Monitoring and Evaluation Skills for M&E Officers Training Course

Course overview

Monitoring and Evaluation Officers are expected to convert project plans, field data and stakeholder feedback into evidence that programme managers, donors and communities can use. In development and humanitarian programmes, this means more than compiling indicator tables: officers must define measurable results, establish credible baselines, maintain data quality under field constraints, identify unintended effects and explain whether observed change can reasonably be linked to an intervention. Weak indicator definitions, fragmented collection tools and poorly communicated findings can lead to unreliable reports, missed corrective action and donor confidence risks.

This five-day course builds the practical M&E skills required to design and operate an accountable results measurement system. Participants develop theories of change, logframes, indicator reference sheets and data collection plans; select quantitative and qualitative methods; set baselines and targets; apply sampling principles; conduct data quality assessments; and analyse results using disaggregation, trend analysis and contribution-focused reasoning. The course also covers OECD DAC evaluation criteria, ethical data collection, safeguarding-sensitive monitoring, evaluation questions, reporting and evidence use in adaptive management.

Participants work through a realistic development or humanitarian programme case, progressing from programme logic to an M&E plan and reporting product. Instructor demonstrations are followed by workshops using Microsoft Excel, KoboToolbox and Power BI, peer review of indicator and tool designs, and facilitated discussions on common field challenges such as access constraints, respondent fatigue and incomplete data. Each participant leaves with a practical M&E implementation pack: a theory of change, indicator performance tracking table, data collection plan, DQA checklist, evaluation terms of reference outline and a 90-day workplace application plan.

The course is designed for practising M&E personnel who need stronger technical judgement and usable tools for programme monitoring, evaluations and donor reporting. It is equally valuable to programme staff who supervise M&E functions and need to ask informed questions about evidence quality and performance claims.

Course objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Construct a theory of change that links activities, outputs, outcomes, assumptions and external risks
• Develop a logframe and indicator reference sheets with SMART definitions, disaggregation and data sources
• Design a costed M&E plan covering baselines, targets, collection frequency, responsibilities and reporting timelines
• Create digital data collection forms in KoboToolbox using validation rules, skip logic and disaggregation fields
• Apply sampling, questionnaire design and qualitative inquiry methods appropriate to programme monitoring questions
• Conduct a data quality assessment using verification, completeness, timeliness, consistency and integrity checks
• Analyse monitoring data in Microsoft Excel and Power BI using disaggregation, trend analysis and performance dashboards
• Prepare an evidence-based evaluation terms of reference and management report with actionable recommendations

Benefits of attending

Target competencies

Who should attend

• Monitoring and Evaluation Officers — who design indicators, collect data and produce programme performance reports
• M&E Coordinators and Managers — who oversee M&E systems across projects, partners or country portfolios
• Programme Officers and Project Managers — who need to use monitoring evidence to adapt implementation decisions
• MEAL Officers — who integrate monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning requirements in humanitarian programmes
• Grants and Reporting Officers — who translate verified programme evidence into donor narrative and results reports
• Research and Learning Officers — who plan evaluations and turn findings into organisational learning products

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have at least six months of experience working on development, humanitarian or social-impact programmes, or equivalent familiarity with project documents such as workplans, logframes and donor reports. They should understand basic results-chain terms including activities, outputs and outcomes, and be comfortable entering data and using formulas in Microsoft Excel. A laptop with Excel is strongly recommended for practical exercises. Prior use of KoboToolbox, Power BI, statistical software or formal evaluation methods is not required; these tools and methods are introduced through guided exercises. This is not a beginner course in project management.

Training methodology

The course combines focused instructor-led explanation with progressive work on a development or humanitarian programme case. Participants draft a theory of change, logframe, indicator reference sheet and M&E plan; build and test a KoboToolbox form; inspect a flawed dataset through a data quality assessment; and create Excel and Power BI outputs from programme data. Small-group review sessions simulate the scrutiny of programme managers, partners and donors. Each day closes with a practical artefact, culminating in an individual 90-day plan for applying improved M&E procedures in the participant's workplace.

Course outline

Day 1: Results frameworks and usable indicators

• Results chains for development and humanitarian interventions
• Theory of change pathways, assumptions and external factors
• Logframe construction from goal to activity level
• SMART indicator selection and indicator hierarchy
• Indicator reference sheet fields and operational definitions
• Disaggregation by sex, age, disability, location and vulnerability
• Baseline, target and milestone setting methods

Workshop: Participants convert a programme narrative into a theory of change, logframe and three completed indicator reference sheets.

Day 2: M&E planning and field data collection

• Costed M&E plans and indicator performance tracking tables
• Data source mapping and collection responsibility matrices
• Quantitative survey design and question sequencing
• Qualitative methods including key informant interviews and focus groups
• Sampling frames, sample size logic and purposive sampling
• KoboToolbox form design with skip logic and validation constraints
• Ethics, informed consent, safeguarding and secure data handling

Workshop: Participants create a data collection plan and build a tested KoboToolbox form for a selected outcome indicator.

Day 3: Data quality and monitoring operations

• Data quality assessment dimensions and verification protocols
• Source document review and reported-results tracing
• Completeness, timeliness and consistency checks
• Enumerator training, piloting and field supervision procedures
• Data cleaning rules, outlier checks and missing-value treatment
• Partner data verification and M&E capacity support
• Monitoring in access-constrained and emergency settings

Workshop: Participants conduct a structured DQA on a flawed partner dataset and produce a corrective action log.

Day 4: Analysis, visualisation and evidence use

• Descriptive statistics for monitoring datasets
• Disaggregated analysis and equity-focused interpretation
• Target-versus-actual and trend analysis in Microsoft Excel
• PivotTables, charts and indicator performance dashboards
• Power BI data model basics and interactive visual design
• Triangulation of quantitative, qualitative and routine monitoring evidence
• Adaptive management decisions and learning questions

Workshop: Participants analyse a programme dataset and produce an Excel or Power BI dashboard with three management findings.

Day 5: Evaluation design, reporting and action planning

• OECD DAC evaluation criteria and evaluation question design
• Evaluation designs, comparison strategies and contribution analysis
• Terms of reference structure, evaluator selection and deliverables
• Findings, conclusions and recommendations distinction
• Evidence-based donor reporting and results narratives
• Communicating negative findings and uncertainty responsibly
• Management response, learning agendas and action tracking

Workshop: Participants draft an evaluation terms of reference outline, present a results brief and complete a 90-day M&E improvement plan.

Tools & standards covered

Microsoft Excel, KoboToolbox, Microsoft Power BI, OECD DAC Evaluation Criteria

A typical training day

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in the East Africa Time zone, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

How you can take this course

Certification

Participants who complete the full five days receive the Skillset Development Certificate of Completion, stating the course title, course code, dates and delivery format — suitable for professional-development records and employer reimbursement.

Frequently asked questions