What does holding your pretty horses have to do with an MIS for M&E? (part 1 of 2)

An MIS for M&E? It’s bound to come up at some point

At some point in a project’s lifespan, the team that steers and/or oversees the project may want to consider putting a management information system (MIS) in place, specifically for the project’s monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system.

• What are the benefits of an MIS for M&E?
• What are the key factors to consider in the decision-making around the adoption an MIS?
• Lastly, what are some critical first steps to take towards establishing an MIS that is both practical and effective and that aligns with the project’s objective of creating positive social impact?

Let’s dive in.

[RELATED RESOURCE: If you could use step-by-step guidance for setting up a practical and effective M&E system, download 3 no-hassle steps towards a practical and effective M&E system via the TolaData site here (just look for the word “gift” in the first paragraph).]

Benefits of an MIS

The generic benefits of an MIS – which, by the way, is defined in academic circles as “the study of people, technology, organizations, and the relationships among them” (Texas A&M, 2022) – can be listed as follows:

• “faster data processing and information retrieval – this is one of the biggest advantages of a computerized information system…;
• improved data accuracy – easy to implement data validation and verification checks in a computerized system compared to a manual system;
• improved security – in addition to restricting access to the database server, the computerized information system can implement other security controls such as [user authentication, access rights control, etc.];
• reduced data duplication – database systems are designed in such a way that [minimizes] duplication of data…;
• improved backup systems – with modern day technology, backups can be stored in the cloud which makes it easy to recover the data if something happened to the hardware and software used to store the data; and
• easy access to information – …the web and mobile technologies make accessing data from anywhere possible….” (Martin, 2022)

These generic benefits are essentially the flipside of the disadvantages of using offline and/or manual systems, which can be relatively time-intensive, error-prone, inconsistent, and unfavorable to rapid retrieval and presentation.

This is no less the case when it comes to M&E-specific MIS applications for social impact projects. Projects in most contexts would reap benefits in switching to a computerized system that is online and automated, which is what an MIS offers.

However, the specific extent to which the listed advantages represent meaningful, tangible benefits for a particular project is largely context specific. Generally, the more complex a project and the greater amount of information processed, the higher interest in adopting an MIS. But even for small projects, the benefit of increased data quality alone could be compelling enough of a reason to make the switch from manual and/or offline systems to an MIS.

Either way, once it has been established that adopting an MIS for a particular project’s M&E would generally be beneficial, you might think it’s time to dive into the first step of actually getting that MIS into place.

But, whoa, hold your pretty horses there!

First there are some key considerations to be made.

Preliminary considerations that help ensure the online digitization of your project’s M&E system will be both practical and effective

At a broad level, “the main thing to take into account in using digital tools is to ensure that they enhance rather than detract from the M&E system’s objectives, and we should particularly ensure that the use of such tools will not limit the meaningful participation of affected populations.” (Shejavali, 2022)

At a more concrete level, the foremost consideration is actually to ensure that all the elements of an MIS are taken into consideration.

It is easy to fall into the trap of equating an MIS with just the software involved. However, based on the definition of MIS provided earlier, an MIS consists of at least the following four elements:

1. people;
2. technology – which, don’t forget, includes both:
   • hardware (physical devices, such as servers and network cables); and
   • software (programs that instruct the computer on what to do (Britannica, 2021), such as word-processing software and database software);
3. organizations (and projects); and
4. the relationships between the above.

I consider ‘organizations (and projects)’ to include not just the institution but also its data. However, an argument could be made to list data as a separate, fifth element (a little different from the fifth elements in medieval science and chemistry and perhaps not quite like the movie version, either), so I’ll just go ahead and do that:

5. data and information.

All these elements must be taken into account in the decision-making around the adoption of an MIS.

Let’s discuss some key considerations to make around each element (note that ‘data and information’ are included in the discussion on ‘organizations (and projects)’).

Considerations related to people

To me, ‘people’ includes not just the direct users of the MIS (most likely the project team) but also the project’s stakeholders, such as its partners (e.g., government officials) and the people that the project is seeking to serve (as well as other affected populations). The common bottom-line question in considering the ‘people’ element is: what are the user requirements?

For the direct users of the MIS, these are the key questions to ask:

• Who would the different users of the system be?
• What are each user type’s data and information needs, and how could an MIS serve those needs? Include consideration of data and information needs that go beyond those that are results-specific; after all, M&E is part of the overall management structure of a project.
• What are the different users’ existing MIS use-related capabilities?
• What capacity-strengthening is likely to be needed to ensure their optimal use of an MIS?

For stakeholders, the questions are similar:

• Who are the different stakeholders?
• What are each stakeholder type’s data and information needs, and how could an MIS serve those needs?
• What are the different stakeholders’ ways of accessing information about the project and its results? Are there any gaps?
• How would different stakeholders interact with the MIS, if at all?
• What are the different stakeholders’ existing MIS use-related capacities?
• What capacity-strengthening is likely to be needed to ensure their optimal use of an MIS?

Note that many of the non-MIS-specific questions (such as those around data and information needs) would have been asked in the normal course of initially putting the M&E system into place. But in case they had not, considering them in the context of MIS decision-making is a perfect opportunity to do so.

Often forgotten in the ‘people’ element is the system developer – or the system development team – that will design, build, and implement the MIS. Yes, the developer is often an external party and thus considered as falling outside of a project’s MIS ecosystem, but this should not be taken as a given. Therefore, the consideration to be made here revolves around the following question:

• Would anyone on the current project team (or in the larger organization if the project is part of one) be capable of serving in the MIS developer role?

Regardless of the response to that question, take some time to consider that throughout the MIS cycle, “it’s important that the developers spend as much time as possible with the actual end-users who will be managing inputs and making use of functions on a day-to-day basis” (Smyth, 2019). Keep this in mind when it comes to the selection of the service provider (in Step 5 under the steps to take coming up later in this article). You will also want to ensure an ongoing presence in the developer role for regular maintenance of the system and other follow-up technical support.

Considerations around technology

A key question to ask around technology is:

• What is the nature of the project’s MIS-relevant technological landscape?

Related questions include:

• What is the likely scope of an ideal MIS, i.e., what does it need to do to meet the user needs identified under the ‘people’ element?
• What technology is available to the project in its given context, including relevant technological specifications?
• What technology-related support is available in the project area?

Organization- and project-level considerations

Some key questions to ask in the consideration of the ‘organizations (and projects)’ element of MIS include:

• What is the organization’s/project’s vision and mission? These would, of course, have been established beforehand; however, it is useful to document them once again in the consideration of an MIS so that the raison d’être of the project remains front and center in the process.
• What data and information does the organization/project produce, and how are these data organized and filed? The answer to this question should take into account not only M&E system-generated data but also other data generated by the organization/project. This could include financial data
• What are the organization’s/project’s existing systems and their capabilities? It may well be that an existing system could be leveraged and/or integrated with to meet the M&E-specific MIS needs. In fact, just like a project’s M&E system should mirror the overall project, so too is it ideal that the M&E MIS be part and parcel of the project’s overall management information system. Similarly, if the project does not yet make use of an MIS, consideration of an MIS for M&E should include consideration of an MIS that could meet the project’s overall management needs.
• What resources are available for the MIS? What are the MIS-related risks? Aside from the budget available for the eventual direct and indirect outlays for the MIS, it is also important to document the cost of not putting an MIS in place, in terms of staff time, data inaccuracies, and other administrative overhead, not to mention reputational risk.

Considering the relationships between people, technology, and the organization

The final MIS element to consider is the relationship between the ‘people’, the ‘technology’, and the ‘organizations (and projects)’ elements.

Many of these relationships are encapsulated in written and unwritten procedures, including those that define the rules for collecting, managing, and analyzing data and producing and  reporting information.

In the absence of an MIS, these procedures could be considered the offline and/or manual information system (we sometimes tend to think the word “system” only applies to technology, but it is important to recognize that a system can exist with or without computerization or other technological features).

It is important to take note of these systems in MIS decision-making as the MIS should facilitate the systems that are already in place (where they are broadly working) and help inform more effective procedures (where they are not).

Conclusion

So, what does holding your pretty horses have to do with an MIS for M&E?

Let’s discuss after you read part 2 of this 2-part article series!

In the meantime, …

…over to you!

PRACTICAL TIP #1: Considering the generic benefits of an MIS, assess whether such a system would be beneficial for your specific project. Record the key generic benefits that are applicable and then add any additional benefits that such a system could reap for your project. Make a conclusion about whether an MIS would, in a general sense, be beneficial for your project (don’t worry, you’re not making any final decisions with significant implications at this point, so no pressure!).

PRACTICAL TIP #2: If the conclusion reached in PRACTICAL TIP #1 above is that an MIS could be beneficial for your project, make the preliminary considerations outlined in this article and document your findings. This is best done in a small team of at least two or three people as it helps not only share the task but also helps enable a comprehensive analysis and facilitates support of subsequent MIS decisions and buy-in on the eventual system – plus, the more the merrier!

Please share your experience by commenting or leaving an emoticon reaction at the bottom of this LinkedIn post.

Update of 25 September 2023: Edit made to the paragraph that appears above “5. data and information”; in the conclusion, hyperlink added to part 2 of this article.

References:

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia (2021, January 14) “software”. Web page. Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/technology/software (accessed: 27 February 2022).

Martin, M. (2022, January 15) What is MIS? Introduction & Definition. Blog post. Available at: https://www.guru99.com/mis-definition.html (accessed: 26 February 2022).

Shejavali, K. (2022, January 26). Widen your M&E horizon w/ specialist Kandi Shejavali - Part 2. Interview. TolaData blog. Available at: https://www.toladata.com/blog/widen-your-m-and-e-horizon-with-specialist-kandi-shejavali-part-2/ (accessed: 27 February 2022).

Smyth, D. (2019, September 20) How to Design a Management Information System. Blog post. BizFluent. Available at: https://bizfluent.com/how-6331269-build-management-information-system.html (accessed: 27 February 2022).

Texas A&M (2022) Web page. Mays Business School, Texas A&M. Web page. Available at: https://mays.tamu.edu/department-of-information-and-operations-management/management-information-systems/ (accessed: 26 February 2022).

Photo credit:

Michael Anfang on Unsplash

Suggestion for how to cite this article:

Shejavali, K. (2022, March 14). What does holding your pretty horses have to do with an MIS for M&E? (part 1 of 2): benefits and key considerations to make the digitization of your project’s M&E system practical and effective. Blog post. RM3 Consulting. Available at: https://rm3resources.com/blog/holding-your-pretty-horses-MIS-for-M-and-E-part-1-benefits-key-considerations (accessed: [insert the date that you last accessed this article at the provided link]).