Monitoring and Evaluation Plan-Bagh

The M&E Plan includes the project's development hypothesis, Results Framework (RF) with critical assumptions, illustrative interventions, a minimal set of well-defined performance indicators in the indicator performance reference sheets, a performance data table (PDT) that includes baseline and expected values for each project year, description of data collection and analysis methods, an evaluation plan, and a Performance Management Task Schedule that highlights special studies, surveys the project will undertake in support of a robust M&E system. The M&E Plan folds into the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Bangladesh Mission Performance Management Plan (PMP) under the USAID/Bangladesh Country Development Cooperative Strategy (CDCS) through the Development Objective 4 (DO4) results and related performance indicators. Performance indicators will be used to measure progress toward targeted Intermediate Results (IRs) and Sub-IRs, inform decisions to adjust course, and facilitate reporting of results to USAID, counterparts, and other stakeholders. The Bagh M&E Plan will rely upon systematic collection, analysis, and reporting of information (quantitative and qualitative) to ensure quality control of information and identify or avoid shortcomings in project activities. Information generated from the M&E system will allow project managers to make informed decisions on the overall management and performance of the project and provide a rationale for any needed changes in project implementation and/or design. Bagh will train relevant project staff in relevant data collection methods, and provide associated feedback to component managers, partners, and field implementers. Bagh's M&E system will be coordinated with relevant ongoing projects in Bangladesh that contribute to the IRs in order to ensure similar reporting formats as well as robust, methodologically valid, and comparable data that can be combined at the highest level to show multiple projects' impacts. The principles governing the Bagh M&E Plan are based on USAID Automated Directives System (ADS) Chapter 203 assessing the learning guidance. The Bagh team, in close consultation with the USAID DO4 team, will systematically collect and analyze performance information to track progress toward USAID/Bangladesh's planned objectives/results for continually assessing whether conservation actions are having their intended impact. The foundations of the M&E Plan have been planned for and developed since the design and issuance of the Bagh award. This development has helped direct data review for performance measures, planning for development of data collection within project activities, adequate planning across technical offices and within the donor community, among others. The M&E Plan is developed based on alignment with USAID's strategy and processes. The plan includes a Results Framework (RF) that outlines the project's development hypothesis, critical assumptions, illustrative interventions, and performance indicators. The RF is linked to the USAID/Bangladesh Country Development Cooperative Strategy (CDCS) through the Development Objective 4 (DO4) results and related performance indicators. The Bagh M&E Plan will be implemented through a systematic collection, analysis, and reporting of information (quantitative and qualitative) to ensure quality control of information and identify or avoid shortcomings in project activities. The plan will rely on a Performance Management Task Schedule that highlights special studies, surveys the project will undertake in support of a robust M&E system.