GYA has helped many organisations improve their performance through the effective use of monitoring and evaluation.  Our approach to monitoring and evaluation begins with working with our clients to design projects and programmes using logic models (such as the Logical Framework) to establish the steps needed to deliver the desired goals. We encourage our clients to develop indicators to monitor progress.  Meaningful indicators typically require quantity, quality and time dimensions and the targets to which these refer should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timebound).  We have considerable experience in  this areas form using participatory methods to enable local communities to define effective indicators and, where appropriate, using sophisticated databases to record performance. To be able to answer the vital questions of "how" and "why" change has occurred we combine the use of qualitative methods for evaluation with quantitative measures of outcomes and impact.  For example we might work with focus groups to define questions for a household survey.  Such approaches ensure we get the best possible measures of impact.

Monitoring and evaluation offers an important opportunity for organisations to learn and improve.  This is not always an easy exercise for an organisation GYA have experience of facilitating learning and communicating the findings of monitoring and evaluation in a wide rage of settings working withorganisations, projects and programmes to set up monitoring and evaluation as a learning exercise, draw on unexpected findings and to communicate lessons effectively. The Figure below provides an overview of good practice M&E  Our work covers a number of areas including: Performance monitoring & management information systems Indicator design & poverty monitoring Participatory monitoring & Evaluation Project & programme evaluation For further information on our work on Monitoring and Evaluation contact: Gil_yaron@gya.co.uk