Over the past 18 months, we’ve seen a growing demand from partners to integrate support for Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) alongside their Knowledge Management (KM) platforms. In this post, we share insights from two recent projects where we developed monitoring systems for the CLARE and AQUADAPT initiatives.
Key requirements, commonalities, and unique needs
The scoping and consultation phases were critical to understand each project’s priorities and MEL system requirements. While some needs were universal, others were specific to the project contexts. Additionally, trade-offs meant that certain features deemed essential for one project were categorized as desirable for the other.
Commonalities across projects
Both initiatives required MEL systems that were not only accessible from within the KM platforms but also seamlessly integrated as key components. Shared requirements included:
- Calendars or reporting schedules to ensure timely tracking and planning.
- Access to key documents and support materials for guidance.
- Interactive spaces to facilitate collaboration among stakeholders.
- Tools for submitting, reviewing, and approving monitoring data.
- Flexibility for editing and managing data post-submission.
- Ability to aggregate data across projects, stakeholders, and other fields.
- Dashboards and visualization tools for clear, actionable data presentation.
- Options for data export for offline analysis.
- Role-based access control with one user per account and multiple user roles.
- Single sign-on (SSO) for streamlined access and accountability.
- Robust data security and privacy protocols to safeguard sensitive information.
Unique requirements for each project
The MEL systems also needed to be user-friendly, minimizing reliance on external consultants for updates, reports, or maintenance, while remaining scalable and adaptable to evolving project needs.
CLARE
- Advanced features for target setting and executing complex queries for granular analysis.
- Support for sophisticated data collection tools, including follow-up forms and beneficiary-linked reporting.
AQUADAPT
- Integration of selected MEL entries into an internal ‘library’ of research and knowledge products.
- Automated generation of downloadable documents from Outcome Cases for dissemination and documentation.
Solutions implemented
For each project, we adopted a tailored approach to ensure that each system met its unique requirements while leveraging tools that were robust, user-friendly, and scalable. Below, we outline the solutions implemented for each project, highlighting the rationale behind the chosen tools and the functionalities they enable.
CLARE: Leveraging ODK and Power BI
For CLARE, we developed the MEL system using Open Data Kit (ODK) for data collection and review, paired with Power BI for analysis and visualization.
Why ODK? ODK is an open-source suite of tools tailored for environments with limited resources or connectivity. Its key strengths include:
- Diverse question types and conditional logic for dynamic data collection.
- Built-in calculations, checks, and controls to minimize errors during data submission.
- Capability to save incomplete entries as drafts for later submission.
- Integration with external datasets for pre-populating forms, reducing manual input and errors.
- Support for creating ‘entities‘ that dynamically populate follow-up forms, linking entries for consistency in reporting.
Integration with Power BI: Data from ODK forms is aggregated and displayed in tabular format within Power BI, providing:
- A quick overview of all data available.
- A KPI dashboard to track progress on impact, outcome, and output indicators against milestones and targets.
Using Google Workspace for AQUADAPT
For AQUADAPT, we initially considered ODK but encountered a limitation: the inability for users to reopen and edit form entries—a feature not yet available without custom development.
Instead, we opted for a reliable and familiar solution using Google Workspace tools such as Forms and Sheets. To avoid the complexity and cost of creating individual Google Workspace accounts for each MEL system user, we leveraged the Google Sheets API to display submitted entries as tables within WordPress. Additionally, we utilized WordPress user roles and custom fields to enable granular access to MEL data and tools, tailored to the needs of different projects and user groups. This approach ensured a cost-effective, user-friendly solution while maintaining flexibility and security. (Note: This solution is currently in testing and not yet live—updates will follow.)
Lessons and considerations for future work
Each project’s MEL system reflects a balance of universal requirements and bespoke solutions. While CLARE benefitted from the advanced capabilities of ODK and Power BI, AQUADAPT leveraged the simplicity and flexibility of Google Workspace tools.
These experiences underscore the importance of tailoring MEL systems to the unique needs of each initiative while maintaining scalability, security, and ease of use – and looking to build integrated platforms where users can plan, report, share, interact and learn.