A Guide for Monitoring and Evaluating Population-Health-Environment Programs
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cess. That said, organizations that choose to adapt indicators should clearly
state the modified definitions and methods in their M&E plans.
No program or project should ever use all of the indicators outlined in
this publication. The choice of indicators should be driven by the objec-
tives, goals, activities, and scale of the program and its projects. Addition-
ally, programs should consider the time and money it costs to collect and
analyze data for each indicator. For routine monitoring purposes, program
managers should select a handful of indicators that are economical to col-
lect and relevant to program objectives. Some of these indicators may need
to be adapted for specific program needs. For organizations that need more
information, one option is to conduct special studies to evaluate program
performance in specific areas of interest. In this case, mangers should stag-
ger these studies to minimize the research burden. It is the responsibility
of program managers and implementers, in consultation with donors, to
decide which indicators each PHE program should collect, based primar-
ily on what the program is expected to achieve.
Some program and project managers may be overwhelmed by the vol-
ume of indicators in this guide and by the process of selection. Some may
want to know, for example, the key 10 to 15 indicators that are essential
for monitoring and evaluating PHE programs worldwide. Having such a
"short list" may be useful for international donors and governments, but
program managers may find such a list impractical for monitoring and
evaluating their specific interventions. Mainly, such global indicators usu-
ally require population and habitat-based surveys, which may be beyond
the scope of most PHE programs working in focused regions or with spe-
cific populations. Most program managers will also want M&E to cover
program results as well as progress made in specific functional areas, such
as training or behavior change. It is important to keep in mind that the
specific indicators useful in a given M&E framework will depend directly
on the purpose of the program.
Purpose of the Guide
An information system is the backbone of M&E and is founded on a cycle
of information sharing and feedback. M&E systems address the chal-
lenge of measuring program success in cost-effective, practical ways. Ef-
fectively measuring programs through M&E provides the evidence-base
upon which to compare programs, share best practices, secure donor and
community support, and ultimately meet program goals and objectives.
Without a fully functioning M&E system, programs lack the objectively
verifiable evidence to support the credibility of their work. M&E systems