Role of Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division in Project Monitoring and Evaluation. Selected ADP Projects of Bangladesh Railway, LGED and Power Division

Abstract or Introduction

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) are key drivers to make progress in public investment activities. At the national, sector, and subnational levels, M&E can give unique information regarding the performance of government policies, programs, and projects. It can tell us what works and what don’t, as well as why.

M&E also gives data on a government's performance, as well as the performance of specific ministries and agencies, as well as managers and their workforce. Highlighting examples of good practice and poor practice can help improve performance. With a focus on government performance, a number of governments have established formal systems for monitoring and assessing their performance on a regular, scheduled, and systematic basis, with the goal of improving it. In light of the above scenario, development partners in Bangladesh also wanted to ensure proper and judicious expenditure in development projects to meet the desired output. Because development partners have been financing a large amount of money in development projects in the country.

This was one of the driving forces behind the establishment of IMED (Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division) in Bangladesh. The staff of IMED along with outsourced firms employed by IMED, conduct monitoring and evaluation tasks for ADP projects. Different development plans in Bangladesh have given special importance to reform the present M&E system of IMED and to transform it into a result-based M&E management being equipped with IT for ensuring efficient and transparent services. Henceforth roles and capacity of IMED and its relevant agencies in contributing projects’ performance should be measured to find out any gap existing in the activities of IMED. The research was developed with applying mixed approach. The interviewees are mainly staff of IMED, while the respondents (N=41) are the employees of 16 ADP projects of Bangladesh Railway,LGED and Power Division, and of two evaluation units of LGED (Local Government Engineering Division) and DOICT (Directorate of Information and Communication Technology). Simon Priest’s model on process evaluation and outcome evaluation of program were used to validate the analytical framework of the research. In most cases both sides (interviewees and respondents) opinions were compared to cross check each other’s views.