The Government of the National State of Tigray Bureau of Technical and Vocational

Education & Training AGRICULTURE

Unit of Competence: Monitor Implementation of Work plan /Activities

Module title: Monitoring Implementation of Work plan /Activities

LG Code: AGR NCD3 M20 0715

TTLM Code: AGR NCD1 20 1116

PREPARED BY HAFTOM GIRMAY

1.1 introductions

 Implementation refers to a cycle of steps taken to deliver activities and outputs, while
managing finances and for risk.
 The day to day and month to month implementation of a project involves the implementation
of activities
 Monitoring is a management tool for improving project and programmed performance, both
to improve organizational delivery and control for risk.
 Monitoring is the continuous collection and analysis of information used by management and
partners to assess performance (progress on implementation of activities, delivery of outputs,
achievement of results and impacts and use of resources
 The Monitoring and Evaluation Work Plan guides the process that will document project
activities, answer evaluation questions, and identify progress toward goals and objectives.
 This guide will contain the objectives, evaluation questions, methodologies, implementation
plan, matrix of expected results, proposed timeline, and data collection instruments.

Seven Steps to Developing an M&E Work Plan

1. Identify program goals and objectives.
2. Determine M&E questions, indicators, and their feasibility.
3. Determine M&E methodology for monitoring the process and evaluating the effects.
4. Resolve implementation issues: Who will conduct the monitoring and evaluation? How will
exist M&E data and data from past evaluation studies be used?

5. Identify internal and external M&E resources and capacity.

6. Develop an M&E Work Plan matrix and timeline.
7. Develop plan to disseminate and use evaluation findings.

Stages; Set-up project implementation- Implement activities- Monitoring and reporting --Adjust
implementation
1.1 Identifying Quality problems and issues and making adjustments

1.1.1. Monitoring effectiveness of urban landscape water conservation

interventions
 Monitoring focuses on the;
 management
 Supervision of project activities,
 Seeking to improve efficiency and
 overall effectiveness of project implementation

Monitoring Project Performance In put-activities-out put (Assess how are inputs are
used to Produce outputs)
Monitoring Project Impact-out put-out come-impact (Assess whether outputs produce the
Expected results)

• Effectiveness: programme performance with a strong focus on coverage

 Water conservation interventions

a. Participant recruitment for landscape water checks

The free service was widely publicized. Water checks included a detailed evaluation of
households’ sprinkler system and landscape, provision of site-specific seasonally-adjusted
irrigation schedules, and conservation recommendation.

b. Delivery of landscape water checks

 . Water checks first assessed technical aspects of water conservation: how effectively the
irrigation system delivered water to turf zones, flaws in system design, and maintenance that
reduced operational efficiency.
 Second, water checks evaluated ecological components affecting water use and
conservation: soil type, plant material, and lot characteristics (e.g., sun exposure and
aspect).
c. Human behaviors related to landscape water use
Human behaviors related to landscape water use were assessed through gathering interview and
survey data from residents at participating households utilizing

 The implementation plan—Delineating activities, roles, responsibilities, and a timetable

for identified activities with realistic expectations of when data will be analyzed and
results will be available
1.2. Making adjustments for Identifying problems

 The steps in project implementation include:

1. Setting up the project for implementation, including the establishment of a project
team and the creation of an annual work plan.
2. Implementation of activities, which includes managing the activities themselves, providing
technical inputs to the project and if applicable, managing risks under an Environmental and
Social Management Plan.
3. Monitoring and Reporting, including the deployment of supervision missions as well as
technical reporting covering the delivery of outputs, results and impacts. Monitoring activities
(e.g. survey, assessments, remote sensing, etc., are important monitoring activities that will be
implemented).
4. Updating the annual work plan based on the results of monitoring and other management
decision making.

1.1 Changing Procedures and systems

Part of that responsibility involves contributing to and accepting change, as well as working
cooperatively with others.

Accepting change in the workplace involves:

• Identifying and accepting the implications of change.
• Acting on agreed changes to improve work outcomes.
Working cooperatively with others in the workplace involves:
• Showing respect for different roles and responsibilities.
• Demonstrating respect for rights of other workers.
• Showing respect for cultural and physical differences.
• Working together for mutually productive outcomes

1.5. Ways to improve efficiency and service levels

 To be an effective worker means many things. It means that you are a:

• Safe worker
• Worker who is responsible for the quality of their work
• Worker that communicates well and works as a team member, sharing information and
resources
• Worker that seeks to resolve conflicts and problems
• Worker that accepts change
• Worker who appropriately utilizes resources for maximum efficiency and with regard to the
environment
• Worker that plans their daily work

LO2. Plan and organize workflow

2.1.1 Considering female and male on workloads

 Households in all societies differentiate various household activities and responsibilities

by gender.
 For women, production and reproduction are two interlinked activities, and much of the
work women do, although productive, is unpaid.
 Men have always played a minor role in domestic work; societies tending to assume that
they have paid work outside the home.
 women and men have different gender based roles and responsibilities in their
own lives, families, households, and communities.
. They have different knowledge of,access to, and control over natural resources, and
Different opportunities to participate in decisions regarding natural resource use.
Understanding
 Women’s and men’s relationships to the environment Plays an important role in
developing solutions For more sustainable use of natural resources.
 Women play a critical role in the field of environment, especially in the management of
plants and animals in forests, arid areas and wetlands.
 Rural women in particular maintain an intimate interaction with natural resources, the
collection and production of food products, fuel biomass, traditional medicine and raw
materials
2.1. Development of the work plan
 The work plan is the most important element in project implementation.
 It serves to effectively organize the work of the team and for monitoring and reporting
purposes.
 It is normal to prepare an annual work plan, updating this plan once every quarter or six
months as necessary.
 The annual work plan is approved by the relevant programme manager (Programme
Director or Head or Regional Technical Coordinator).
 If the plan is not implemented, it has no value.
 An annual work plan links your strategic directions and implementation strategy to the
day-to-day activities of your project.

2.2. Plan

Plan typically includes:

1. A statement of purpose
2. Goals
3. References to documents that support the work
4. Review of a natural resource inventory
5. Interpretation of the inventory
6. Landscape level considerations - watersheds, biological needs of wildlife, etc.
7. Recommended types and levels of protection for identified features and resources
8. An action plan indicating what is to be done, by whom and when.

1. Statement of purpose
This section describes why the project is being done and how it is intended to be used.
2. Goals
This section of a conservation plan states the reason(s) for the plan as well as the expect results
of its application.
3. References to documents that support conservation planning
There may be documentation of public support for a conservation plan in existing documents
such as a community’s master plan, zoning ordinance or a community survey.
4. Review of a natural resources inventory
A thoughtful conservation plan should be created with a knowledge and understanding of the
identification, location and attributes of natural features and resources.
5. Interpretation of the natural resources inventory
This section of a conservation plan expands on the natural resources inventory review, describing
the information in the natural resources inventory:
6. Landscape level considerations
This includes looking at the connectivity of habitats, integrity of aquatic and wetland systems,
etc. Interconnectedness is the norm for components of ecosystems and human communities.

7. Recommended types and levels of protection for items of interest

In this section of a conservation plan, recommendations for the protection of identified and
perhaps prioritized features and resources are given.

8. Action plan
An action plan will indicate what is to be done, by whom and when to accomplish the goals of
the plan. An action plan will usually require and include a time line for and a budget that
estimates costs associated with implementation of the plan and the proposed sources of funds.

2.1 Assessing workflow

Workflow; At start of year Prepare the work plan , Quarter 1, Monitor implementation and
adjust the work plan, Quarter 2, Monitor implementation and adjust the work plan, Quarter 3,
Monitor implementation and adjust the work plan, Quarter 4, Supervisory mission and
LO3. Maintain workplace records
1.1 making observations and monitor trials
In order to determine whether a new technology tested in an on-farm trial is better than the
convention method it is important to monitor and observe differences between the two
technologies. Without a comparison one does not know whether the new technology is better
than the old one.
 Maize on one plot grows faster or survives a dry spell better than the maize in another
field it is important to observe and record these differences so that they are not forgotten
and so that those observations can be referred to later during the final evaluation of the
experiment
1.1.1 Selecting indicators
  An indicator is a measurement that allows one to track changes. Indicators to be
monitored during an on-farm trial might include productivity, yields, improved soil
characteristics, input requirements, levels of technology and whether tested solutions
 Some examples of indicators used by farmer groups to measure change are shown below:

- Yield per hectare

- Number and size of fruit
- Plant height
- Color of leaves
- Number of leaves
- Number and size of maize cobs
- Survival rate of seedlings
- Days spent working on the trial
- Cost of labor
- Income from selling plot produce
- Temperature of the soil
- Signs of erosion
- Soil moisture
- Root penetration in the soil
- Soil resistance to penetration by a knife or stick

3.1 Workplace records

3.1.2 Keeping records

Farm records can be defined as written information detailing all activities on the farm over a
specific period.
 For the records to be beneficial and used it is important to keep records simple, clear and
neat, and to write records which are brief but provide all necessary information.
 When carrying out farm trials, records of monitoring activities and trial results are crucial
for the final evaluation of the trial.

3.2 Monitoring records

Logical framework, including indicators and means/source of verification

 The logical framework or log frame is an analytical tool used to plan, monitor, and
evaluate projects.
 An indicator is a measure that is used to show change in a situation, or the progress in/results of
an activity, project, or programme.
LO4: Solve problems and make decisions
4.1 Identifying Workplace problems

Tools & Techniques to Identify Problems in the Workplace

Employee Reviews
 Conducting employee performance reviews is an effective technique used to identify
problems in the workplace.
 The worker should be the most likely person to identify potential issues that need to be
dressed.
 Some of the methods that can be used to collect this information include questionnaires,
surveys and oral interviews.
Employee Safety
 Healthy employees are more active and productive compared to their sick counterparts.
 It is vital that a business owner knows his workplace well enough to offer his employees
information on the hazards associated with their line of work.
 office equipment is safe for use and meets standards

Group Assessments
 Putting your employees together in small groups may help when trying to diagnose
problems within the office.
 The groups should consist of staff from the same department working toward
acknowledging a common problem
Risk Assessment
  Risk assessment is a practical activity that involves a thorough review of the workplace
structure to identify the situations or processes that may cause harm to the people.
 Risk assessment is not only limited to collecting information from employees.
 Other risk factors, such as the construction design of the workplace, safety of power,
lighting systems, and office equipment or machinery, are also assessed.
1.2. Analyzing Problems and assessing potential solutions

1. Analysis of processes related to the threats to soil and their interdependency; erosion, loss of
organic matter, contaminations, sealing, compaction, decline in biodiversity, salination, flood
landslide
2. Development, harmonization and standardization of method for the analysis of the state of the
threat to soli and their changes with time
3. The main threats to Driving Forces (D) and Pressures (P), cross-linking those to
Cultural, social and economic driving forces, such as policies in agriculture, transport, energy,
environment etc. as well as to technical and ecological driving forces, such as global and climate
change.
4. Deal with the analysis of the Impacts (I) of these threats, relating them to soil ecoservices for
other environmental compartments, such as air, water (open and ground water), biomass
production
(Food chain), human health, biodiversity and culture.
5. Finally, on the basis of 1-4, policies and operational procedures for the mitigation of the
threats can be developed =

1.3. Assessing potential solutions

 Here are seven-steps for an effective problem-solving process.

1. Identify the issues.

 Be clear about what the problem is.

 Remember that different people might have different views of what the issues are.
 Separate the listing of issues from the identification of interests
2. Understand everyone's interests.

 This is a critical step that is usually missing.

 Interests are the needs that you want satisfied by any given solution. We often ignore our
true interests as we become attached to one particular solution.
 The best solution is the one that satisfies everyone's interests.
 This is the time for active listening. Put down your differences for awhile and listen to
each other with the intention to understand.
 Separate the naming of interests from the listing of solutions.

3. List the possible solutions (options)

 This is the time to do some brainstorming. There may be lots of room for creativity.
 Separate the listing of options from the evaluation of the options

4. Evaluate the options.

 What are the pluses and minuses? Honestly!

 Separate the evaluation of options from the selection of options.

5. Select an option or options.

 What's the best option, in the balance?

 Is there a way to "bundle" a number of options together for a more satisfactory solution?

6. Document the agreement(s).

 Don't rely on memory.

 Writing it down will help you think through all the details and implications.

7. Agree on contingencies, monitoring, and evaluation.

 Conditions may change. Make contingency agreements about foreseeable future

circumstances (If-then!).
 How will you monitor compliance and follow-through?
 Create opportunities to evaluate the agreements and their implementation. ("Let's try it
this way for three months and then look at it.")