SustainAxis Academy · M&E Fundamentals · Module 5 Reading

Monitoring Plan & the OECD-DAC Criteria

A simple monitoring plan template, the types of evaluation, and the six criteria the sector uses to judge a project.

Routine monitoring, in one line

Monitoring is the regular habit of comparing what is happening against the plan, flagging the gaps, and acting on them. Data that is filed but never used has changed nothing.

A simple monitoring plan template

One row per indicator. Fill it from your logframe.

Indicator	Data needed	Method / tool	Frequency	Who collects	Where it goes / how used
% of women attending antenatal sessions	attendance by sex	clinic register / KoboToolbox	monthly	field officer	M&E officer; monthly review meeting
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Types of evaluation

By timing: Baseline (start) · Midline (mid) · Endline (close) · Ex-post (a year or two later, for sustainability).
By purpose: Formative (during, to improve the project) · Summative (at the end, to judge its overall worth).

The six OECD-DAC criteria

Criterion	The question it asks	Example
Relevance	Was it the right thing for people's real needs?	Did the community truly need boreholes, or something else?
Coherence	Did it fit with other efforts and policies?	Did it align with the district plan and avoid duplicating other NGOs?
Effectiveness	Did it achieve its intended outcomes?	Did the trained farmers actually adopt the practices?
Efficiency	Were time and resources used well?	Could the same result have come cheaper or faster?
Impact	What real difference did it make, including unintended effects?	Did incomes rise? Were there any harms?
Sustainability	Will the benefits last after the project ends?	Will the water committee keep the pump working in three years?

Writing a good evaluation question

Keep it focused, answerable with the data you can realistically get, and tied to one of the criteria. Prefer "to what extent did trained farmers adopt the practices, and for whom did it work best?" over a vague "was the project successful?"