Monitoring and Evaluation

Evaluate and demonstrate the success of the project
Monitoring allows you to make a transparent and objective evaluation of whether the project has been a success or not. The implementation of a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan will provide the project manager with the information required to evaluate and demonstrate to stakeholders the success of the project. Communication of project outcomes and success is a fundamental requirement of all projects.

If you don't do it, you won't know if you have succeeded
Without a well thought out Monitoring and Evaluation Plan project managers will not be able to tell whether the project has achieved its objectives. This significantly undermines the value of the project – what value is a project if you cannot objectively assess whether it was successful? Stakeholders (management and funders, in particular) not receiving a clear evaluation of the success of the project will lose confidence in the project. This will result in loss of project credibility, stakeholder support and possibly withdrawal of involvement in the project. Inadequate monitoring and evaluation will result in a perception of project failure – and, as perception becomes reality, a project that cannot clearly demonstrate success will always be in danger of being seen as a failure.

Helps manage the project
Monitoring project indicators provides important information to the project manager on how well the project is meeting its objectives. The information gained from evaluating the monitoring will tell the project manager where the project is going to plan and where it is not, and if action is required.

If you don't measure it, you can't manage it
Not collecting the correct monitoring data will mean the project manager may be ‘flying blind' when managing the project. Without the relevant monitoring data the project manager will be making uninformed decisions raising the threat of making wrong decisions and endangering the project.