Developing a prototype handbook for monitoring and evaluating Department of Defense humanitarian assistance projects
By: Marla C. Haims ... [et al.] ; prepared for the Office of the Secretary of Defense
Contributors: Center for Military Health Policy Research; Rand Corporation; United States. Dept. of Defense. Office of the Secretary of Defense
Series: Technical report  / Rand Corporation -- TR-784-OSD; Technical report (Rand Corporation) -- TR-784-OSD.
Publisher: Rand Corporation
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Santa Monica, Calif
Language: eng
Number of pages: 85
ISBN-13: 9780833051288
Subjects: United States; Civil-military relations; American Technical assistance; International relief; United States. Dept. of Defense; Stability operations; American Peacekeeping forces; American Humanitarian assistance; Evaluation; Armed Forces
Other titles: Prototype handbook for monitoring and evaluating Department of Defense humanitarian assistance projects; Prototype handbook for monitoring and evaluating DoD humanitarian assistance projects
Description: Humanitarian assistance has long been a part of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) in direct support of the broader strategic goals underlying U.S. policy, such as reconstruction and stabilization. Thus, although they are often short-term, such projects must be designed and implemented with a longer-term vision so they are compatible with these broader policy goals. Project assessment is central to achieving this objective. In response, the Office of the Secretary of Defense asked RAND to develop a handbook to support the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of humanitarian assistance projects to assist DoD staff and their civilian counterparts in developing, monitoring, and assessing these projects and in collaborating to achieve broader strategic-level goals. The prototype handbook includes two parts: an M&E primer, which provides a thorough introduction to M&E terms, approaches, and best practices, and a step-by-step user's guide to walk project teams through the data collection and monitoring processes at various stages, including project planning, implementation, completion, and follow-up. It also includes guidelines for involving the local population and avoiding bias when conducting surveys, interviews, and focus groups. The accompanying worksheets guide users through the planning and monitoring requirements for humanitarian assistance projects, including management and core indicators for all humanitarian assistance projects and additional indicators for each specific type of project currently undertaken by DoD. Further testing and feedback from project staff in the field will help refine the prototype handbook and increase its utility in future project assessment initiatives.
Notes: Authors: Marla C. Harris, Melinda Moore, Harold D. Green, Jr., Cynthia Clapp-Wincek.

"Center for Military Health Policy Research."

Includes bibliographical references (p. 85).
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: Developing the handbook; title: Appendix. Prototype handbook for monitoring and evaluating Department of Defense humanitarian assistance projects. M&E basics; title: Planning for project assessment; title: Indicators for humanitarian assistance projects; title: Step-by-step user's guide for project assessment.