Monitoring
Track activities, outputs, indicators and progress.
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MODULE 6 · LESSON 6.1
Introduction to Monitoring and Evaluation
Estimated time: 25 minutes
ON THE BOARD · Module 6 summary
Monitoring asks whether the work is happening. Evaluation asks what the evidence can support.
- 1. Monitoring asks whether the work is happening. Evaluation asks what the evidence can support.
- 2. An indicator needs a definition, a source, and the groups it will be split by.
- 3. Check whether information is available, complete, timely, consistent, and protected.
- 4. A missed target is a question. It is not proof that a team failed.
MODULE SUMMARY
Module 6 summary
Monitoring asks whether the work is happening. Evaluation asks what the evidence can support.
An indicator needs a definition, a source, and the groups it will be split by.
Check whether information is available, complete, timely, consistent, and protected.
A missed target is a question. It is not proof that a team failed.
The board writes the point she is saying. It changes as the lesson moves on. Keep the sound on.
READ COMPLETE NOTES
Imagine an NGO launches a maternal health programme in a rural community. It aims to help pregnant women access antenatal care, improve health education and encourage early attendance. After three months the manager asks how many women were reached, whether activities are on plan, whether more women are attending antenatal care, whether targets are being met, whether the information is reliable, and what needs to change. Those are Monitoring and Evaluation questions. Collecting data is not enough.
6.1.1 What is monitoring?
Monitoring is the continuous or regular collection and review of information about a programme's activities, outputs and progress. It asks whether implementation is proceeding as planned.
A team providing community health education might monitor the number of sessions conducted, the number of women attending, the number of communities reached, the number of referrals completed, and the amount of the budget spent. Monitoring asks: are we doing what we planned to do?
6.1.2 What is evaluation?
Evaluation is a systematic assessment of a programme's design, implementation, results or other aspects of its performance. It may ask whether objectives were achieved, whether the programme was relevant, whether resources were used efficiently, what changes occurred, whether the programme plausibly contributed to those changes, and what lessons should inform future work.
A change in antenatal attendance alone does not prove that the programme caused the change. Other factors may have contributed. The method must fit the question.
6.1.3 Monitoring versus evaluation
| Feature | Monitoring | Evaluation |
|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Track implementation and progress | Assess merit, performance or results |
| Frequency | Usually continuous or regular | Often at selected points |
| Main questions | Are activities happening as planned? | What results occurred, and why? |
| Typical data | Routine reports, attendance and indicator updates | Routine data, surveys, interviews and other methods |
| Users | Programme teams and managers | Teams, funders, policymakers and other stakeholders |
They complement each other. Monitoring may show that a programme is behind schedule. Evaluation may ask why, and whether the design is still appropriate.
6.1.4 What does MEAL mean?
Evaluation
Assess relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, results and other agreed questions.
Accountability
Give affected people and other stakeholders a way to receive information, give feedback, raise concerns and get a response.
Learning
Use evidence and experience to improve implementation and later decisions.
6.1.5 A practical example
A fictional NGO plans 20 community health education sessions. After one month, eight have been completed. Monitoring shows 8 of 20. Staff report that transport has delayed the work, so the team may adjust the schedule if resources allow. If community members also say the sessions are at inconvenient times, that feedback should shape the next plan. Monitoring, accountability and learning are working together.
Lesson 6.1 knowledge check
Choose an answer for each question, then check. The suggested answers stay hidden until you do.
1. Which activity is an example of monitoring?
2. Which MEAL component focuses on receiving and responding to feedback from affected people?
3. Does an increase in service attendance automatically prove that a programme caused the increase?
Monitoring tracks progress. Evaluation assesses performance and results. Accountability gives people a way to speak. Learning helps the team improve.