

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