2.9.12 The SCIM manual on Project Evaluation provides guidance on monitoring and evaluation. Every appraisal of any substance should indicate how the proposals concerned will be monitored and evaluated after completion, including who will be responsible for them and how the results of the evaluation will be disseminated. This applies to policies and programmes as much as to projects. Approving authorities should ensure that adequate arrangements are made at the appraisal stage for subsequent monitoring and evaluation of all the public expenditure and resources for which they are accountable.
2.9.13 Good evaluation depends upon good appraisal, and appraisal procedures should be designed with evaluation in mind. For example:
• appraisals should include clear aims and objectives, quantified as much as possible, so that outturns can be measured against them; and
• key calculations, assumptions and judgements should be recorded, together with the extent and conclusions of sensitivity analyses.
2.9.14 Poor information on both the deployment of resources and the level of service provision prior to implementation can be a serious hindrance to evaluation. It is important to record details of these in appraisal reports. The precise requirements will depend upon the scope of the evaluation in view, but in general it is good practice to include:
• a detailed breakdown of annual costs before implementation;
• details of the accommodation, equipment and other assets in use prior to implementation;
• an organisation chart showing the main pre-implementation functions, and the numbers of staff by grade related to each function;
• details and measures of pre-implementation service provision, including quantification (e.g. indications of activity, output, effectiveness, efficiency and economy) supplemented by appropriate text; and
• details of the expected phasing over time of the resources and outputs associated with the preferred option.