Programme Performance Tracking and Evaluation Course: Results Frameworks to Decisions

Programme Summary

Programme performance tracking and evaluation is the subject of this five-day training course for programme directors, project leaders and portfolio managers at managerial level, ending in a results tracking and evaluation pack for one live programme. Many programmes report activity but cannot show what changed or why. The approach moves from results logic and indicators, through baselines and evaluation design, to using evidence in decisions, then to a worked pack. Mars Training Centre UK delivers this programme in programme performance tracking and evaluation.

The Business Case

Programmes that track outputs alone often discover too late that benefits were not realised, that indicators were never agreed or that data was too weak to support a decision. Organisations that define results early, set baselines and targets, and review evidence on a fixed rhythm can redirect funds sooner, answer sponsors and boards with facts, and learn from each programme before the next one starts.

• Unrealised Benefits: Fall as results logic and targets are agreed before delivery begins.
• Reporting Effort: Reduces as a small indicator set replaces long activity reports.
• Decision Quality: Improves as findings reach sponsors in time to change course.

Principles and Evidence Base

• Logical Framework Approach: Its results chain and assumptions structure the results framework built in Sessions 1 and 2.
• Theory of Change: Its pathways from activity to lasting change guide the review of assumptions in Sessions 1 and 3.
• OECD DAC Evaluation Criteria: Relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability frame the evaluation questions in Session 3.

Intended Participants

• Programme directors who are accountable to sponsors for results.
• Project leaders who must report progress against agreed targets.
• Portfolio and planning managers who compare programmes and allocate funds.
• Quality and performance leads who design indicators and review data.

The programme serves government, development, infrastructure and energy organisations.

Learning Outcomes

1. Participants will be able to construct a results framework from a programme objective.
2. Participants will be able to evaluate indicators for relevance, clarity and data availability.
3. Participants will be able to set baselines and targets that can be verified.
4. Participants will be able to diagnose weaknesses in data collection and reporting routines.
5. Participants will be able to prioritise evaluation questions using recognised criteria.
6. Participants will be able to justify a tracking and evaluation pack to a sponsor and a review board.

Programme Structure

Day 1: Programme Performance Tracking and Evaluation Foundations

What result is the programme meant to produce, and how would anyone know?

• Results Chain and Assumption Register
• Logical Framework Matrix Template
• Theory of Change Pathway Sketch
• Stakeholder Information Needs Map
• Case Review of Two Programmes With Unclear Results

Day 2: Indicators, Baselines and Targets

Which few measures show progress, and what are they measured against?

• Indicator Selection and Quality Test
• Baseline Collection Plan
• Target Setting and Tolerance Bands
• Data Source and Collection Responsibility Table
• Reporting Calendar and Dashboard Layout

Day 3: Evaluation Design and Evidence

What should be asked of a programme, and what evidence would answer it?

• Evaluation Questions from OECD DAC Criteria
• Mid-Term and Final Evaluation Scoping
• Evidence Quality and Bias Review
• Contribution and Attribution Reasoning
• Terms of Reference for an Evaluation

Day 4: Using Evidence in Decisions

How do findings change funding, scope and delivery choices?

• Review Meeting Agenda and Decision Log
• Variance Reading and Early Warning Triggers
• Lessons Capture Template
• Management Response and Action Tracker
• Portfolio Comparison of Results Across Programmes

Day 5: Applying Programme Performance Tracking and Evaluation to a Live Programme

Is the tracking pack ready for the sponsor and review board to approve?

• Applying the Session 1 Results Chain to the Chosen Programme
• Testing the Session 2 Indicator Quality Test on the Draft Set
• Checking Session 3 Evaluation Questions Against Available Evidence
• Applying the Session 4 Decision Log to Open Issues
• Completing the Results Tracking and Evaluation Pack

Methodology

The programme is built around case analysis and structured exercises. Participants work with an anonymised programme brief, draft indicators, sample progress data and a past evaluation report, build the results framework, test indicators and plan the evaluation in small teams, then defend their pack before a simulated sponsor panel. No statistical software is needed.

• Suggested activity: Rewriting weak indicators for a road upgrade programme.
• Suggested activity: Setting baselines for a skills development programme.
• Suggested activity: Reading a variance report and recommending a funding decision.

Capstone Output

Each participant completes a results tracking and evaluation pack for one live programme. It contains a results framework, an indicator set with baselines and targets, a data and reporting plan, a set of evaluation questions, a review cycle and decision log. It is used to brief the sponsor and review board and to launch tracking at the start of delivery.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is programme performance tracking and evaluation training suitable for leaders without a statistics background?

Yes. Programme performance tracking and evaluation training is set at managerial level and assumes responsibility for programmes or projects, not statistical or research skills.

Which frameworks does programme performance tracking and evaluation rest on in this programme?

Programme performance tracking and evaluation rests on the logical framework approach, theory of change and the OECD DAC evaluation criteria.

How is the programme performance tracking and evaluation pack used at work?

You use the programme performance tracking and evaluation pack to brief the sponsor and review board, start tracking at launch and guide evaluation scoping.

How does programme performance tracking and evaluation differ from training on setting up a project office?

Programme performance tracking and evaluation focuses on results, indicators and evidence for decisions, while project office training deals with structure, services and governance.