📋 Phase 1: Planning & Design Interactive
Practice developing evaluation questions, baselines, and targets
🏥 Project Scenario: Community Maternal Health Initiative
Context: You are designing an M&E framework for a 3-year project aimed at reducing maternal mortality in rural communities. The project includes:
- Training community health workers in prenatal care
- Establishing mobile health clinics for remote villages
- Creating a referral system for emergency obstetric care
- Conducting community education on maternal health
Current Situation: Maternal mortality rate is 320 per 100,000 live births. Only 35% of pregnant women attend 4+ prenatal visits. Limited emergency transport options exist.
📝 Stage 1: Crafting Evaluation Questions
Your Task: Develop 3 evaluation questions that will guide the M&E process for this maternal health project. Remember: good evaluation questions are Clear, Focused, Feasible, and Relevant.
✍️ Create Your Evaluation Questions
Hint: Ask about the extent of change and what contributed to it
💡 Good Example:
"To what extent did the maternal health project reduce maternal mortality rates in target communities, and what factors contributed to or hindered this reduction?"
Hint: Consider access, utilization, and quality of services
Hint: Think about community ownership and local capacity
✅ Check Your Questions Against These Criteria:
📊 Stage 2: Establishing Baselines
Your Task: Establish baseline measurements for key indicators. Baselines capture the "before" picture—the conditions at project start that you'll compare against later to measure change.
📏 Define Your Baseline Data
Complete the baseline values for each indicator based on the scenario information and your best estimates.
| Indicator | Baseline Value | Data Source |
|---|---|---|
| Maternal mortality rate (per 100,000 live births) | ||
| % of pregnant women attending 4+ prenatal visits | ||
| Number of trained community health workers | ||
| Average response time for emergency referrals (hours) |
💡 Tips for Quality Baselines:
Use reliable sources: District health records, facility reports, baseline surveys
Document methods: Note how and when data was collected
Be realistic: Use actual data when available; make informed estimates when not
🎯 Stage 3: Setting SMART Targets
Your Task: Set realistic targets for the end of the 3-year project. Remember SMART criteria: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.
🎯 Define Your Project Targets
Based on your baselines, set ambitious but achievable targets for Year 3 (project completion).
| Indicator | Baseline | Year 1 Target | Year 3 Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maternal mortality rate (per 100,000) | 320 | ||
| % prenatal visit attendance (4+) | 35% | ||
| Trained community health workers | 0 | ||
| Emergency referral response (hours) | 6 |
✅ SMART Targets Checklist:
💡 Target Setting Tips:
Progressive improvement: Year 1 targets should show progress; Year 3 should show significant change
Be realistic: Maternal mortality reduction of 50% might be ambitious; 20-30% more feasible
Consider context: Account for resource availability and local conditions
Excellent Work!
You've successfully completed the Planning & Design phase exercise. You've practiced the essential skills of developing evaluation questions, establishing baselines, and setting SMART targets.
📋 Your M&E Planning Framework Summary
Evaluation Questions
Baseline Indicators
Project Targets
🎓 Key Takeaways from Phase 1: Planning & Design
- Evaluation questions guide everything: Clear, focused questions ensure your M&E efforts address what truly matters
- Baselines are essential: Without knowing where you started, you can't measure how far you've come
- SMART targets drive success: Specific, measurable targets provide clear direction and enable progress tracking
- Stakeholder input is critical: Effective planning requires diverse perspectives from all project stakeholders
- Planning sets the foundation: Time invested in thorough planning pays dividends throughout the M&E cycle