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Lesson
Executing and implementing agencies need to find ways to sustain data collection and analysis throughout the project implementation phase to ensure high-quality M&E systems. Monitoring and evaluation was not completed before project closing because, at the critical late stage of implementation, the pandemic brought consultant services to a stop before they can be completed. Some baseline data were collected in 2015, but the function was not completed because of early implementation delays.

Project Number: 44375-013
Project Name: Maritime and Waterways Safety Project
Report Date:
Lesson
It will be essential to find a balance in future TA projects between continuing support for the whole region and having activities and outputs focus on a subset of countries to allow for more granularity in analyses and deeper engagements. This was the first TA for the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) in the field of disaster risk financing (DRF), and as such, was designed to cover all 11 CAREC countries.

Project Number: 53198-001
Project Name: Developing a Disaster Risk Transfer Facility in the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Region
Report Date:
Lesson
In turbulent times, projects must formulate comprehensive contingency plans for major emergencies such as (i) strengthening risk management with flexible plans to address unpredictability, (ii) developing adaptable resource plans, (iii) enhancing supply chain transparency to mitigate delays, (iv) improving remote team collaboration, and (v) leveraging digital technology to monitor projects during emergencies. This project was affected by the pandemic and required a loan extension until 30 June 2022, necessitating a corresponding extension of the implementation period.

Project Number: 45022-002
Project Name: Jiangxi Ji'an Sustainable Urban Transport Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Guidance for completing CPRO DMFs underscored the dynamic nature of a crisis operation and the need to be prepared to strengthen, amend or add DMF indicators during implementation. The fact that this was not followed reflects a built-in lack of flexibility with DMFs (and perhaps the difficulty of making changes in accordance with existing Project Administration Instructions).

Project Number: 54178-001
Project Name: COVID-19 Rapid Response Program
Report Date:
Lesson
The design and monitoring frameworks (DMFs) of the COVID-19 Pandemic Response Option (CPRO) extracted aspects of the government’s response plan that were important to ADB and restricted the number of indicators and targets in order not to burden the government. However, this made demonstrating outcome-level achievement difficult because it relies too much on one or two indicators and targets (weak horizontal logic) and is narrowly and inadequately supported by a minimal number of outputs (weak vertical logic).

Project Number: 54178-001
Project Name: COVID-19 Rapid Response Program
Report Date:
Lesson
A well-designed project performance management system (PPMS) from the outset can enhance the quality of economic analyses. This system facilitates the systematic collection of data on project benefits and pertinent metrics, enabling the monitoring of project performance until completion. Specifically, monitoring the project's progress, identifying areas for improvement, and collecting socioeconomic data through a PPMS, could all help establish a comprehensive assessment of a project’s development results and improve the quality of economic analysis.

Project Number: 41403-013
Project Name: Urban Water Supply Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Frequent review missions are crucial to overcoming implementation challenges. The TA was administered by staff located in head office with good support from the Pakistan Resident Mission. However, ADB staff assignment changed during the TA implementation period; and the limitations and delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic induced challenges to consultant management and client interaction. Frequent review missions significantly helped address these challenges.

Project Number: 51249-003
Project Name: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Water Resources Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Using readily available published data enables proper assessment of a project’s development impact. The installation and use of a robust energy resource planning system in a newly formed utility enables a comprehensive management information system; transparency and good governance in operations; and timely reporting.

Project Number: 43464-023
Project Name: Himachal Pradesh Clean Energy Transmission Investment Program - Tranche 1
Report Date:
Lesson
Despite odds, it is not impossible for TA projects to collect the necessary information to prepare ensuing projects. The TA scope and implementation arrangements had been changed to adapt to the changing context arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, it was able to gather all the requisite information to prepare the ensuing project.

Project Number: 52013-001
Project Name: Research University Sector Development Program
Report Date:
Lesson
An exogenous shock such as the COVID-19 pandemic can significantly affect TA execution and associated plans and government priorities. When that happens, it will be useful to pause TA implementation, revisit the processing timeline, take sufficient time to observe and discuss with the executing agency, and make adjustment where possible. The TA was well aligned with strategy documents at national and ADB level.

Project Number: 52013-001
Project Name: Research University Sector Development Program
Report Date:
Lesson
It is important for projects engaging many consultants to have a clear record of what was delivered and why the scope of contracts was changed or reduced. The firm’s final report should summarize the key deliverables and their usage. It is also important to undertake a structured turnover process especially to submit TA documentation sharing insights, best practices, and lessons from the TA experience.

Project Number: 52013-001
Project Name: Research University Sector Development Program
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Lesson
Unforeseen events could significantly impact project implementation.

Project Number: 43316-012
Project Name: Pakse Urban Environmental Improvement Project
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Lesson
While customized, survey-based performance targets can be useful, they should not account for the bulk of the targets such that the overall outcome of the program depends simply on one’s ability to replicate the survey. In this case, 4 of 6 outcome targets were generated by custom surveys which, for reasons unknown, could not be replicated. Also, proxy data could not be located for three of the targets. Thus, the program’s effectiveness, despite evidence to the contrary, was compromised simply by a lack of data and an inability to confirm progress.

Project Number: 49117-002, 49117-003, 49117-004
Project Name: Facilitating Youth School-to-Work Transition Program (Subprograms 1, 2, and 3)
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Lesson
For the gender action plan, indicators need to be designed to require reporting of baseline and latest data disaggregated by sex for evidence that the practice exists. In this project, indicators such as “MOH public information on drug safety including rapid alert system improved by 2014 (data on persons affected by unsafe drugs are sex-disaggregated)” and “minutes of community meetings and attendance lists were disaggregated by sex” were reported without evidence of sex-disaggregated data.

Project Number: 41243-012
Project Name: Fourth Health Sector Development Project
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Lesson
Support cannot be directed to the most vulnerable in a crisis in the absence of a social protection system that can be utilized or adapted for this purpose—which provides an additional reason for working with developing member countries to establish and strengthen such systems.

Project Number: 54346-001
Project Name: COVID-19 Rapid Response Program
Report Date: