Implementing partners in the Monitoring and Evaluation Systems

Implementing Partner Organizations Key Roles in M&E

In the developmental world it is very obvious that these days large international organizations work through local implementing partners. This has proven over the years to be a much more strategic mode which has seen first the development of the institutional capacities of organizations to deliver services to the target group and then bring developmental change in the long run. Programmes and projects alike need to show results and when we say results we are talking about results in the form of deliverable's like outputs, outcomes and impacts. However, you will have to agree in the Monitoring and Evaluation world collecting the data, analysing and reporting it can prove to be a challenge much less for the local partner organizations in target countries or region. But donors will hear non of it, they want to see their money being put to the best possible use in projects or programmes come what may. But first, what really is the role of implementing partner organizations in the Monitoring and Evaluation process? What challenges do they really face?...........You gotta believe this.

Monitoring and Evaluation in the Implementing Partners World

Monitoring and Evaluation is a very important thing to most organizations around the world. Unfortunately for some implementing partner organizations, they feel that Monitoring and Evaluation is just a donor agenda....Weird HUH? But you see sometimes partner organizations just aren't good enough to Monitor and Evaluate even their own programmes and projects. Lets say a donor is providing support to an organization in a target area or region, How do implementing partner organizations fit into the whole Monitoring and Evaluation System?

Usually implementing partner organizations are more concerned about how well their activities are moving towards completion. It is obvious right? implementing partner organizations will be usually concerned about collecting data to do with output deliverables. Ofcourse donors love that too, but you have to agree that they would also like to see outcomes and impacts. Partner organizations may make quarterly reports on how well they are doing in delivering certain outputs but ultimately the donor is going to wanna see results because results is everything. This is the stage were you see at the end of the programme or projects a consultant being commissioned to conduct an intensive Evaluation.

Implementing partner organizations play a crucial role especially when it comes to the provision of Monitoring and Evaluation information that Project or Programme Evaluators need during an Evaluation. There may also be times when donor organization are interested to see for themselves how field activities are doing in person. Implementing partner organizations may help facilitate field visits and consequently help facilitate the development of case-stories. If the donor is keenly interested in reporting output information, their implementing partners are usually the first to have that required info which can be utilized in future reporting. Partner Monitoring and Evaluation is crucial indeed but fulfillment of this responsibilty is not met with challenges.

Challenges faced by Implementing Partner Organizations in Monitoring and Evaluation

1) Capacity to Monitor and Evaluate; Usually it is more often than usual that Implementing Partner Organizations don't have the capacity to Monitor and Evaluate. In some cases, they don't even have a convincing Monitoring and Evaluation System in place that can really make things move forward. Because of limited staff and so many activities on their plate, they really struggle to Monitor and Evaluate their Programmes or Projects.

2) Use of Monitoring and Evaluation Information; Unfortunately some Implementing Partner Organizations  haven't yet learned how to effectively use the Monitoring and Evaluation information in making informed decisions to better their implementation. That can really hurt in future years.

3) Limited professional experience in M&E; Unfortunately Monitoring and Evaluation in some implementing partner organization is quit a new concept. They just need further training and that's THAT!!!

In most cases donors may be willing to help bring Monitoring and Evaluation to a whole different level, but that should go with some convincing. Anyway whatever the case, Monitoring and Evaluation Rocks!!!