Chapter 5: Step 2: Strategic Design (Continued)

Although you may not implement your monitoring and evaluation plan until later in the program implementation process, it is important to formulate your study design [PDF] early in the planning process. Chapters 2.1 [PDF], 2.2 [PDF], 2.4 [PDF], and 2.5 [PDF] of the Research Toolkit provide a great deal of information on developing a study design. The template format for a PSI study design includes outlining the research and program objectives, deciding upon a methodology, the PERForM conceptual framework, a logframe, survey instruments, and dashboard [PDF] tables. Planning early for M&E will allow for appropriate timeline development and budgetary considerations. It will also help ensure that you are tracking indicators that are appropriate given your program activities, as well as to monitor program process throughout program implementation. Typically, the baseline survey will be one of the first project activities, as it provides extremely useful information for project design.

The PSI Dashboard process is applicable to IPC programs. To help think through M&E issues, it may be helpful to create a dashboard specific to your IPC program. Dashboards are evidence-based decision making tools for social marketing or communication programs. The dashboard tables are generated with data collected from your study design, so if a specific dashboard is needed of he program, be sure you will have adequate data to produce it. There are three types of dashboards: segmentation, monitoring, and evaluation.

1. Segmentation
   Segmentation is the process of dividing heterogeneous populations into homogonous groups whose profiles inform program planning objectives and strategies. If your country has on-going tracking surveys, segmentation can be conducted with these surveys to help select target groups and behaviors. This information can also help determine if IPC is the appropriate programmatic choice to use within a population or for a specific risk behavior. If your country does not have ongoing tracking surveys, and even if it does, carrying out literature reviews and examining existing epidemiological data [PDF] in your region are also tools to use to select a target group.
2. Monitoring
   Monitoring involves assessing levels and trends of indicators related to behavior, risk/need, behavioral determinants, and program exposure, and monitoring dashboard tables display the results of the monitoring process in four areas: use, risk, behavioral determinants, and exposure. Monitoring can also include process indicators to track the program's progress; these are normally found in the "Activities" section of the project Logframe. For example, you may want to monitor how many IPCs are trained, how many trainings are conducted, how many contacts the IPCs make each week, etc. Finally, you may design monitoring components that gauge whether or not the program is on track to produce impact. These could include surveys or tests of program participants to gauge their understanding; qualitative techniques such as in-depth interviews or focus groups of program participants; and observation of the program by an external evaluator. Regular monitoring with feedback gives the program built-in means to improve and ensure results.
3. Evaluation
   Evaluation is the process of determining if changes in trends/levels of logframe indicators are attributable to the program. Evaluation dashboard tables demonstrate impact by linking levels of exposure with behavioral determinants and levels of exposure with behavioral indicators.

As with all PSI programs, a logframe with appropriate indicators of knowledge, attitudes, and behavior should be created. Typically, PSI monitoring and evaluation plans involve carrying out population-based baseline and follow-up surveys to track changes in these indicators and to examine whether these changes are associated with exposure to the program. These data are used to produce the dashboards.

While it is possible to incorporate IPC program-specific indicators into on-going tracking surveys, it is not necessarily recommended; IPC programs are likely to focus on such small numbers of people that such surveys would not capture many program participants. Instead, KAP-type surveys [PDF] that measure project indicators can be specially designed and conducted with program participants, or in case/control communities. The resulting data from these surveys can be used to create dashboards. As IPC programs are scaled-up to include larger and larger proportions of the target population, it then may be feasible to incorporate IPC indicators into a larger tracking survey.

In setting up your monitoring and evaluation design, you should answer the following questions:

1. What changes do you want to make in the knowledge, attitudes, behavior, or risk perception of target group members through the IPC program?
2. What measurable indicators can be used to track these changes?
3. What method or combination of methods (qualitative, quantitative) will you use to measure these indicators and their change over time? What survey instruments will you use?
4. How frequently will you measure?
5. What sample size is necessary to accurately measure statistical changes in the indicators?
6. What geographical area will be covered by the program?
7. What is the cost of these endeavors?   

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