A performance monitoring plan (PMP) is a tool used by USAID operating units to plan and manage the collection of the performance data. Sometimes the PMP also includes plans for reporting, data analysis and its use.
When the strategic plans of operating units are approved, USAID’s reengineering guides require them to prepare a plan for performance control in project management. A basic PMP should include:
- a detailed explanation of each performance indicator,
- the source, method, schedule and frequency of data collection, and
- the individual, team or office responsible for ensuring that data are available according to schedule.
Performance monitoring plans can also include:
- a plan for how the performance data will be analyzed, and
- how the data will be reviewed, reported and used for making informed decisions.
A performance monitoring plan is a vital tool for performance and control in project management for planning, managing, and documenting data collection. It contributes to the efficacy of the performance monitoring system by assuring that comparable data will be collected on a regular and scheduled basis. These are critical to the operation of a credible and useful performance based management approach.
List of recommended resources #
For a broad overview #
This study by Paul Engel, Niels Keijzer, and Tony Land for the European Centre for Development Policy Management highlights how a balanced monitoring plan improves performance within a system or an organization.
Reporting on Outcomes: Setting Performance Expectations and Telling Performance Stories
The paper by John Mayne lays out a practical guide on how to present performance stories in management and setting expectations about the level and kind of performance to be expected.
For in depth understanding #
Handbook on monitoring, evaluating and managing knowledge for policy influence
This handbook developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) outlines the guiding principles and purposes behind planning, monitoring and evaluation within UNDP and an overview of their essential elements to increase the results-based culture of the organization.
This handbook by Jody Zall Kusek and Ray C. Rist provides a comprehensive ten step model to help guide development practitioners through the process of designing and building a performance and results-based monitoring and evaluation plan. The manual describes each step in detail, the tasks needed to complete each one, and the tools available to help along the way.
Case study #
Liberia Forestry Development Authority: An Institutional Capacity Assessment
This report compiled by the World Bank Group presents the findings from an institutional capacity assessment of Liberia’s Forestry Development Authority (FDA) based on a survey of FDA employees. The report assesses the performance of the organization and identifies four key reform pillars that will help strengthen FDA’s institutional capacity through better data and more regular monitoring and evaluation.
This paper presents results of a randomized impact evaluation in Cameroon designed to isolate the role of specific components of the PBF approach with four different study groups and assesses how monitoring and evaluation approaches can affect the performance of the groups.
She Matters: Women in Kazakhstan Corporate Leadership
This report by the International Finance Corporation analyzes the relationship between board gender diversity and the financial performance of Kazakhstan joint-stock companies (JSCs). A series of financial and gender indicators were collected to evaluate the performance of the corporate leadership of women in Kazakhstan.
