EPISODE-3 About Monitoring

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EPISODE-3: About Monitoring: 

What is Monitoring:

Monitoring is the systematic process of collecting, analyzing and using information to track a programmer's progress toward reaching its objectives and support to guide management decisions. Monitoring usually focuses on processes, such as when and where activities occur, who delivers them and how many people or entities they reach rather than change.

In participatory monitoring system usually monitoring focus to activities and output level. There are some exceptions in case of result based monitoring and outcome monitoring.

Objectives : 

The major objectives of the monitoring are to

·        Tracking  progress against the plan (system )

·        Improve effectiveness

·        Value for Money

·        Remind Accountability

·        Capture learning

The What, Why, When and How of Monitoring:

What	A continuous review of project progress at the activity and outputs levels Identify necessary corrective action
Why	Analyze current situation Identify issues and find solutions Discover trends and patterns Keep project activities on schedule Measure progress against outputs Make decisions about human, financial and material resources
When	Continuous
How	Field Visits Records Reports

Types of monitoring:

EPISODE-3: About Monitoring

1. Process Monitoring

In process monitoring, routine data is collected and analyzed in order to establish whether the project tasks and activities are leading towards the intended project results. It authenticates the progress of the project towards the intended results. This kind of monitoring measures the inputs, activities and outputs. In other words, process monitoring answers the questions “what has been done so far, where, when and how has it been done?” Most of the data collected during project implementation usually serves this kind of monitoring.

2. Technical Monitoring

Technical monitoring involves assessing the strategy that is being used in project implementation to establish whether it is achieving the required results. It involves the technical aspects of the project such as the activities to be conducted. In a safe water project for example, physical progress monitoring may show that there is little or no uptake of chlorination as a water treatment strategy. Technical monitoring may establish that this could be a result of installing chlorine dispensers at the water source and women are too time constrained that they have no time to line up to get chlorine from the dispensers. This may prompt a change of strategy where the project might opt for household distribution of bottled chlorine.

3. Effectiveness Monitoring

Literal meaning of Effectiveness  is getting right things done that is proposed in the project documents :

Any project has its working assumptions which have to be clearly outlined in the project log frame. These assumptions are those factors which might determine project success or failure, but which the project has no control over. Assumption monitoring involves measuring these factors which are external to the project. It is important to carry out assumption monitoring as it may help to explain success or failure of a project.

4. Financial Monitoring

Just like the name suggests, financial monitoring simply refers to monitoring project/ program expenditure and comparing them with the budgets prepared at the planning stage. The use of funds at the disposal of a program/project is crucial for ensuring there are no excesses or wastage. Financial monitoring is also important for accountability and reporting purposes, as well as for measuring financial efficiency.

5. Impact Monitoring

Impact monitoring is a type of monitoring which continually assesses the impact of project activities to the target population. Indeed, impacts are usually the long term effects of a project. However, for projects with a long life span or programs (programs have no defined timelines) there emerges a need for measuring impact change in order show whether the general conditions of the intended beneficiaries are improving or otherwise. In this case, the manager monitors impact through the pre-determined set of impact indicators. Monitoring both the positive and negative impacts, intended and unintended impacts of the project/program becomes imperative. For example, in a Water and Sanitation program, there may be a need to monitor the change in Under 5 Mortality in the program area over time. In this case, rather than being identified as an impact evaluation, this would be identified as impact monitoring.

What is result based monitoring?

Although monitoring and evaluation experts may vary on the specific sequence of steps in building a results-based monitoring system, all agree on the overall intent. For example, different experts propose four- or seven-step models. Regardless of the number of steps, the essential actions involved in building a monitoring system are to:

• Formulate outcomes and goals

• Select outcome indicators to monitor

• Gather baseline information on the current condition

• Set specific targets to reach and dates for reaching them

• Regularly collect data to assess whether the targets are being met

• Analyze and report the results

What is outcome monitoring?

The collection of data about participant knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors (KABBs), and intentions to change behavior before, during, and/or after the intervention. It identifies what components are working as expected and which ones are not in order to improve program effectiveness.

Difference between monitoring & Evaluation?

Monitoring	Evaluation
It is on going analysis of project progress towards achieving planned result	It is the assessment of efficiency, relevancy, effectiveness and sustainability
Ensure project accountability	Judge the outcome or objectives achievement
Provide information to assess on implementation progress and timely decision making	Relies on more detailed data over certain frequency
It is part of day to day strong management system	It is longer term activity in a longer term process
Generally focus on “Are we doing things right?”	Generally focus on “Are we doing right things?”
Focus on tracking performance	Focus on judgement, learning & merit
It is mainly tracking the progress of process and outputs	It is conducting mainly  for measuring outcome and impacts

Evaluation:

Evaluation is the systematic and objective assessment of an on-going or completed project, program, or policy, and its design, implementation and results. The aim is to determine the relevance and fulfillment of objectives, development efficiency, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability. An evaluation should provide information that is credible and useful, enabling the incorporation of lessons learned into the decision making process of both recipients and donors.

Evaluation focuses these following things:

Relevancy:

Do the objectives and goals match the problems or needs that are being addressed?

Efficiency/Value for Money:

Is the project delivered in a timely and cost-effective manner?

Effectiveness:

To what extent does the intervention achieve its objectives? What are the supportive factors and obstacles encountered during the implementation?

Sustainability:

Are there lasting benefits after the intervention is completed?

Impact:

What happened as a result of the project? This may include intended and unintended positive and negative effects.

Types of evaluation:

Formative evaluation-It aims to obtain ongoing feedback focus on strength and weakness.

Example: Process evaluation, Mid-term evaluation

Summative evaluation- It occurs in the end of a unit, project or program.

Example: Outcome evaluation, impact evaluation

Diagnostic evaluation- It aims to determine starting points, identified needed prerequisite skills, identify challenges

Placement evaluation- It determines knowledge and skills possessed.

To watch the video of EPISODE-3 Training on Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning: