Monitoring, evaluation, reporting and improvement for Caring for our Country
An important part of the Caring for our Country initiative is the commitment to establishing simple, efficient, reliable and cost-effective mechanisms for measuring and reporting on outcomes from Caring for our Country investment.
Monitoring, evaluation, reporting and improvement (MERI) is a fundamental part of the Caring for our Country investment process and has been built into the design of all programs and projects, consistent with the Natural Resource Management MERI Framework.
The Australian Government is taking a strategic approach to measuring the achievements of Caring for our Country investment, and this will occur through the Caring for our Country MERI strategy.
Annual report cards
Annual report cards are an account of our progress towards achieving the Caring for our Country outcomes. The report cards influence how future Caring for our Country investments should be decided and delivered.
The Caring for our Country MERI strategy
We will measure and report annually on our progress towards the five-year outcomes for the Caring for our Country initiative; this will be done in accordance with the MERI strategy. The MERI strategy will also facilitate learning and improvement - for the initiative as a whole and for its constituent parts.
The key aims of the Caring for our Country MERI strategy are:
- to enable the Caring for our Country initiative 2008–13 to achieve its stated five year outcomes by monitoring implementation against key MERI evaluation questions
- to ensure that the implementation of the initiative meets the Australian Government requirements for accountability and transparency in expenditure of public funds through reporting by outcomes
- to articulate clear requirements for both proponents and the Australian Government for the implementation of MERI for Caring for our Country.
The Caring for our Country MERI strategy sets out the roles and activities that will be undertaken by both the Australian Government and those receiving funds to implement Caring for our Country projects. The strategy provides important information to guide MERI for projects at all scales, including measures for standard immediate outcomes and five year outcomes; and templates for reporting to the Australian Government.
Guides to support the implementation of MERI can be found in the
Developing and using program logic
Program logic is an approach to program and project planning which expresses how change is expected to occur as a result of project activities.
Program logic provides:
- a tool to guide planning at the conceptual stage of the program
- a way to share understanding and ownership among members of a team and with stakeholders
- a tool for clarifying and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of a program, often when it is in the development or re-development phase
- a framework from which to develop monitoring and evaluation criteria for program performance
- a tool to inform learning and adaptation of strategies to improve program performance
- a communication tool, particularly for complex programs, to inform partners, the community and investors.
Because program logic serves as a roadmap for a project or a program it can help by giving participants greater confidence that their efforts will be comprehensive and effective.
We have developed a guide which will lead you through a step by step process for developing program logic to apply to your natural resource management program or project.
Developing a Performance Story Report
A performance story report is a statement about progress towards a natural resource management (NRM) goal. It is supported by multiple lines of quantitative and qualitative evidence and describes the causal links that show how the achievements were accomplished. The report succinctly documents NRM program outcomes and overall impact. Topics for performance story reports are often selected because they are likely to show some significant outcomes. Outcomes are the results achieved as a result of a series of actions/activities.
This evaluation approach applies a series of steps involving key stakeholders in collecting, generating and analysing quantitative and qualitative evidence about:
- the progress a program has made towards a desired NRM outcome
- how the program has contributed to outcomes (the causal links that show how the achievements were accomplished)
- the appropriateness and effectiveness of activities.
Performance story reports aim to strike a balance between completeness and conciseness. The report generally includes:
- intended outcomes
- achievements against expected outcomes
- lessons learned and recommendations for change
- steps taken to ensure the quality of the data presented
In a nutshell, a performance story report provides:
- a view of progress towards outcomes at a glance
- insight into what’s working and what’s not and why
- a succinct account of program achievements
- an understanding of the links between investment and intended results, at intervals throughout a program
- a way for organisations to answer some of their more strategic evaluation questions on an as-needs basis or to use as a ‘kick-start’ process to revise the monitoring system
- information for future investment strategies
- a structure for an organisation’s annual report.
We have developed a guide which will lead you through a step by step process for developing performance story reports.
Monitoring and evaluation for previous programs
The current approach to MERI builds upon work conducted under the former Natural Heritage Trust and National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality programs. Lessons learnt from those programs have been applied to the Caring for our Country MERI strategy and program logic.
What's new
Developing a performance story report: user guide
Outlines a step-by-step process for developing a performance story report in the context of natural resource management.
Key
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