# Feasible measurement case: Riverbend Skills

**Fictional case.** Riverbend Skills is an invented vocational training program. All organizations, locations, figures, and records below are fictional and supplied only for this exercise.

## Request

Rework the program's indicator list into a usable reference sheet and quarterly M&E plan for October to December 2026. Keep the current team within its stated available hours. Identify data gaps and decisions without filling them with assumptions. Cite source IDs.

## Source RS-01: Program and staff capacity

The program served 120 participants at four sites during the 2026 cycle. One facilitator works at each site. Each facilitator can spend up to 30 minutes per week on all M&E records. The M&E officer can spend up to 4 hours per month on the cycle. The proposed plan must fit these limits without assuming overtime or new staff.

## Source RS-02: Requested indicator list

| ID | Indicator | Requested frequency / target |
|---|---|---|
| RS-I1 | Number attending at least 80% of sessions | Weekly; target 100 participants |
| RS-I2 | Percent employed at graduation | Monthly; target 70% |
| RS-I3 | Percent employed 90 days after graduation | Monthly; target 70% |
| RS-I4 | Percent reporting increased income | Monthly; target 60% |
| RS-I5 | Number of employers satisfied with graduates | Monthly; target 20 |

## Source RS-03: Available tools and records

- Four site attendance sheets list participant ID and session dates. The cycle has 12 sessions per site. Existing end-of-cycle tally: 84 of 120 participants attended at least 10 sessions. No weekly attendance percentage is currently calculated.
- The exit form asks whether a participant has a job on the last training day. It does not define “job,” distinguish paid work from unpaid activity, or ask about hours. Completed forms are available for 96 of 120 participants; 53 answered yes.
- No 90-day follow-up tool has been approved. The current form does not record participant permission for later contact.
- No baseline or follow-up income records exist.
- Employer satisfaction is mentioned in the grant narrative, but no employer list, question, response scale, or completed record exists.

## Source RS-04: Staff time estimates

- A facilitator's weekly attendance check is estimated at 20 minutes per site per week. The existing cycle already requires these checks.
- A proposed weekly cross-site attendance summary would take the M&E officer 45 minutes per week.
- The M&E officer estimates 10 minutes per participant for a new employment interview, 12 minutes for an income interview, and 8 minutes for an employer interview. These are separate activities and do not include travel or analysis.
- If a new tool is needed, allow 2 hours of M&E officer time to draft and pilot each tool. Staff estimates are planning assumptions supplied by the program, not observed timings.

## Source RS-05: Reporting request

The director wants a quarterly decision meeting on December 18, 2026. The meeting can decide whether to keep the existing course schedule and what follow-up measure to pilot in the next cycle. No new staff or budget has been approved.

## User task

Produce an indicator review, revised reference sheet, feasible quarterly plan, and unresolved-decision list. Show any calculation that can be supported. Distinguish measures that are feasible from those that require a new definition, permissions, tool, or later observation. Estimate the requested work's staff hours and compare it with capacity. Preserve the program's decision needs, but do not silently retain incompatible frequencies, invent targets or answers, or treat missing records as negative outcomes.