How do you plan monitoring and evaluation? A practical starting point
Nov 11 2026 · Planning
A practical guide to planning M&E: what to decide first, what a plan must contain, and how to keep it usable.
Planning M&E means deciding, before work begins, what you will measure, how, when and who will use it. Start with the change you seek, not the data. A usable plan answers six questions: what change are we seeking (theory of change), what will we measure (indicators), where does the number come from (means of verification), how often (calendar), who is responsible, and how findings will be used. Keep the core plan to one page and put detail in annexes. Involve the people who deliver the programme, because they hold the assumptions the plan must test. Review the plan as context changes. The aim is a plan that is read and used, not one that sits in a folder.
What does planning M&E actually mean?
Planning M&E is the process of agreeing what you will track, how you will collect it, and how you will use it. It is not a form-filling exercise. It is a practical agreement that keeps a programme accountable and able to learn.
The plan should be written before work begins, but it is not fixed. It is a living document that you review as context changes.
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Written for M&E professionals. Not a guarantee of accuracy — always verify every claim against its source, and let a named human sign off. Get the free handbook.