Lookup Table
M&E Acronyms and Abbreviations A to Z
Use this table when you meet a set of letters in a terms of reference, a donor template or a colleague's email. It gives the full form and a one-line meaning, and links to the page that explains the term properly where one exists. For general M&E vocabulary rather than abbreviations, use the glossary. The meanings below are the ones most common in M&E practice; a contract or template can define a term differently, so confirm against your own documents.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | In one line | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAR | After-action review | A short team discussion after an activity: what was planned, what happened, why, what next | After-action review |
| AM | Adaptive management | Changing a program's course during delivery as evidence comes in | Adaptive management |
| BL / EL | Baseline / endline | The measurement before an intervention starts / after it ends | Baseline, Endline |
| CBA | Cost-benefit analysis | Compares the monetized costs and benefits of an intervention | None yet |
| CEA | Cost-effectiveness analysis | Cost per unit of one outcome, used to compare options with the same aim | Cost-effectiveness analysis |
| CI | Confidence interval | The range in which the true value likely sits, given sampling error | Statistical significance |
| CLA | Collaborating, learning and adapting | Working with partners, using evidence to learn and adjusting course | CLA |
| DAC | Development Assistance Committee | The OECD committee behind the six evaluation criteria | DAC criteria |
| DEFF | Design effect | How much a clustered sample inflates the sample size needed for the same precision | Design effect explained |
| DiD | Difference-in-differences | Compares the change over time in a treated group against a comparison group | Quasi-experimental design |
| DNH | Do no harm | Avoiding harm to participants and communities through the program or its evaluation | Do no harm |
| DQA | Data quality assessment (also data quality audit) | A structured check of whether reported data are accurate, complete, timely and consistent | How to conduct a DQA |
| EA | Evaluability assessment | A check of whether a program is ready to be evaluated, before commissioning one | Evaluability assessment |
| EQ | Evaluation question | A question the evaluation must answer, tied to a criterion | Evaluation questions |
| FGD | Focus group discussion | A guided group conversation, usually 6 to 10 people, on one topic | Focus group discussions |
| GESI | Gender equality and social inclusion | Attention to who benefits and who is left out by gender, disability, age and other factors | Gender-responsive M&E |
| ICC | Intraclass (intracluster) correlation coefficient | How alike people in the same cluster are; drives the design effect | Design effect explained |
| IP | Implementing partner | The organization that delivers the activities on the ground | None yet |
| KII | Key informant interview | A one-to-one interview with someone who has specialist knowledge of the topic | Key informant interviews |
| KM | Knowledge management | How an organization captures, stores and shares what it learns | Knowledge management |
| KPI | Key performance indicator | An indicator an organization treats as central to judging performance | Indicator |
| LFA | Logical framework approach | The planning method that produces a logframe | Logframe |
| LQAS | Lot quality assurance sampling | A small-sample method for classifying an area as meeting or missing a target | LQAS |
| MDE | Minimum detectable effect | The smallest change a study can reliably detect with its sample | How to choose sample size |
| MEAL | Monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning | MEL with an explicit accountability function to affected people | MEL vs M&E vs MEAL |
| MEL | Monitoring, evaluation and learning | M&E with an explicit learning function | MEL plans |
| MIS | Management information system | The database or software where program data are stored and reported | Data management |
| MoV | Means of verification | The source that shows whether an indicator target was met | Means of verification |
| MR | Management response | The commissioner's written answer to each evaluation recommendation | Management response |
| MSC | Most significant change | A story-based method where stakeholders select the changes that matter most | Most significant change |
| M&E | Monitoring and evaluation | Tracking delivery and results (monitoring) and judging merit and worth (evaluation) | Monitoring and evaluation |
| MTR | Mid-term review | A review at the midpoint of a program to correct course | Mid-term review |
| OH | Outcome harvesting | Working backward from observed changes to find what contributed to them | Outcome harvesting |
| OM | Outcome mapping | A planning and monitoring approach focused on changes in partners' behavior | Outcome mapping |
| PDM | Post-distribution monitoring | A check after goods or cash are handed out on receipt, use and satisfaction | None yet |
| PIRS | Performance indicator reference sheet | A one-to-two-page protocol that defines how one indicator is measured | Indicator reference sheet |
| PITT | Performance indicator tracking table | The table that tracks each indicator's baseline, targets and results | Indicator reporting |
| PMP | Performance management plan | The plan that sets out indicators, targets and data collection for a program | Performance management plan |
| PPS | Probability proportional to size | A sampling method that gives larger clusters a higher chance of selection | Sampling methods |
| PSU | Primary sampling unit | The first-stage unit selected in a cluster sample, such as a village | Cluster sampling |
| QED | Quasi-experimental design | An impact design with a comparison group but no random assignment | Quasi-experimental design |
| RBM | Results-based management | Managing a program by the results it aims to achieve | Results-based management |
| RCT | Randomized controlled trial | An impact design that assigns participants to groups at random | Randomised controlled trial |
| RFP | Request for proposals | The commissioner's call for bids, which often sets M&E requirements | None yet |
| RTE | Real-time evaluation | A quick evaluation during a response, to inform decisions while it runs | Real-time evaluation |
| SMART | Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound | A common checklist for indicator quality | SMART indicators |
| SoW | Scope of work | The defined tasks, deliverables and timeline of an assignment | Scope of work |
| SR | Systematic review | A structured, reproducible search and synthesis of existing studies | Systematic review |
| SRS | Simple random sampling | Every unit in the frame has an equal chance of selection | Random sampling |
| SROI | Social return on investment | A ratio of the monetized social value created to the amount invested | SROI |
| ToC | Theory of change | An explanation of how and why activities are expected to lead to change | Theory of change |
| TOR | Terms of reference | The document that sets out an evaluation's purpose, questions, scope and deliverables | Evaluation TOR |
| UFE | Utilization-focused evaluation | Designing an evaluation around what its users will do with it | Utilization-focused evaluation |
| VfM | Value for money | Whether resources were used economically, efficiently and effectively | Value for money |
| WASH | Water, sanitation and hygiene | A sector grouping that appears in many indicator sets | WASH M&E decisions |
Look-Alike Terms
Which Terms Get Mixed Up?
A few pairs trip up new staff and appear in the same documents.
- MEL, MEAL and M&E. Same family of functions, different emphasis. Follow your donor's template. See MEL vs M&E vs MEAL.
- MoV and data source. The means of verification is the evidence that a target was reached, such as a signed attendance sheet. The data source is where the number comes from. They are often the same document, but not always.
- PIRS and PMP. The performance management plan covers the whole program. A PIRS covers one indicator. A PMP normally has many PIRS in an annex.
- DQA and routine data checks. A DQA is a formal, periodic assessment. Routine checks, such as range checks in a form, happen continuously. See data quality assurance.
- TOR and SoW. A TOR describes an evaluation: purpose, questions and method. A scope of work lists tasks and deliverables for any assignment. Some organizations use them interchangeably, so check the template.
- KII and FGD. Both are qualitative methods. A KII is one person with specialist knowledge; an FGD is a group exploring shared views. See surveys, interviews and focus groups compared.
How Should You Use Acronyms in a Report?
Spell out on first use, with the letters in brackets, in the body of each document and again in any annex that stands alone.
Add a short list of abbreviations near the front of any report over about ten pages.
Use one form. Pick "MEL" or "MEAL" and keep it; mixing them reads as two different systems.
Skip an abbreviation you use only once or twice. The full words are clearer.
Check the donor's own list. Templates sometimes fix a term, such as "MEL plan" or "PMP", and expect it unchanged.
FAQ
M&E Acronyms FAQ
What does KII stand for in M&E? Key informant interview: a structured conversation with a person who holds specialist knowledge about the program, community or system being studied.
What does MoV stand for? Means of verification: the source or document that shows whether an indicator target was met, such as a facility register or a survey report.
What is the difference between MEL and MEAL? MEL is monitoring, evaluation and learning. MEAL adds accountability, usually feedback and complaints mechanisms for the people a program serves. Use the term your donor or organization specifies.
What does DEFF mean in sampling? The design effect: how much larger a clustered sample must be than a simple random sample to reach the same precision. A DEFF of 2 means doubling the sample.
What does CLA stand for? Collaborating, learning and adapting: working with others, using evidence to learn, and changing course as results come in.
Why do some terms have more than one expansion? Abbreviations are reused across fields and organizations. The table gives the meaning most common in M&E practice. If a contract or template defines a term differently, the contract wins.