I want a measure to track progress, reflect change and assess project performance...
What are they?
An indicator is a simple and reliable measure used to track progress, reflect change or assess project performance. Indicators are a critical component of a project logframe.
Indicators differ depending on their location in the hierarchy of objectives:
Goal: Indicators reflect longer-term impacts that are usually not achieved through the completion of a single project. Rather, they may require changes brought about by multiple initiatives. Not all logical framework templates include indicators at the goal level.
Strategic Objectives (SOs)
Strategic Objectives: Indicators reflect change that is sought (often from a single initiative) among extended beneficiaries, target populations, collaborating institutions and local partners.
Intermediate Results (IRs)
Intermediate Results: Indicators reflect the expected change(s) in identifiable behaviours of a specific group or the expected change(s) in systems, policies or institutions required to achieve the higher outcome.
Outputs: Indicators represent tangible goods and services delivered by the initiative.
MEAL experts have determined that all good indicators should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Specific: Indicators must be very closely related to the desired areas of improvement expressed in the objective statements that they represent, and should include the following characteristics: quantity, quality, location and who is expected to make/experience the anticipated change.
Measurable: Indicators should be written in a way that promotes an accurate assessment of progress.
Achievable: Indicators must be attainable given the budget, time and resources available.
Relevant: Indicators must accurately measure the change you want to track.
How do I use them?
Choosing indicators can be challenging. As you choose the right indicators for your project, ask yourself the following questions:
What do I need to know?
Start the process by asking yourself, “What do I need to know?” Answering this question will help you decide which indicators will be relevant.
Once you are clear about how what you need to know, next you need to ask whether you will collect information using standard indicators or custom indicators.
Should I use a standard or custom indicator?
A standard indicator is one that has already been created for use within a particular field, such as food security, peacebuilding, or water and sanitation. They are useful because they have been tested for quality and are globally recognized as good measurements. Often, donors and organizations require the use of certain standard indicators so that they can compare data across projects and programs.
If you are unable to find an appropriate standard indicator, you may need to develop one of your own, a custom indicator. If you choose to develop a custom indicator from scratch, remember that good indicator statements describe:
- What needs to be measured (what will change)
- The target population (who will change)
- The unit of measurement used to describe the change (a number or a percentage)
- The size, magnitude, or dimension of the change (decrease, increase, or a specific target number)
- The time frame.
Should I use a quantitative or qualitative indicator?
Quantitative indicators are measures of quantities or amounts. They help you measure project progress in the form of numerical information, such as number, percentage or rate.
Qualitative indicators measure judgments, opinions, perceptions and attitudes towards a given situation or subject. An example of a qualitative indicator might be, “Women feel safe collecting water from water points.” In this case, feelings of safety are what is being measured, which are difficult to quantify. But, depending on your information needs, it could be very useful to measure changes in feelings of safety, which would make this a good indicator to gather data around.
Should I use a proxy indicator?
You may find that you cannot develop an indicator for a particular concept you hope to measure. In this case, you may need to identify a “proxy” indicator. In contrast to a direct indicator, which tracks change by directly examining the change, proxy indicators track change by examining markers which are generally accepted as being substitutes (or proxies) for what you are trying to measure. Proxy indicators are especially helpful when the result you are attempting to monitor is difficult to measure or too expensive to measure. Be careful, however, because it is difficult to find proxy indicators that consistently and reliably represent what you are trying to measure.
When do I use them?
Indicators are first selected or created when building the project the logframe; ideally before project implementation begins.
Then, indicators are actively used when teams are monitoring and evaluating project implementation. One of the monitoring tools used to specifically track indicators is called an Indicator Performance Tracking Table (IPTT). The IPTT lists each indicator, its baseline, and its target. During regular monitoring meetings, teams can use an IPTT and current data to determine their progress against each indicator.
Indicators are also used in the context of an evaluation. They become the basis for the design of evaluation criteria and questions that the team and any external evaluators may need to answer.
How many indicators?
Each objective statement will require at least one indicator, and sometimes more depending on the information you need. However, more is not necessarily better! Collecting data to track indicators takes time and money. The key to a good set of indicators is their quality and usefulness. Be careful not to collect information that you don’t need – or won’t use.
Users are free to copy/redistribute and adapt/transform
for non-commercial purposes.
© 2022 All rights reserved.
Nataka kipimo cha kufuatilia maendeleo, kuonyesha mabadiliko na kutathmini utendaji wa mradi... Ni nini? Kiashiria ni kipimo rahisi na cha kuaminika kinachotumiwa kufuatilia maendeleo, kuonyesha mabadiliko au kutathmini utendaji wa mradi. Viashiria ni sehemu muhimu ya mradi logframe. Kiwango cha kiashiria cha mradi ni sawa na kiwango cha mradi wa mradi wa mradi wa mradi wa mradi wa mradi wa mradi wa mradi wa mradi wa mradi wa mradi wa mradi wa mradi wa mradi wa mradi wa mradi wa mradi wa mradi wa mradi wa mradi wa mradi wa mradi wa mradi. Badala yake, huenda zikahitaji mabadiliko yanayotokana na mipango mingi. Si templates zote mfumo wa mantiki ni pamoja na viashiria katika ngazi ya lengo. Mtazamo wa Mkakati: Mtazamo wa Mkakati: Mkakati wa Mkakati unaonyesha mabadiliko ambayo yanatafuta (mara nyingi kutoka kwa mpango mmoja) kati ya wapokeaji wa wigo, idadi ya watu waliokusudiwa, taasisi zinazoshirikiana na washirika wa ndani. Matokeo ya kati: Viashiria huonyesha mabadiliko ya kutarajiwa katika tabia zinazotambuliwa za kikundi maalum au mabadiliko ya kutarajiwa katika mifumo, sera au taasisi zinazohitajika kufikia matokeo ya juu. Matokeo: Viashiria kuwakilisha bidhaa halisi na huduma zinazotolewa na mpango. Wataalamu wa MEAL wameamua kwamba viashiria vyote vyema vinapaswa kuwa SMART: maalum, vinavyoweza kupimwa, vinavyoweza kupatikana, vinavyofaa, na vinavyohusiana na wakati. "Hii ina maana kwamba viashiria vinapaswa kuwa na uhusiano wa karibu sana na maeneo ya kuboresha yaliyohitajika, yaliyoelezwa katika taarifa za lengo ambazo zinawakilisha, na inapaswa kujumuisha sifa zifuatazo: ""kiasi, ubora, eneo na nani anayatarajiwa kufanya mabadiliko ya kutarajia.""" Inapaswa kuandikwa kwa njia ambayo inasaidia tathmini sahihi ya maendeleo. Inapatikana: Viashiria lazima kupatikana kutokana na bajeti, muda na rasilimali zinazopatikana. Mahusiano: Viashiria lazima kwa usahihi kupima mabadiliko unataka kufuatilia. Ninaweza kuzitumiaje? Kuchagua viashiria inaweza kuwa changamoto. Unapochagua viashiria sahihi kwa mradi wako, jiulize maswali yafuatayo: Ni nini ninachohitaji kujua? Anza mchakato kwa kujiuliza, <unk>Ninahitaji kujua nini?<unk> Kujibu swali hili kutakusaidia kuamua ni viashiria gani vitakuwa muhimu. Mara baada ya kuwa wazi kuhusu nini unahitaji kujua, ijayo unahitaji kuuliza kama wewe kukusanya taarifa kwa kutumia viashiria kiwango au viashiria desturi. Je, mimi kutumia kiwango au desturi kiashiria? Kiashiria cha kawaida ni kiashiria ambacho kimeundwa tayari kwa ajili ya matumizi katika uwanja fulani, kama vile usalama wa chakula, ujenzi wa amani, au maji na usafi wa mazingira. Ni muhimu kwa sababu zimepimwa kwa ubora na zinatambuliwa ulimwenguni pote kuwa vipimo vyema. Mara nyingi, wafadhili na mashirika huhitaji matumizi ya viashiria fulani vya kawaida ili waweze kulinganisha data kati ya miradi na programu. Kama wewe ni uwezo wa kupata sahihi kiwango cha kiashiria, unaweza haja ya kuendeleza moja ya yako mwenyewe, kiashiria desturi. Ikiwa unachagua kuendeleza kiashiria cha desturi kutoka mwanzo, kumbuka kwamba taarifa nzuri za kiashiria zinaelezea: - Nini kinachohitaji kupimwa (kitakachobadilika) - Idadi ya watu wa lengo (wanaobadilika) - Kitengo cha kipimo kinachotumiwa kuelezea mabadiliko (nambari au asilimia) - Ukubwa, ukubwa, au mwelekeo wa mabadiliko (kupungua, kuongezeka, au idadi maalum ya lengo) - Muda. Je, ni lazima nitumie kiashiria cha kiasi au cha ubora? Viashiria vya kiasi ni vipimo vya wingi au kiasi. Hizi kusaidia kupima maendeleo ya mradi katika fomu ya habari ya tarakimu, kama vile idadi, asilimia au kiwango. Viashiria vya ubora hupima hukumu, maoni, maoni na mitazamo kuelekea hali au mada fulani. Mfano wa kiashiria cha ubora inaweza kuwa, <unk>Wanawake kujisikia salama kukusanya maji kutoka vituo vya maji.<unk> Katika kesi hii, hisia za usalama ni nini ni kupimwa, ambayo ni vigumu kuhesabu. Lakini, kulingana na mahitaji yako ya habari, inaweza kuwa muhimu sana kupima mabadiliko katika hisia za usalama, ambayo itafanya hii kuwa kiashiria kizuri cha kukusanya data. Je, ni lazima nitumie kiashiria cha wakala? Unaweza kupata kwamba huwezi kuendeleza kiashiria kwa dhana fulani unatarajia kupima. Katika kesi hii, unaweza haja ya kutambua <unk>proxy<unk> kiashiria. Tofauti na kiashiria cha moja kwa moja, ambacho hufuatilia mabadiliko kwa kuchunguza mabadiliko moja kwa moja, viashiria vya wakala hufuatilia mabadiliko kwa kuchunguza alama ambazo zinakubaliwa kwa ujumla kuwa mbadala (au wakala) kwa kile unajaribu kupima. Proxy viashiria ni muhimu hasa wakati matokeo wewe ni kujaribu kufuatilia ni vigumu kupima au ghali sana kupima. Hata hivyo, kuwa makini, kwa sababu ni vigumu kupata proxy viashiria kwamba mfululizo na kuaminika kuwakilisha nini wewe ni kujaribu kupima. Ni wakati gani ninaopaswa kuzitumia? Viashiria ni kwanza kuchaguliwa au kuundwa wakati wa kujenga mradi logframe; bora kabla ya mradi utekelezaji huanza. Kisha, viashiria hutumiwa kikamilifu wakati timu zinapochunguza na kutathmini utekelezaji wa mradi. Mfano wa mfumo wa ufuatiliaji wa matokeo ni Meza ya Ufuatiliaji wa Utendaji wa Kiashiria (IPTT). IPTT inaorodhesha kila kiashiria, msingi wake, na lengo lake. Katika mikutano ya kawaida ya ufuatiliaji, timu zinaweza kutumia IPTT na data ya sasa ili kuamua maendeleo yao dhidi ya kila kiashiria. Viashiria pia hutumiwa katika muktadha wa tathmini. Wao kuwa msingi kwa ajili ya kubuni ya vigezo vya tathmini na maswali kwamba timu na yoyote watathmini nje inaweza haja ya kujibu. Ni viashiria vingapi? Kila taarifa lengo itahitaji angalau kiashiria moja, na wakati mwingine zaidi kulingana na habari unahitaji. Hata hivyo, si lazima kuwa na vitu vingi kuwe bora zaidi! Kukusanya data ili kufuatilia viashiria inachukua muda na fedha. Ufunguo wa seti nzuri ya viashiria ni ubora wao na manufaa. Kuwa makini si kukusanya habari kwamba huna haja <unk> au si kutumia. Watumiaji ni huru kunakili / kusambaza tena na kurekebisha / kubadilisha kwa madhumuni yasiyo ya kibiashara. © 2022 Haki zote zimehifadhiwa.