A tool for managing and evaluating development operations
Operations (projects, programmes, policies) are monitored and evaluated for different reasons:
- to determine how actions are undertaken and steered, and to facilitate decision-making;
- to report back to different stakeholders on the execution, outcomes and effects of the actions that have been taken (and thus the extent to which the original objectives have been achieved);
- to develop, exchange and disseminate information on the implementation, outcomes and effects of the operation among diverse stakeholders and a wider audience.
Monitoring and evaluation systems usually involve ongoing monitoring processes and an evaluation of the impacts of the operation:
- is a continuous internal activity where information is systematically collected and analysed to determine how the project is progressing (level of performance), whether it is proceeding as planned, and to enable the operator to adjust it accordingly. Constantly gathering and processing information throughout the activity or intervention enables the operator to steer the project, adapt its strategies and guide decisions about its management.
- Evaluation is a more strategic process that uses information gathered during the monitoring process to examine how activities proceeded, what impact they had, and assess the overall performance of the action or project.