How monitoring data feeds into evaluations

Evaluations occupy the two upper segments of the monitoring and evaluation pyramid; the lower levels feed into the process of the upper levels by providing lessons based on findings.
Intervention-level evaluations require data collected through internal and external monitoring systems, which are then triangulated, Primary data are collected for these by the evaluation team through a wide range of methods and tools including key informant interviews, focus group discussions and surveys. These evaluations are conducted mid-way through implementation and/or at the end of an intervention and are an integral part of the intervention cycle.

Operational managers do not rely exclusively on evaluations for monitoring throughout implementation. They are responsible for continuous monitoring of interventions and evaluations are not continuous processes, as they take place at specific points in time and have their own objectives. Financial, administrative and operational monitoring data contribute to informing and complete the evaluators' assessment of the intervention's performance. Evaluators verify monitoring systems data and analyse why and how the reported changes happened.

Strategic evaluations (and/or meta-evaluations) of thematic or country-level programmes use evaluation and — to some extent — monitoring reports from individual interventions as a source of evidence. They benefit from a longer time span and portfolio size, which enable evaluators to draw lessons learned and recommendations at the portfolio or country/regional level.