Monitoring and Evaluation in Project Management

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is a set of techniques used in project management to establish controls and ensure a project stays on track.

What is Monitoring?

• Monitoring is the systematic and continuous collection, analysis, and use of information for management control and decision-making.
• It involves reporting progress on activities at suitable intervals and provides feedback for planning and updated implementation approaches.
• Monitoring is an integral part of day-to-day management, and it helps identify and solve implementation problems.

Approaches to Monitoring and Evaluation

• Conceptual frameworks: examine relationships between all possible factors that may influence program results.
• Results Framework: examines relationships between activities, objectives, and goals.
• The Logical Framework: examines relationships between inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, and impacts.

Monitoring Includes

• Looking into the process, selection of beneficiaries, and procedures.
• Meeting targets, continuous information collection, and reporting for decision-making.
• Ensuring the program is going in the right direction as planned.

One-Line Definition

• Monitoring is the recording of "whether the right thing is being delivered to the right people at the right time in the right way (process)".

Monitoring Tools

• Staff meetings, partner meetings, participatory reviews, monitoring and supervision missions, and progress reports.

Goals of Monitoring

• Ensure inputs, activities, and outputs proceed according to plan.
• Determine whether inputs are optimally utilized.
• Ensure all activities are carried out by the right people and in the right time.
• Provide a record of inputs, activities, and outputs.
• Assist managers in making decisions.

Steps in Monitoring

• Identify units involved in planning and implementation.
• Identify items on which feedback is required.
• Determine the periodicity of reporting.
• Fix the responsibility of reporting at different levels.
• Process and analyze reports.
• Identify critical areas in implementation.
• Provide feedback for corrective measures.

Methods/Techniques of Monitoring

• First-hand information, formal reports, project status reports, project schedule charts, project financial status reports, informal reports, and graphic presentations.

Meaning of Evaluation

• Evaluation means finding out the value of something.
• Evaluation refers to procedures of fact-finding.
• Evaluation consists of assessments of conformity with professional standards.
• Evaluation provides systematic, reliable, and valid information on the conduct, impact, and effectiveness of projects.

Five Strategic Evaluation Questions

• Relevance: are the objectives consistent with beneficiaries' requirements and partner's and donor's policies?
• Effectiveness: are the objectives achieved, and are the targeted issues solved?
• Efficiency: is the time, effort, or cost well-used for the intended purpose?
• Sustainability: does the project meet needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs?
• Impact: what is the positive or negative, direct or indirect long-term impact produced by the development intervention?

Principles of Evaluation

• The evaluation process should start at the beginning and end of the project.
• Evaluation should be inexpensive.
• Evaluation should be done without prejudgment of day-to-day work.
• Evaluation should be done on a cooperative basis with total participation.
• Outside evaluation machinery should be used occasionally.
• Total overall examination of the agency should be done.
• The results of evaluation should be shared with workers of the agency.

Learn about monitoring and evaluation techniques used in project management to establish controls and ensure a project stays on track. Understand the role of monitoring in reporting progress and providing feedback for planning and implementation.