M&E Concepts

In order to build a credible international development program or intervention it must include an effective way to measure its success in obtaining its goals. This is also known as the projects Monitoring and Evaluation or M&E plan.

The “Monitoring” of Monitoring and Evaluation in International Development measures the daily results of a given intervention. It observes the project throughout the cycle of the initiative. It is the continuous collection of data and information. The purpose of monitoring is to ensure that the program and its activities are being implemented in accordance to the program design and donor funding requirements.

The monitoring of a project will directly correlate to measuring the inputs of a project with its activities and the direct outputs that results. To clarify, the inputs of the project are considered to be things such as the financial support, human resources, equipment, etc.

The activities are what is actually implemented in order to achieve the program’s intended goals. Outputs can be defined as the direct immediate results of the activities of the program. The activities of monitoring are easily conducted and outputs should be relatively easy data to draw out. This usually includes basic indicators that are less qualitative or descriptive and more quantitative in reflecting numbers.

The individuals who conduct the monitoring of a program typically are the program team members. Monitoring is done in conjunction as part of the project staff daily tasks. Tools to complete the monitoring can be things such as written progress reports and summaries

For example, the monitoring of a program providing literacy workshops in Nepal would monitor the number of attendees to the workshop the continued attendance and what were the learning outcomes taught by the workshops.

These results can easily be drawn out by reporting the number of attendees and providing a questionnaire to workshop attendees indicating whether or not the intended learning objectives were obtained. This information can be reported back to donors throughout the project’s cycle. Monitoring will no reflect the way that the program has worked to achieve the overarching goal of the initiative.

The monitoring of a program is invaluable because it provides the opportunity to make adjustments to the project. If an activity of the initiative is ineffective or not producing the intended results monitoring the project will provide the opportunity to identify this. It also provides donors to know how the project is being implemented and gives them the opportunity to make adjustments.