The range of tools available to monitor and evaluate projects is growing. As you apply for funding to implement your project, you will realise how important it is to remain accountable. In many cases, just having the right tools, with the ability to properly monitor your success and impact is a critical part of the application process.
SoPact’s Impact Cloud
If you’re looking for a more comprehensive tool, and one which will streamline your work, but also provide some flexibility to change over time, then this is an excellent, comprehensive digital tool for measuring your impact. Sopact’s Impact Cloud has been purpose build for measuring impact and conducting sound M&E and guarantees systematic analysis (through to dashboarding) while maintaining the ability to change over time as so many project and strategies do!
Google – Sheets, Forms and Drawings
If you have a good idea about the scope of your project, and if you require flexibility as to how to interpret your project thematically, then don’t overlook the Google tools. If you have an M&E plan built and developed in theory, and if you understand the system, then these tools can be really helpful for collaborative data collection, which still allows for oversight and verification. Google Drawings is ranked one of the best, basic digital tools for drawing a LogFrame, and forms can work really well for everything from attendance registers to qualitative surveys.
TolaData
TolaData is an M&E software specifically designed to monitor an evaluate projects. The tool enables a free trial which is a great way to test whether this tool works at the right level, and with the right degree of detail for you project. TolaData links indicators right from the point of implementation, to linking your work to the SDGs, and is a useful tool for managing a comprehensive M&E workflow.
Logframe Lab
This tool is newer to the market than a range of others but is a powerful new entrant that will guide you through how to properly state your results, how to choose your indicators, and then how to draft your Logical Framework. This tool ensures that your data remains private, and includes a range of work categories, and is pre-loaded with a range of indicators. This tool allows you to scan in your programme material, and then uses technology to scan for themes and keywords to enrich the build and modelling of the indicator framework, an exciting addition to conventional mapping.
MindMup
This is a free online mind mapping tool, which is really useful for helping groups collaborate around the development of problem trees, High-Level Theoretical Frameworks (Programme Theory), and Theories of Change. If you have a good grasp of how to use indicators, how to allocate them to levels of change, and how to incorporate time into this, then this may be an idea solution which will provide guidance, as well as flexibility.
