Monitoring and evaluation

Monitoring keeps track of what is happening and evaluation judges the value of the activity, the outcomes and their impact. Setting up monitoring systems should be an integral part of your planning, so do this from the outset, it's much easier than trying to backtrack later.

Monitoring and evaluating your activities

There are four elements to be monitored and evaluated: inputs, outputs, outcomes and impact. Easiest to measure are inputs and outputs relating to time spent, costs and people involved but they only give part of the picture and often the least significant part. Consider a training course. It's straightforward to count how many people came, how much they paid and how much the tutor and room hire cost. But what were the outcomes for individual participants and how did the course make an impact on their professional development?

Monitoring and evaluating your plan

How will you judge success? Work out the key elements which have to be achieved for you to know you are being successful. They are known as critical success factors. Agree on what elements of your organisation's performance you will use to measure your success.

Review by planning team or management committee

Having established how you will judge your plan, bring it on to the agenda of each management committee or board meeting, preferably at the beginning. It is an important agenda item and needs to be considered when everyone is fresh. In reviewing your plan regularly you will be able to see whether you are meeting your targets and whether any factors in the environment have changed which will affect your organisation.

Continuing planning

As the first year progresses, detailed planning for the second year must begin in good time so that budgets and operational plans are ready when needed. It's a good idea to review the plan at least once a year to confirm that aims and objectives are still right, to consider changes in the external environment and to look further into the future.

Find out more about other strategic planning issues and examples in the In more depth section.