F1HH 5065 - Project Management and Evaluation of Humanitarian Action

The first part of the course (by Christelle Eyraud) aims to equip participants with essential project design and management tools based on the Logical Framework Approach/ Project Cycle Management (PCM), which is widely used by many donors, international organizations and the United Nations;

The second part of the course (by Marianne Viot) will focus on evaluation methodologies used for humanitarian action, notably on definition and use of relevant tools and frameworks including qualitative methods and participatory approaches. It will illustrate many of the difficulties facing humanitarian actors before, during and after the implementation of a humanitarian project. The objective of this course is to provide students with some of the existing standards commonly used in humanitarian project evaluation and to propose / discuss alternative standpoints and methodologies to assess humanitarian action.

>>> Learning Outcomes:

• Collect appropriate data aiming at analyzing a situation and building up a project
• Creating a Logical Framework is using appropriate tools (key tool for management of humanitarian projects)
• Develop a critical analysis of the existing project management and evaluation tools in the humanitarian sector

>>> Professional Skills:

• Project Management: Initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing the work of a team to achieve specific goals
• Research & Analysis: Collecting and analyzing information to increase understanding of a topic or issue
• Problem solving: Using generic or ad hoc methods in an orderly manner to find solutions
• Stakeholders mapping: Understanding and taking into account the priorities and concerns of others
• Evaluation and Research methods: Understanding and choosing the right methods depending on the evaluation questions

There is no strict prerequisite for this course.

For both parts of the course the format will be a mix of

• Plenary presentations (theoretical background linked to MSF experience)
• Group work followed by a debriefing / Group exercises
• Open discussions with the class

Additional requested information (6 or 12 weeks): 12 weeks

• Grading and Assessment of sessions 1, 2 and 3 will take the form of:

Group homework assignment (50% of the grade): groups of 2 to 3 students will have to prepare a logical framework as well as a chronogram for humanitarian activities, aiming at preparing students to use those management tools.

• Grading and Assessment of Sessions 4, 5 and 6 will take the form of:

Group homework preparation and presentation in class (50% of the grade): groups of 3 to 4 students will have to prepare a presentation / simulation of an evaluation question and to present / debate it in front of the other students (who will act as stakeholders : users, donors, project manager in NGOs, local authorities, ministries…)

Additional requested information: (eg ≤ to 3 hours, 3 to 6 hours or > to 6 hours): 24 hours in total .

Group homework assignments shall be prepared outside of courses' hours.

Additional requested information: (eg ≤ to 3 hours, 3 to 6 hours or > to 6 hours): 24 hours in total .