How do we Evaluate Programmes?

Definitions

Defining Monitoring and Evaluation

Defining Monitoring

Monitoring is looking at what is going on. With reference to tasks, actions and projects, monitoring is looking at what is currently happening.  Through monitoring we arrive to an "assessment of facts".

Project monitoring is identical with project appraisal and belongs to the project execution and control  phase of project management.

See  project appraisal.

Attention: do not confuse project monitoring with project evaluation. 

Project monitoring is identical with project performance measurement and belongs to the project execution and control  phase of project management. Monitoring and reporting the project performance is to review the project progress against expected milestones, timelines and costs. The purpose of reporting is to share the information required to manage  Manage CSSQ (Cost, Scope, Schedule, and Quality). . With reference to tasks, actions and projects, monitoring is looking at what is currently happening. It is functional to the objective of delivering the project outputs with the expected quality and within the time and cost constrains defined in the project plan document. The deliverable of project appraisal is the Project Status (or progress) report (see project execution templates).

Project evaluation is not a part of project execution but is a different phase of the programme cycle.  Project evaluation is not done by the project manager but by the project sponsor (e.g. the Programme Manager, etc.) or by someone supporting her. It requires Project Status reports as a fundamental input. Its outputs are projects evaluation reports  and program lessons learned. Evaluation is based on monitoring but adds a "judgment" on the correlation between activities performed, outputs delivered, changes induced objectives achieved and impacts obtained upon the factors generating the problems and opportunities that motivated the project. While the delivery of project outputs is the responsibility of the project team, the achievements of project outcomes and objectives depends also by the way stakeholders utilize the project outputs to interact with the rest of the community and contribute to achieve the project objectives.

 

 

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In many Organizations each year, a team comprising of programme manager, M&E coordinator and field staff conduct a monitoring review. The learning emerging form the monitoring review exercise is shared, among the wider programme team, during a country learning review.