Monitoring

Monitoring is a process to periodically collect, analyse and use information to actively manage performance, maximise positive impacts and minimise the risk of adverse impacts.

It is an important part of effective management because it can provide early and ongoing information to help shape implementation in advance of evaluations.

What is monitoring?

Monitoring processes can monitor change and progress in different aspects: needs, the operating context, activities, and the results of activities, projects, programmes and policies.

Monitoring is best thought of as part of an integrated Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system that brings together various activities relating to gathering and using data.

How does monitoring differ from evaluation?

Monitoring is typically:

Periodic and ongoing during implementation

Monitoring brings evaluative thinking into the periodic collection, analysis and use of information during implementation, as distinct from single discrete evaluation events or even several linked discrete evaluation events (such as a mid-term and final evaluation). Newer forms of evaluation, such as developmental evaluation and real-time evaluation, have blurred this distinction, as they involve ongoing collection, interpretation and use of evaluative data.

Integrated with other management functions and monitoring systems

Monitoring systems often need to be integrated into the ongoing internal management functions of organisations. These include performance management, risk management and financial management, fundraising and accountability reporting to donors or program participants. The integration can make monitoring a more complicated management endeavour than evaluation.

Operating at different levels

Monitoring systems often need to operate at levels beyond an individual project, such as the program, organisation, sector or country level. Monitoring systems also sometimes need to work across these boundaries, such as joint monitoring by two or more organisations or supporting partner organisations' systems, such as government systems. Working across systems, levels, and boundaries can make monitoring more complicated due to different understandings, cultures and time-frames.

Inclusive of systems of ongoing reflection

Another distinction between monitoring and discrete evaluations is that monitoring uses information to manage performance actively and therefore includes deliberate and ongoing reflection to inform implementation decisions.

Why monitor?

M&E systems need to consider and balance the information needs of different users. Therefore, it is essential to be clear on how various primary intended users will use monitoring information.

Primary intended users of monitoring information can include project participants, government department staff, project staff, senior management in implementing organisations and government departments, fundraising staff, donor organisations, politicians, and members of the public (as individuals or as part of community-based groups).

Some of the different uses of monitoring information include: