The M&E Section

Hello fellow government grant writers

I am writing because - though I've written grants for some 7 years, the M&E section is always a bear.

I can do them - and have done them. I have been trained in doing M&E via workshops and have read several books. But each time I do one it seems I discover something new, usually in the form of - someone else doing the M&E in a slightly different way with slightly different terminology.

Does anyone have any tricks of the trade for this section?

I know how to do a Logic Model. I know how to do a Results Framework and the Logic Framework. From there usually we make up an M&E chart with indicators, targets, etc. But each M&E chart I have looked at - from varying places, has slightly different columns. I get so confused.

When I speak to an Evaluation expert (I know two - who majored in that stuff) they come back at me with such a barrage of in-depth info that it makes my head spin. I prefer to go back to my way of doing it which is to clone from a  previous one I've done - using the RF and LF and part of Logic Model for my store of info. I have looked online for answers and have several books but again they are each slightly different.

Does anyone know of a good cheat sheet or some other "dummies" type version for M&E? If not I will just keep cloning from ones I've done in the past.

Many thanks