Monitoring

When designing a project, it is important to make provisions for a monitoring system from the start as monitoring concentrates on tracking the progress of inputs, activities and outputs.

Monitoring is thus primarily a management tool, whereby data on what is actually happening on the ground is fed back to the project managers on a continuing basis. By taking prompt corrective action, when necessary, project managers can control the progress of the project and keep it "on course".

Project design must determine where in the project structure the monitoring function should be located, what kind of staff it should seek to have, and to whom they should be reporting. It should also determine what type of information should be collected, how this data should be obtained and the basic reports to be produced by the unit. Accordingly, adequate funds should be foreseen for all of the above.

The appropriate institutional location for project monitoring is a matter of continuing debate. One view is that it should be integrated into the data collection and reporting system of implementing agencies. The argument is that of capitalizing on the "on-the-job training" national staff receives and providing for the sustainability of the system once the project terminates. The counterview is that some large-scale projects impose too many project/donor specific information and reporting requirements that are not relevant to the implementing institution. Thus, a specific time-bound monitoring unit within the project would result in less strain on scarce national resources.