What do we need for better monitoring?

This blog by Jo Hall and Patricia Rogers provides an update on the Global Partnership for Better Monitoring project.
This blog by Jo Hall and Patricia Rogers provides an update on the Global Partnership for Better Monitoring project.
Evaluation use is a key issue for the evaluation community. The aim of evaluation is to be influential, so it should be of use to policymakers, programme developers, project planners and managers. I recently used a survey of evaluators to explore the concept of evaluation use, how evaluation practitioners view it and how this translates into their work – in other words, how evaluators are reporting and supporting evaluation use and influence.
Effective monitoring is essential for managing performance, however, despite this, monitoring is often undervalued and understood quite narrowly.
While the term “Monitoring and Evaluation” (M&E) is widely used, the monitoring function has not always benefitted from the same level of investment, professionalization and systems strengthening as the evaluation function. Instead, the monitoring function is often relegated to or viewed as a lower-level, technical function. This comes at the expense of really using monitoring to manage performance and maximise impact.
As of September 9th, BetterEvaluation’s inaugural CEO, Patricia Rogers has passed on the reins to the BetterEvaluation team and Mark Madden, the interim CEO. In this blog post, Patricia shares some of her highlights over the past 12 years.
Eleanor Williams is the Director of the Centre for Evaluation and Research Evidence at the Victorian Department of Health.
We’re currently going through a global period of rapid change and adaption, due in large part to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our lives and work. As our world is changing, many individuals and organisations are finding that traditional evaluation methods are not meeting the needs of rapidly changing implementation or brand new interventions where interventions are being designed as they are implemented. It’s in this context that it’s become important to use evidence and support learning in real-time.
Before I joined TCC Group as an evaluation and learning consultant, I was a therapist. My days consisted of listening to people as they tried to navigate and make meaning of their lives. It was during this season of my life that I came to be a steadfast believer in the importance of having good facilitation skills. Good facilitation skills are essential for drawing out meaningful insights during an exchange.
Happy New Year to all our members and users. While we’re happy to wish the year 2020 farewell, many of the challenges and difficulties that arose over the past 12 months are still with us, as is the sadness over the many different forms of loss we’ve all experienced. We’re entering 2021 with a spirit of reflection, inspired by how the global community has pivoted and innovated, and determined to meet the ongoing challenges of 2021 and help our community do their best work.
Some of the things we’re proud of over the past 12 months
We were saddened to learn of the passing of Marie-Gervais in mid-December 2020. Marie, Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Laval University, Quebec, made a lasting contribution to the French-speaking evaluation community in Canada, Europe and Africa.
We wanted to honour Marie’s legacy by sharing some of the initiatives she supported and some of her ideas on improving evaluation practice.
This week we wanted to share and celebrate the important contributions to improving evaluation from John Mayne, a Fellow of the Canadian Evaluation Society and twice recipient of the CES Award for Contribution to Evaluation in Canada.