Prior to deciding on what type of research, monitoring/and or evaluation to conduct, an overall objective must be developed. An objective should be a clear and concise statement that can be answered through the collection and analysis of data. The research objective clearly explains what you want to learn from carrying out the research. It should be grounded in a real-life need or issue that it is meant to address. Each study should only have one or two research objectives.
Two key questions should be explored when developing an objective: 1) what is the purpose of collecting data? and 2) what do you want to know?