is a continuous function that uses the systematic collection of data on specified indicators to provide management and the main stakeholders of a project with an indication of the extent of progress and achievement of objectives, and progress in the use of allocated funds.
Monitoring and evaluation are commonly spoken of together under the M&E acronym, while in fact they are two distinct yet complementary functions.
Glossary
monitoring
Source
IOM, 2020.
Monitoring can be conducted in a variety of ways, can vary in the frequency of conduct and can be tailored to a specific context, usually related to the policy’s objectives. Monitoring provides information on day-to-day effectiveness. Its purpose is not to set a value on the policy under observation or to measure a policy’s overall impact. Yet monitoring does provide data derived from the period of implementation, which is crucial for learning and for informing adjustments to policy design and implementation.
Monitoring allows us to anticipate problems with the policy and proactively make appropriate adjustments. It helps understand:
- Whether planned activities are actually taking place;
- Where there are gaps in implementation;
- How efficiently resources have been/are being used;
- Whether the intervention’s operating context has changed, requiring adjustment to implementation.
In order to understand how to monitor a policy, clarity on why a policy should be monitored is helpful. The objectives of policy monitoring in the migration context might include:
- Satisfying accountability obligations;
- Keeping abreast of changes in implementation;
- Informing decision-making;
- Learning lessons.
Monitoring can often be confused with reporting. While reporting refers to the compilation, transfer and distribution of information, monitoring encompasses also the collection and analysis, on a regular basis, of the information required for reporting. Monitoring is the planning, designing, selecting of methods, and systematic gathering and analysis of the content for reporting, while reporting summarizes that content with the purpose of delivering information.
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Figure 1. The process of monitoring
When to monitor?
Monitoring is undertaken on an ongoing basis during implementation of a policy initiative and continues even when the initiative is fully operational, after pilot or initial stages. The frequency and focus of monitoring efforts will differ depending, for instance, on the nature of the policy, on design of monitoring activities and on the human and financial resources available. Monitoring questions can be asked regularly throughout and beyond initial implementation.
Figure 2 shows that monitoring supports understanding of what is happening during the activities and outputs phases. Measuring change resulting from the policy at the objective level requires a longer timeframe and is most commonly dealt with by evaluation rather than monitoring activities. Monitoring, however, plays a key role in collecting data during implementation that are relevant to measuring expected changes upon completion.
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Figure 2. Questions to ask during monitoring
Source
Adapted from IOM (2020).
Note: Measuring changes at the objectives level requires a longer time frame and therefore is dealt with by evaluation.
How to monitor policies – approaches and tools
The approach to monitoring, and the tools employed, depend on:
- the scope and nature of the policy interventions;
- how accountabilities have been established;
- what resources and tools are available.
Performance frameworks, such as results-based approaches or logframes, may be employed to establish indicators for performance and collect the key data used to measure it. The form these frameworks take may be guided by the accountable ministry or at a higher level in a coordinating government agency, or by external donors where relevant. Monitoring may be critical for external reporting and scrutiny on progress; for example, for a higher stakes policy, reporting to parliament or national oversight bodies may be required.
When monitoring the interventions through which a policy is implemented, the focus (and related monitoring approaches) may be on:
- Programme targeting, e.g. capturing the data on the number of users accessing a programme, such as through measuring how often a website or information kiosk is accessed;
- Service standards, e.g. tracking processing or wait times, for instance, for border screening or application processing which could include checking on the beneficiaries’ experience through conducting client interviews or surveys;
- Outcomes, e.g. tracking achievements in integration programmes, such as employment rates further to a labour integration programme or language acquisition, using case studies or data from implementing partners;
- Efficiency, e.g. tracking expenditure on staffing resources for visa processing and revenue generated through visa fees to offset costs.
When choosing the appropriate indicators for monitoring purposes, consideration needs to be given to the appropriate rights-based indicators that measure how rights principles have been incorporated (see more on the benefits of a rights-based approach in State sovereignty and human rights. For more on including gender considerations in monitoring and evaluation, see Gender-responsive migration governance).
To Go Further
- Tsui, J., S. Hearn and J. Young, Monitoring and evaluation of policy influence and advocacy, 2014.
Explores the notion of policy influence and includes approaches to monitoring and evaluating it. - IOM, Migration and the 2030 Agenda: A Guide for Practitioners, 2018a.
This guide is designed to serve government actors involved in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) implementation, including SDG target monitoring and reporting in relation to migration.
Key messages
- Monitoring provides operational data on outputs and performance. It will be enabled by good planning at the policy formulation and implementation stages.