Monitoring is the continuous process of systematic collection of data and information to stay informed of campaign activities, their outcomes, and the degree to which campaign goals and objectives are being met. Monitoring the broader environment helps to recognize new opportunities – or threats that may jeopardize campaign activities and outcomes. Monitoring is essential to verify, at regular intervals, whether the campaign progresses as planned and whether context changes call for adjustments, e.g. different tactics. It is a key part of effective management and therefore needs to be a prominent item in campaign planning. See also When to Adjust a Campaign.
These are campaign management activities to ensure the campaign is run as effectively as possible, and to learn from experience. Monitoring tracks campaign implementation, while evaluation analyses the data and findings tracked to assess the effectiveness of the campaign.
Overall, the monitoring process could be visualized as follows:
Adapted from Shapiro, J., Monitoring and Evaluation, Civicus
For fuller guidance, please refer to Monitoring and Evaluation in this module.