Unit 9: Monitoring and Evaluation

What Is Monitoring and Evaluation

Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) involves setting up systems to consistently review how the emergency communication response is progressing, what needs to be improved and whether the program goals are being met.

Monitoring is a continuous process that entails the regular collection and analysis of data to assist timely decision making, check whether activities are being executed according to plan, ensure accountability and provide the basis for evaluation and learning.

Evaluation assesses the degree of success obtained and determines to what extent the anticipated outcomes are produced. It measures whether the behavioral communication objectives have been achieved through specific intervention activities. Evaluation also provides insights into lessons learned and promising practices.

Why is M&E Important?

Through M&E it is possible to review how the intervention is progressing, recognize risks and challenges as they develop, and adjust the implementation strategy as necessary to achieve the program goal. In particular, M&E allows you to:

Track progress of activities against indicators
Adapt the strategy as needed against program goals and objectives
Provide accountability to the audiences, partners and donors
Assess the success of communication activities
Identify lessons learned and best practices
Inform future emergency communication response

In the initial phases of an emergency, M&E systems should remain light and dynamic due to time and resource constraints. As the emergency progresses, more formal M&E systems need to be established. The table below highlights some essential M&E steps in relation to each of the emergency phases.

Pre-Crisis	Preparedness	Engage partners and stakeholders Define roles and responsibilities in case of an emergency Define reporting structures and feedback loops Determine basic output level indicators that can be used to monitor initial communication response Establish basic preemptive M&E plan
Initial Crisis	Initial Monitoring	Conduct systematic collection of output-level data Conduct monitoring to check quality of communication response Activate feedback loops Hold regular review meetings Communicate results Make changes to activities as per monitoring results
Maintenance	Formal M&E System	Develop formal M&E Plan Conduct systematic collection of output-level data Conduct monitoring activities to check quality of communication response ·Review and adjust activities as per monitoring results Hold regular review meetings Communicate results and adjustments to activities
Resolution	Formal M&E System
Evaluation	Evaluation	Conduct post-emergency evaluation Gather lessons learned and best practices Share findings Use findings to inform future activities to prevent future crisis

Based on the fact that M&E evolves through a communication response, the following steps are recommended to establish an effective system that allows for the monitoring of activities, informs changes where necessary and assesses progress towards the program goal at the end the emergency:

Key Steps for M&E in Emergency Communication

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