Ways To Enhance Your Monitoring and Evaluation Career

Are you in the M&E field, and have you been thinking of ways to enhance your monitoring and evaluation career? Today, we meet Mark, a cost controller at a supply chain company in Kenya. As a cost controller, he is responsible for controlling project costs, which involves planning, developing, controlling, and forecasting the project’s budget. Monitoring and evaluation have proved to be critical aspects of his career.

“I need to improve in monitoring and evaluation skills because it will increase the efficiency of the planning process and implementation of measures. It will also help me optimize the use of resources and provide empirical evidence for future planning and appraisal of any measures, which is why these skills are important for me”, he added.

We discussed with Mark ways to enhance his monitoring and evaluation career, which include; 

1. Subscribe To Online Platforms

One way to enhance your monitoring and evaluation career is through online platforms. I advised Mark to subscribe to platforms like Open Data Kit, which offers various resources and expertise in M&E. The advantage of online learning is the accessibility to a variety of information that can be employed to develop M&E expertise.

2. Join An Evaluation Society Or Association

Joining a regional evaluation society such as the Evaluation Society of Kenya (ESK) is also one way to develop your monitoring and evaluation career. Being a member not only provides credibility but also grows your network and keeps professionals informed about local developments in M&E.

3. Set Output Indicators

As a cost controller, it is important to establish output indicators specific to the role. These indicators provide information about the outputs delivered, the recipients, and the level of their satisfaction. This helps to track and report the work delivered and ensures alignment with project goals and budget, which is one of the essential ways to enhance your monitoring and evaluation career.

4. Find a Mentor

Lastly, I advised Mark that seeking guidance from a mentor in the M&E field can be beneficial. You should identify a respected figure in the M&E community and build networking skills to connect with them. Mentors offer practical advice and insights based on their experience, helping mentees to excel in their careers. This is one of the great methods to strengthen your monitoring and evaluation career.

Conclusion

By implementing these strategies, Mark can enhance his M&E skills and improve efficiency in project planning and implementation. These skills will enable him to optimize resource utilization and provide empirical evidence for future planning and appraisal of measures. These strategies are essential ways to enhance your monitoring and evaluation career.

Do you want to enhance your monitoring and evaluation knowledge? Sign up for this Monitoring and evaluation training today.