New MEL staff on a USAID activity? Try our MELO Orientation materials and approaches for quicker onboarding
At USAID, the effectiveness of development programs hinges on robust Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) systems. For new MEL Officers at implementing partners (IPs) stepping into USAID-funded activities, mastering these systems can be a significant challenge. There is a steep learning curve. That is why the New MELO Orientation was launched by USAID Learns in Vietnam, the Mission’s support contract, as a crucial initiative to support this transition. For other support contracts and implementing partner staff tasked with orienting new MEL officers to USAID, we hope this structure and the training materials provide you with a solid foundation to build on for your own training programs.
Why a New MELO Orientation?
Since 2019, Learns has been working closely with USAID/Vietnam’s IPs to provide MEL technical assistance and conduct data quality assessments (DQAs). Through these interactions, we have identified a common challenge: many new MEL Officers come on board without a solid foundation in USAID’s MEL requirements or ways of working. This gap can stem from several factors:
1. Lack of Previous USAID Experience: New MEL Officers often lack prior experience with USAID-funded activities. Even if they have worked on MEL for other donors, USAID’s requirements, expectations, and philosophy for MEL can be quite different.
2. Absence of MEL Induction: There is often no formal internal MEL induction program in place at the implementing partner.
3. Staff Transition Gaps: New staff do not always have the chance to overlap with those leaving, which means that the new MEL Officer did not benefit from a proper handover from their predecessor.
As a result, new MEL Officers frequently find their onboarding process overwhelming and stressful. Without proper orientation, misunderstandings and misperceptions about MEL practices can linger, impacting data quality and hindering adaptive management. Through our interactions with various MEL Officers, we learned that many were unaware if their Activities had a Theory of Change (TOC) or how it related to their MEL work. Additionally, meeting the data quality standards for validity and reliability was a significant challenge for numerous IPs, due to missing or incomplete Performance Indicator Reference Sheets (PIRS) and inconsistencies between the PIRS and actual implementation. Furthermore, MEL Officers often faced collaboration issues with technical staff, often stemming from a narrow focus on monitoring for reporting rather than monitoring for adaptive management and program improvement. To address these challenges, Learns launched the New MELO Orientation service in October 2021.
What’s Covered in the New MELO Orientation?
Our New MELO Orientation is designed with adult learning principles in mind, ensuring practicality and convenience. Theoretical content is blended with practical exercises, real-world examples, a forum to ask questions and share experience. The program spans up to two months, divided into sessions that typically last two to three hours each. This flexible schedule allows participants to reflect on and apply their learning without the pressure of an intensive training period. Here’s an overview of the five core sessions:
1. Session I: Introduction and USAID MEL Requirements
2. Session II: Activity MEL Plans and Indicators
3. Session III: Outcomes & Theory of Change
4. Session IV: Data Quality Assessment & Development Information Solution
5. Session V: Collaboring, Learning & Adapting (CLA) Integration in MEL
The orientation is not intended to serve as a comprehensive MEL training. Instead, with the five topics outlined above, we aimed to strike a balance between the essential content that a newly onboarded MEL Officer needs to quickly manage their responsibilities and the unique aspects of the USAID MEL system, which may differ significantly from the practices they encountered in previous projects with other donors. We began with a general overview of USAID MEL requirements to establish a foundation before diving into more advanced topics. The next session focused on key components of an Activity MEL Plan, performance indicators, and PIRSs, helping MEL Officers understand how USAID's general requirements are applied within the context of their Activity, and enabling them to navigate their MEL plans to identify key information. The following sessions addressed TOC, DQA, and DIS, which are distinctive elements of the USAID MEL system. The final session covered the CLA framework and P&R, emphasizing the shift from monitoring for reporting to monitoring for adaptive management. While the core themes have remained consistent since 2021, the content is regularly updated to reflect the latest MEL requirements from USAID/Vietnam. Standardized slide decks ensure that each session is delivered consistently, with a focus on both general USAID requirements and practical resources.
Evolving Delivery Formats
Initially, we offered one-to-one sessions where Learns Monitoring Specialists visited IP offices in person. This personalized approach had several advantages: it allowed tailored content delivery, fostered a relaxed learning environment, and built strong rapport. It was rewarding to see MEL Officers engage more openly and attentively as we moved into subsequent sessions. We also realized that involving non-MEL staff, such as the Chief of Party (COP) and technical staff, in the orientation was beneficial. This not only increased their awareness of USAID’s MEL requirements, but also helped dispel the misconception that MEL tasks are solely the responsibility of the MEL Officers, fostering better collaboration across teams. However, this one-to-one approach proved resource-intensive and less cost-effective due to high staff time requirements and IP turnover challenges.
To address these issues, we transitioned to small-group sessions with two to five MEL Officers from different IPs, held in-person either at Learns' office or at the IP's office. This approach improved efficiency and encouraged peer learning, though scheduling conflicts sometimes extended the orientation period beyond our desired timeframe.
In 2024, we decided to launch a hybrid orientation series. Sessions were held weekly at fixed dates, with options for online participation via Google Meet or in-person attendance at Learns' office. This approach proved to be efficient in terms of reaching a large number of participants - 20 new staff from 13 Activities - without additional level of effort. However, most participants joined online, and the online format faced a few challenges. Interaction levels were low, and participation rates dropped significantly after the initial session. Feedback indicated that participants struggled to find suitable meeting spaces within their office, which prevented them from speaking up during the sessions. We found that deploying interactive engagement methods and online tools, such as Quizizz and Kahoot, can partly address the issue of low interaction but cannot prevent participants from multitasking. Despite these obstacles, we have chosen to primarily continue with this approach due to its cost-effectiveness.
Feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the value of the New MELO Orientation. Our experiences have taught us that flexibility in delivery formats is key. For high levels of interest, larger group sessions are cost-effective, while smaller, in-person groups may be more suitable for moderate interest, facilitating open dialogue and relationship building.
Adapting our orientation methods to the needs and preferences of participants ensures that new MEL Officers are better prepared to navigate USAID’s complex MEL systems. We look forward to continuing to refine our approach and supporting new MEL Officers in their critical roles.