Analysis plans help to organize the analysis process and provide a good reference
when developing tools and methodologies to ensure the data collected will meet all
project information needs. Analysis plans frame the project‘s major monitoring or
evaluation questions (similar to ―learning-to-action‖ discussions as referenced in
ProPack III),
and may include learning questions or critical assumptions related to
the project‘s underlying theory or theories of change, as appropriate. Analysis plans
also outline the steps required to calculate and interpret M&E results.
Analysis plans record which groups (if any) to compare during data analysis and
provide any calculations required to create these groups and compare the
corresponding data.
CRS and partner staff should work together with relevant stakeholders to create the
analysis plans, in particular to develop the monitoring and evaluation questions,
discuss the methods, and determine how theories of change and assumption will be
checked or tested.
Create analysis plans for monitoring and for evaluation separately given that the
monitoring and evaluation questions and the process for analyzing the two types of
data will be quite different. Refer to Annex Afor key components of an analysis
plan.
House both monitoring and evaluation analysis plans in your M&E binder so you
can easily locate them during tool development and analysis.
