Impact Assessment (Monitoring and Evaluation)

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Welcome to the Impact Assessment folder of the Impact Alliance Resource Center. Improved assessment methodologies can contribute to organizational learning, strengthen local participation, and make a greater impact on development. Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is an integral best practice for all programs, and it is also an essential management tool. To clarify, monitoring is the regular observation, recording, and reporting of activities, while evaluation involves the assessment of the impact and effectiveness of a project or program.

The need to develop more effective approaches to assessing the results of development interventions in the field is clear. Monitoring performance and results can indicate the drivers of performance at the field level. However, mechanical measurement techniques can push participants into unproductive practices and inhibit innovation and experimentation. Manipulating data and indicators for the sake of appearances with disregard for the process that achieved them undercuts the intent and potential of M&E.

The resources in this folder are intended to assist organizations build and strengthen a system to monitor and evaluate programs.