Skillnaija All courses →

Your M&E Starter File

The capstone project for Monitoring & Evaluation for NGOs and Development Projects — a free Business course. Pass it and you earn a certificate anyone can verify.

Start the course free Download the project workbook

The project unlocks once you complete the lessons. The workbook is free to download now so you can see exactly what is expected.

What you will submit

One document (Google Doc with view access, or an uploaded Word or PDF file) with a headed section for each of the six parts, plus a link to or upload of the spreadsheet from Part 5. Everything fictional; no real personal data.

What to do, step by step

  1. Invent a small development project you can picture: a school feeding scheme, a youth skills programme, a maternal health outreach, a farmers' cooperative, a water project, a community library, anything. Give it a name, a location, a fictional donor, a budget and a duration of one to two years. Everything is fictional: no real organisation's documents, no real people, no real beneficiaries' data.
  2. Part 1. Theory of change: a problem statement, the results chain (inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, impact) with at least two 'if... then... because' statements, and at least three assumptions with the risk if each fails.
  3. Part 2. Logframe and indicators: a logframe with at least one goal, two outcomes and four outputs, each with an indicator, target, means of verification and assumption. Write a full indicator reference sheet for two of the indicators (definition, numerator and denominator, disaggregation, source, frequency, responsible person, limitations).
  4. Part 3. M&E plan and data flow: a performance monitoring plan table for all your indicators, and a data flow description or diagram showing who collects, checks, enters, analyses and signs off, and when. Include a one-paragraph note on data protection and safeguarding for your participants.
  5. Part 4. A data collection tool: one questionnaire or interview guide of 10 to 20 questions that measures at least two of your indicators, with a consent script at the top (and assent if children are involved), question wording you have checked for leading and double-barrelled questions, and a note on how it would be translated and pre-tested.
  6. Part 5. Data and analysis: create a fictional dataset of at least 40 records in a spreadsheet for one tool (make it realistic and include a few deliberate errors), clean it and document what you fixed, then produce a disaggregated summary table (for example by sex and location), one chart with a sentence title, and three findings written as honest sentences that separate what you measured from what you can claim caused it.
  7. Part 6. Quarterly report section: two pages for the donor: a summary, progress against indicators in a targets-versus-actuals table with reasons for variance, one challenge and what you changed, one lesson learned, and a next-quarter plan.

Files to work with

Project workbook (fill in, then submit)The whole brief, an evidence checklist, the grading rubric as a self-check and the link-sharing steps in one file. Opens in Word, Google Docs or WPS.Word · 7 KB

How it is graded

CriterionWeight
The theory of change has a clear causal logic with explicit assumptions14%
The logframe is coherent and the indicators are SMART, with complete reference sheets for two of them22%
The M&E plan and data flow assign responsibility and timing and address data protection and safeguarding14%
The data collection tool measures the indicators, has a proper consent script and avoids leading or double-barrelled questions16%
The dataset is cleaned with documented fixes and the analysis is disaggregated, charted and honestly worded20%
The report section is donor-ready: a variance table, a real challenge, a lesson and a plan14%

You need 65% overall to pass. A failed submission comes back with feedback and can be revised and resubmitted.

Before you submit: make your link public

If your work lives in Google Drive or Google Docs, open Share → General access and change “Restricted” to “Anyone with the link” (Viewer). Then paste the link into a private browser window: if it opens without sign-in, you are ready. A private link cannot be graded — it is the single most common reason a good project fails.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to finish Monitoring & Evaluation for NGOs and Development Projects before submitting the project?

Yes. The submission screen opens once every lesson in Monitoring & Evaluation for NGOs and Development Projects is marked complete. The lessons are where the methods, the Nigerian context and the worked examples the project depends on are taught.

How is the project graded?

An examiner scores each rubric criterion from 0 to 100 and weights them as shown on this page; you need 65% overall to pass. Most submissions are graded within minutes and you get written feedback on what was strong and what to improve.

Can I resubmit if I fail?

Yes. A failed project comes back with feedback; revise the weak parts and resubmit. A passed project is final — the certificate is issued and cannot be re-rolled.

What do I actually submit?

A write-up of what you did (under 5,000 characters) plus a public link to your work — a Google Drive folder, Google Doc, spreadsheet, GitHub repository or video. The link must open without sign-in; a private link cannot be graded. The free project workbook on this page walks you through all 7 steps.

Is the certificate real?

Yes. Passing this project issues a certificate with a unique verification code. Anyone — an employer, a client, a school — can open the verification page and see that the certificate is genuine and which project earned it.

More Business projects

Ready to earn this certificate?

Monitoring & Evaluation for NGOs and Development Projects is free and self-paced. Finish the lessons, complete this project, and the certificate is yours to share.

Start learning free