Activity Monitoring
The who, what and when of monitoring
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Who needs monitoring information?
The primary stakeholders, i.e. those closest to the actual implementation of the Activity, will require the most detailed information. All of the key stakeholders will also have questions they wish to ask about an Activity. ‘How is it benefiting us?’ ‘Is it following the agreed plan?’ ‘Are the inputs being used efficiently?’ ‘Are the intended beneficiaries making use of the outputs?’ The monitoring system should be designed to meet these needs in an efficient and timely way.
Although NZAID also needs monitoring information, it is important that we try to fit our monitoring requirements to, and strengthen, our partners’ own systems.
Getting monitoring information to those who need it
A good monitoring system should include mechanisms for communicating information back to all stakeholders. This may require a range of different approaches including regular liaison and visits, newsletters, meetings, media reports, as well as more formal written reports. It is important that adequate provision for these is made in the design and therefore the budget of the Activity.
Written reports are an important means of communicating information to some important stakeholders, but are likely to be an inappropriate way of providing feedback to local communities.
What needs to be monitored, and when?
Information should only be collected if it will be used to assess performance or help make management decisions. The level of monitoring will be directly correlated to the level of risk of the Activity. High risk Activities require more frequent, intensive and (depending on the nature of the risk) independent monitoring.
Generally, monitoring focuses on data of two types:
- Information about the context in which the Activity is being implemented. For example, the political or environmental situation. For a full list of the categories of external factors or risks see the NZAID Risk Assessment Guideline (currently in development).
- Information about the Activity itself. For example, activities carried out, inputs used, outputs delivered, quality of participatory processes, and progress towards achieving outcomes.
Monitoring the progress of an Activity towards desired outcomes requires “placing a stake in the ground.” Progress should be measured against agreed targets, standards and success criteria. It also needs to be measured against the situation at the start of the Activity. This requires the collection of baseline data. Ideally this should happen before implementation or during the inception stage of the Activity. Sometimes, for a variety of reasons, baseline data may not have been collected (or expected outcomes adequately defined) at the outset of an existing Activity. If this is the case we should seek agreement to collect such information (or define such outcomes) as soon as practicable.
Information collected during monitoring feeds into subsequent reviews and evaluations.
The focus of monitoring effort will vary depending on how far the Activity has progressed in the Activity management cycle:
- During programming we should agree on identifying the type of targets, standards and success criteria, and begin considering the kind of indicators that might be used to measure progress.
- During the identification stage stakeholder analysis should be used to identify information that is important to different stakeholders, mechanisms for monitoring potential risks and strengths should be identified, and - most importantly - existing monitoring systems should be identified. Initial consideration should be given to the most appropriate ways to support and strengthen the existing systems as part of the Activity design process. See NZAID Logical Framework Approach Guideline.
- During the design stage agreement needs to be reached on clear Activity objectives, indicators, sources of verification and assumptions (for example, as part of the process of establishing a logical framework matrix). Agreement also needs to be reached on what baseline data will be needed, and how and when it will be collected. To the maximum extent possible, all baseline data should be collected and analysed before commencing implementation of the Activity.
- During the inception phase of implementation all aspects of the Activity’s monitoring system should be reviewed and modified to take into account any new information. Any remaining baseline information should be collected during the inception period. Any new risks should also be identified and indicators assigned to them.
- During the implementation phase monitoring is needed to provide those managing the Activity and other stakeholders the information they require. Monitoring processes should be assessed periodically to confirm that they are operating well and providing stakeholders with the information they need. See NZAID Activity Implementation Guideline.
- During the completion/transition phase any evaluations should be able to draw on the information gathered and also assess the effectiveness of the monitoring system.