The Difference Between Monitoring And Evaluation

Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) are terms I am sure you have come across more than once. Any business or organization that is bent on improving their performance employs these two processes.

The funny thing is, most will assume the two terms are the same.

Well, they are not.

In as much they might both be used to improve the efficiency of a project, monitoring has a function entirely different from that of evaluation.

Before you learn the differences, let me first take you through their definition.

What is Monitoring & Evaluation?

Monitoring and Evaluation are tools used by organizations to keep control of their activities, as well as help, improve productivity. The two need to be defined separately for more clarity.

Definitions:

• Monitoring is an organized, periodic task starting from the planning phase of a project. Understanding the difference between monitoring and evaluation helps clarify that monitoring oversees activities to determine if set goals are achievable, identifying and correcting any obstacles.
• Evaluation is a scientific process assessing a project’s success in meeting objectives. Knowing the difference between M&E highlights that evaluation can occur after specific phases, not just upon project completion, and is measured against the set objectives.

While monitoring is a continuous process performed at the functional level of management, evaluation is performed periodically at the business level.

For a bit more clarity on the differences between the two, let me categorize them into 5 sections.

5 Differences Between Monitoring & Evaluation:

1. Meaning:

• Monitoring examines the progress of a project, identifying issues or confirming its well-being. Recognizing the difference between monitoring and evaluation reveals that evaluation, on the other hand, concludes the effectiveness or success of a project or program.

2. Nature:

• Monitoring is based on observation. The difference between monitoring and evaluation shows that evaluation involves judgment.

3. Duration:

• The difference between Monitoring & Evaluation is that monitoring is short-term and focused on collecting information about the project’s progress while evaluation is long-term focused on assessing outcomes and impacts.

4. Objective:

• Monitoring aims to improve efficiency by removing obstacles during the project. The difference between M&E becomes clear when we see that evaluation focuses on improving effectiveness and identifying areas of success or failure compared to setting standards to guide future actions.

5. Performed by:

• Monitoring is conducted by internal parties. Understanding the difference between monitoring and evaluation helps recognize that evaluation is done by external parties.

Conclusion

Though monitoring and evaluation are often seen as a package, understanding the difference between monitoring and evaluation is essential as they are performed at different times for different purposes. For you to be a marketable employee, especially in the NGO sector, you need to study monitoring and evaluation immediately today!