Attachment 2 Amendment 1 - J.15 Activity MEL Plan Template.docx

[ACTIVITY TITLE]:

Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan [Contract/Agreement] Number: [Insert number] Activity Start Date and End Date: [e.g. January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2022] Total Estimated Cost: [USD] [COR/AOR] Name: [Insert name]

Submitted by: [Insert name], Chief of Party [Name of Prime Implementing Partner] [Insert address] Tel: [Insert number including country code] Email: [Insert email address]

Date: [e.g. January 31, 2019] Version: [1]

DISCLAIMER

The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government.

Acronyms

Example:

Table of Contents

Note: This document serves as guidance for USAID Mexico’s Implementing Partners for the development of their Activity Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan (AMELP). This template includes the minimum required information to design an AMELP, with the standards contained on the ADS 201.3.4.10. This document must be submitted along with the Indicator Summary Table, and the corresponding PIRS to consider it complete. It is to the discretion of the AOR/COR to add additional requirement to the AMELP if needed. This document must be approved by the COR/AOR.

1. Introduction

This section introduces the Activity MEL Plan and provides summary background information relevant to the MEL Plan.

Start with a brief introduction of the Activity MEL Plan, its purpose and intended use. Please note that this plan will be updated periodically in response to changes in the activity theory of change, implementation, or feedback received on MEL efforts. Sample text:

Updates to this plan will be provided to the [USAID COR/AOR] for review and approval on a [quarterly/semi-annual/annual basis] (per contract or agreement) or whenever revisions to the plan are proposed.

1.1 Activity Purpose and Description

The activity purpose should be a clear and concise statement of one or two sentences specifying what USAID and the IP want to achieve with it. The activity description is a brief narrative explaining the structure, stakeholders, timeframe and other characteristics as needed.

1.2 Activity’s Logic Framework and Theory of Change

Include a brief summary description of the activity theory of change based on activity planning documents or work plans. Typically, this will include the following information:

· The context in which the development problem is situated;

· If-then (causal) outcomes needed to achieve the desired change and evidence used to support those casual predictions;

· Major interventions that the activity will undertake to catalyze these outcomes; and

· Key assumptions that underlie the success of this theory.

A logic model that graphically depicts the activity theory of change is also recommended to be included in this section. If included, it is recommended that the logic model highlight the activity’s most important performance indicators, linking each performance indicator to the result in the logic model measured by that indicator, as shown in the example on the following page.

Diagram 1: Logical Framework template with indicators, data sources, and assumptions.

Goal (DO)

Purpose

Affecting the purpose-to-goal link:

Outputs

Affecting the Output - to-Purpose link:

Inputs

Affecting the Input-to-Output link:

Note: There is no standard format for logic models. Please see the Project (activity) Logic Model How-to Note for examples of different types of logic models

2. Monitoring Plan

This section provides information on how the activity implementing partner will monitor the performance of the activity and contextual factors that may affect activity performance and inform learning and adaptation throughout implementation. For additional information on Monitoring at USAID, visit the USAID Monitoring Toolkit.

2.1 Performance Monitoring

Describe the efforts that the activity implementing partner will undertake to monitor performance. Include a point of contact for Monitoring efforts. This should include monitoring the quantity, quality, and timeliness of outputs and relevant outcomes to which the activity is expected to contribute. Efforts to monitor performance may include a range of quantitative and qualitative methods such as surveys, direct observation, qualitative interviews, focus groups, expert panels, the recording of administrative actions, etc.

The Activity MEL Plan must include relevant performance indicators of activity outputs and outcomes. For more information about performance indicators, see the Selecting Performance Indicators guidance document.

A summary of all performance indicators that the activity implementing partner will report to USAID must be listed in an Indicator Summary Table in Annex I. Include all performance indicators required or requested by USAID, including required foreign assistance standard indicators, and all additional performance indicators deemed necessary by the activity implementing partner for monitoring and reporting on progress.

Each performance indicator must:

· Be linked to an intended result (output or outcome) that it measures.

· Have a corresponding Performance Indicator Reference Sheet (PIRS) that is complete and sufficient, and included in Annex II. The PIRS should be completed in coordination with USAID, or even provided by USAID, when multiple partners are collecting data on the same performance indicator. If the PIRS is not complete at the time the plan is submitted to USAID, it must be completed within three months of the start of indicator data collection.

· Have a baseline. If baseline data have not been collected at the time this plan is submitted to USAID, the plan should note when baselines will be collected. Baseline data collection should be completed before the start of implementation actions related to that performance indicator.

· Have targets. If targets have not been set at the time this plan is submitted to USAID, the plan should note when targets will be set. Targets should be set prior to collecting and reporting data (other than baseline data) on an indicator.

· Be disaggregated by sex when measuring person-level data.

2.2 Context Monitoring

The Activity MEL Plan should include, if relevant, a description of any efforts that the activity implementing partner may undertake to monitor the conditions and external factors relevant to activity implementation. These may include: environmental, economic, social, or political factors, programmatic assumptions, and operational context. Efforts to monitor context may include a range of quantitative and qualitative methods such as surveys, direct observation, qualitative interviews, focus groups, expert panels, tracking of independent third-party indicators, etc.

If the activity implementing partner is planning to track context indicators, these should be reported in the Indicator Summary Table in Annex I. The Context Indicator Reference Sheets (CIRSs) should be included in Annex II, if any context indicators are planned.

2.3 Risk Monitoring

The Activity MEL Plan must include a description of any identified risks as well as the plans to monitor and mitigate them.

2.4 Collecting and Responding to Beneficiary Feedback

The Activity MEL Plan must include, as appropriate, the activity’s approach for establishing effective procedures for collecting and responding to feedback from beneficiaries and reporting to USAID a summary of beneficiary feedback and how the implementing partner and the Mission addressed it.

3. Evaluation Plan

3.1 Internal Evaluations

Internal evaluations are evaluations that are conducted by the activity implementing partner or its sub-contractor(s), often with the intent to learn and adapt during implementation. Implementing partners are not required to conduct an internal evaluation unless it is stipulated in their contract or agreement. Implementing partners may propose to conduct an internal evaluation in their Activity MEL Plan.

This section of the Activity MEL Plan identifies any internal evaluations that the activity implementing partner plans to manage over the life of the activity. For each internal evaluation, the plan should include (at minimum):

· the type of evaluation (performance or impact);

· purpose and expected use;

· proposed evaluation questions;

· estimated budget;

· planned start date; and

· the estimated completion date.

The evaluation plan should also clarify the expected level of USAID involvement, if any, such as reviewing an evaluation Statement of Work (SOW) or draft report.

The USAID Evaluation Toolkit includes an evaluation plan template that may be adapted for use in this section.

3.2 Plans for Collaborating with External Evaluators

It is USAID’s responsibility to inform the activity implementing partner if an external evaluation of the activity is planned. An external evaluation is an evaluation that is contracted directly by USAID. If such an evaluation is planned, this section may explain how the implementing partner will interact with the evaluation team to support the external evaluation. Even if one is not planned, this section could outline expectations for collaboration in the event that an external evaluation is later determined to be necessary.

Sample text:

[The implementing partner] will assist external evaluators commissioned by USAID by:

· Reviewing and providing feedback on draft evaluation designs, draft evaluation data collection instruments, and the draft evaluation report.

· Sharing data used for performance monitoring. If this includes person-level data, [the implementing partner] will anonymize the data prior to providing it to the evaluation team.

· Providing written responses to an evaluation self-assessment questionnaire.

· Making staff available to answer questions related to the activity.

· Supporting the evaluation team in identifying and obtaining access to activity stakeholders, beneficiaries, and sites of operation.

· Supporting the evaluation team in holding stakeholder meetings to discuss and develop recommendations based on evaluation findings.

4. Learning Plan

This section explains the activity’s approach to learning from monitoring data, evaluation findings (if applicable) and other learning efforts, and how the activity implementing partner – in collaboration with USAID and other key stakeholders – will seek to pause, reflect, learn, and adapt throughout implementation. Activity implementing partners may broaden the scope of this section to function as a Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) plan for the activity. The plan may include:

· Learning questions based on the activity logic model or potential gaps in the technical knowledge base, and efforts to explore those questions.

· Knowledge generation, capture, and sharing efforts, including at activity close-out. Reflection opportunities (e.g., during work planning or quarterly reporting, after-action reviews, or other learning events). Information on potential participants, frequency, and utilization should be included.

· Plans for adaptive management, based on learning and knowledge gained during implementation, including from identified learning questions that will enable the implementing partner and its key stakeholders to prompt course corrections as needed.

· Strategic collaboration activities designed to support learning and adapting with and for key stakeholders (including USAID) relating to specific questions identified in the learning plan.

· For more information on CLA and learning plans, visit the USAID CLA Toolkit.

5. Roles, Responsibilities, and Schedule

This section provides a schedule of individual and recurring MEL tasks during the life of the activity. This may be a simple matrix outlining tasks, responsible parties, and dates for initiation and completion. A calendar (including a link to a shared calendar) or Gantt chart may be included to illustrate the schedule. A more detailed narrative may also be included to address roles and responsibilities among multiple partners (such as sub-awardees) and involvement from USAID or other stakeholders. MEL tasks to include in this schedule may include data collection efforts, data quality assurance activities, data analysis and visualization, special studies, assessments, learning processes and events, quarterly report preparation, etc.

Include a summary of the content and how information will be transmitted to USAID and in what format (for instance through a partner portal of a management information system, in-person check-ins, as part of a quarterly report submission, or in an Excel file). A table may be a useful way to summarize anticipated reports and related information.

Example Table: Schedule of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Reports to USAID

6. Resources (optional)

Specify the budget allocated to monitoring, evaluation, and learning by listing the tasks, estimated costs, and proportion of the budget. Please use a table to present the information.

7. Change Log

The Activity MEL Plan should be adjusted in response to changes in activity implementation, feedback received on MEL efforts, changes in the operational context, and other new information. This section includes a table to describe the changes that are made to the Activity MEL Plan over time. For more information about making changes to an Activity MEL Plan, please see USAID’s How-to Note: Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan.

Example Change Log

8. Annexes

Tab 1. Indicator Summary Table (Required)

[Insert Short Activity Name] Activity MEL Plan [Date] image1.png image2.png