MONITORING & EVALUATION BLOG
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Showing category "Preparing for Audits of Performance Information" (Show all posts)
The Department’s approved macro-organisational structure to deliver on its constitutional and legislative mandate. This macro organisational structure is affected by the following:
· Provincial Government’s modernisation programme;
· Micro-organisational structure developments; and
· The Executive Authority’s decision to review the existing structure. The Department is dependent on the Department of the Presidency, National Departments and or Premier to provide ... Continue reading ...
M&E glossary of terms are very important, each programme managers must understand what the M&E jargon is,and definitions. Chapter 2 of the M&E Manual covers that part. Remember to go to tab Download Documents to download Chapter 2 of the M&E Manual. Continue reading ...
The purpose of this Manual is to:-
Provide clarity on roles and responsibilities of stakeholders with regards to programme performance within the department; Ensure that regulatory prescripts are met; Equip all related role players / stakeholders in departments with a general understanding of the procedures that should be performed in the process of documenting and reporting performance information; Provide for processes in identifying, collecting, collating, verifying and storing of inform...
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The performance information reported in accountability documents enables Parliament, Provincial Legislatures and the public to track Departmental performance, and to hold it accountable. Performance information also needs to be available to managers at each stage of the planning, budgeting and reporting cycle so that they can adopt a results-based approach to manage service delivery. This approach emphasises planning and managing with a focus on desired results, and managing inputs and activi... Continue reading ...
What is the AG's standing operating procedure when they conduct a performance audit? On what basis does the Auditors test the relevance on performance information?
On many cases the AG's findings are incorrect, and can cause discomfort for departments. The best solution to this is have an SOP regarding auditing. Remember if departments have policies, manuals and SOP the AG have to audit on your departments policies. If you don’t have it they have open scope to interpret Continue reading ...
Relationship between information and audit objectives. Reported on objectives, indicators, targets. Trace performance information to source data. Information systems & changes to strategic planning documents. AG audit objectives, indicators and targets. All Meduim Term Expenditure process flow documents are audited by the AG on each department. Thats way its important to ensure that all planning documents is correctly aligned. Continue reading ...
- Sufficiency
- Reliability (valid)
- Relevance
- The auditor is persuaded by the evidence, not convinced
- Competent evidence is:
- Valid- there are source documents (reliability)
- Relevant - must answer audit quastion.
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"We cannot shift to performance auditing because the fundamental, the basics, are still flawed...That would really be taking accountability to another level, where you can make the call as to whether service delivery is taking place. At the moment, our reporting focuses on basic financial management issues. This is where we are stuck". AG of SA (2006) Continue reading ...
Lack of adequate training/guidance on spirit of PFMA: Managers do not understand what is required (non-financial information) Fragmented guidance on performance reporting = AG Departments are not doing much about programme performance information framework. Its time that the HOD and the executive management take performance management seriously and make it clear to programme managers the importance of this. How do you experience your departments urgency on performance information?? ... Continue reading ...
Generally, planning, funding and performance reporting not aligned (selective reporting) Number of departments reporting on actual performance declined. Few departments explain reasons between actual and planned performance. Few departments adhere to the requirement of quaterly reporting Targets are generally not timebound This is serouisly issues most of time raised by the AG..yet is your M&E processes are in place its simple to rectify!!! What is your opinions about the AG comments about departme... Continue reading ...
Constitution:
Section 215 requires that budgets and budget process of all three spheres of government promote transparency, accountability and the effective financial management of the economy, debt and public sector PFM
Places great emphasis not only on the probity, control procedural regularity of public spending, but also on its effectiveness and efficiency The Public Audit Act of 2004
Section 13(1) AG after consulting the oversight mechanism. Government Gazette notice 646 of 2001
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You get reglarity audits, which includes: an opinion of the financial statements. Assessment of compliance with key applicable legislation and conclusion on performance information. Investigations audits & Special Audits South-Africa Audits: Audits of performance information (AOPI) Performance / value for money audits Compliance Audits Financial Audits As you all can see is that peformance auditing forms a critical part of th AG auditing process. Thats way its critcal to get a clean audit and to ... Continue reading ...
Auditing is a systematic process of objectivity obtaining and evaluating evidence regarding assertions about economic actions and events to ascertain the degree of correspondence betwenn those assertions and established criteria and communicating the results to interested user (RAFFA P.C) It should not be left to the auditors to discover the sins... Continue reading ...
Performance information is to be used as a management tool. Performance information is derived from both monitoring and evaluation activities. Both can provide critical, continuous and real time feedback on the progress of a given program or policy. Monitoring and evaluation reports can play many different roles and the information may have different uses. The central purpose would be to inform various role-players, especially in the Department, about the findings and conclusions resultin... Continue reading ...
Monitoring and evaluation findings will help the program only if it is used in structured critical reflections with relevant stakeholders. Critical reflection requires asking "why?", "so what?" and "now what?" after the monitoring and evaluation findings show what has happened. Reflections can happen in any form – formal or informal – with key individuals and groups, program and partner staff, steering groups and committees. Clarity of insight and decisions will often come from a seque... Continue reading ...
Indicators are measurable or tangible signs that something has been achieved. Indicators are an essential part of a monitoring and evaluation system because they are what you measure. The decision on indicator design must be taken early in the program start up in order to start collecting the right information immediately.
How many indicators are performance indicators which one can truly measure and how many indicators are statistical indicators not measuring performance but only stats, (Wh... Continue reading ...
Getting the basic structure right for the monitoring and evaluation function and responsibilities, can prevent communication bottlenecks, conflicts of power and interest, forgotten or duplicated tasks and wasted efforts. Organising responsibilities means considering the most appropriate contribution expected of each team member and primary stakeholders and to decide how these are linked. Monitoring is actually a daily and spontaneous activity which is part of every staff member's job. Yet... Continue reading ...
Developing a M&E framework starts long before the actual programme starts. Developing a good monitoring & evaluation
system calls for adequate attention to monitoring and evaluation from program inception through to, till way after the wrapping of the program.
The Monitoring and Evaluation system should also be outlined in any appraisel report.
GO TO "DOWNLOAD DOCUMENTS" FOR THE EXAMPLE OF LINKING PROGRAM DESIGN & DESIGNING A MONITORING AND EVALUATION SYSTEM. Continue reading ...
Now that you know the importance of a M&E Framework and what the purpose thereof is. Each M&E framework should be develop according to your departments/clients/stakeholders specific needs. But there is certain core elements that a M&E Framework should have:
Introduction
Backgroud & Rationale
- Strategic Vision,Culture & Values
- Objective & Target Audience
- Linking programe design, project design, annual performance planning, budget and monitoring & evaluation
- Designing a monitoring & eva...
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Before even starting to conduct a performance audit, you must have in place - 1.1 M&E Framework & 1.2 M&E Manual for your department/ clients/ stakeholders. 1.1 The objectives of the framework are to: * create a common understanding of what monitoring and evaluation entail * facilitate the establishment of a dedicated Monitoring & Evaluation Component; and * develop monitoring and evaluation systems and tools for results-based management. 1.2 The purpose of the M&E Manual: * Ensure that regu... Continue reading ...
Its very important that your clients / project/programme managers understand the need for M&E and what M&E can mean
and do for them, after all it should be the to the benefit for them.
These are some of the benefits your stakeholders should receive out of M&E:
Goal-orientation: setting clear goals and results provides targets for change, and opportunities to assess whether change has occurred.
Causality (or “results chain”): various inputs and activities leading logically to outputs, outcome... Continue reading ...
The AG (Auditor General) is auditing each Provincial & National Departments on their pre-determined objectives. Meaning on each performance indicator they audit, whereby the programme managers must provide, portfolio of evidence for their target set against the actual output.
Sounds simple enough apparently not if you look at the departments qualified audit on performance, not even mentioning Local Government (Municipalities).
AG management letter usely indicates the following regarding M&E pr... Continue reading ...
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