Monitoring is the process of collecting and analyzing information, and using that information to improve our work and help work management as well. It is a tool for identifying strengths and weakness in a program and for making good and timely decisions. If monitoring is done well it is easier to evaluate a project\program or a piece of work effectively, which helps to formulate a future action plan to operate a project\program successfully.
It is a periodic measurement of inputs, activities, and outputs of an undertaken project during implementation towards achievement of the plans against them. It is the periodic collection and analysis of selected indicators to enable managers to determine whether key activities are being carried out as it was planned.
Objectives of monitoring
The objectives of project monitoring are as follows:
§ Identify the actual status of long-term sustainability of the project in order to determine if scheduled activities and expected output are being implemented/achieved as planned.
§ Discover gaps and deficiencies in project implementation as well as current and potential issues/problems that need to be addressed.
§ Identify factors that may affect the long-term sustainability of the project.
§ Highlight significant features that may serve as insights for the planning and
implementation of future similar projects.
§ Identify opportunities and strengths that can be tapped to ensure successful project management and implementation.
§ Recommend policy options for effective and efficient project management and implementation.
§ Document initial success stories that may be useful for social mobilization and advocacy or for replication in related project.
§ Immediately inform project management and administrators of the status of project implementation so that they can apply remedial measures to solve problems.
§ Disseminate the results of the monitoring to the project managers, planners, donors and other sponsors.
Objectives of project monitoring should be:
§ Specific
§ Measurable
§ Achievable/attainable
§ Result-oriented
§ Time-bound, as set by the project
Objectives that are specific help to clarify goals, provide direction to the activities, guide the selection of data and provide a basis for assessing the overall value of evaluation.
Measurable objectives help provide outcomes that are observable and demonstrable.
An achievable objective should be attainable on the basis of the available financial and material resources and the technical demands of the methods to be employed, as well as staff capabilities.
Finally, objectives should be time-bound and should be achieved within a specific time frame.
Benefits of monitoring
The purpose of monitoring is to provide program managers, staff and people involved with sufficient information to make the right decisions at the right time. It is the process by which everyone involved can assess their strengths and weakness, and amend the directions of the project. The needs for monitoring are:
§ Monitoring results produce the exact operational performance of the project. Based on the results, the project management can judge the needs for improving the day-to-day activities.
§ The project management is accountable to stakeholders and donors. Monitoring results tells the management whether the beneficiaries are getting what they are supposed to get, and if they are getting whether they are receiving them through the planned process, and within the budget of activity implementation.
§ The failure of the development projects is often due to faulty or incomplete implementation of intervention rather than ineffective solution. Monitoring results inform the management if the activities were implemented following the criteria.
§ Monitoring results help the management to judge if the activities remain useful for the beneficiaries. Thus monitoring results is crucial for the management to decide if the intervention should continue, or the duration of the project should be expanded or the project should be terminated.
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