Description
The Local Economic Development Monitoring and Evaluation Unit (LED M&E Unit) within the department contracted Umhlaba Development Services (Umhlaba) in November 2006 to conduct a study aimed at assessing the M&E status quo within the department with a view to recommending uniform approaches of implementing
and institutionalizing M&E systems within the department.
An inception meeting was held on 3 November 2006 between Mr. Brendan Pearce, Director of Umhlaba and Mr. Sihle Mkhize, Manager from LED M&E Unit at which the terms of reference and the approach and implementation models were discussed. An
Inception report including a Draft Guide Questionnaire to be used in the assessment was submitted to the Department on 14th November 2006 . Between 24th November and 18th December 2006 the Umhlaba team conducted five interviews with senior and
top management in the department, as well as with officials from the LED Monitoring and Evaluation unit. A workshop was run with Department of Economic Development managers, staff, and stakeholders on 31st January 2007 to present and discuss the
report findings and recommendations.
The report is structured into three sections. First, the findings of the status quo are described, that is, the policies, systems, practice and capacities within the current departmental situation and structures. In the second section, the status quo is analysed in the form of an analysis of the gaps and challenges. In both of these sections the analysis focuses on the functions of planning, reporting, monitoring and evaluation systems and learning. In the third section, recommendations are offered, focusing on the systems and capacity design and development issues and processes.
