Baselines and monitoring: More than a means to measure the end
| Published date | 01 March 2021 |
| Date | 01 March 2021 |
| Author | Leanne M Kelly,Carol Reid |
| DOI | 10.1177/1035719X20977522 |
| Subject Matter | Academic Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/1035719X20977522
Evaluation Journal of Australasia
2021, Vol. 21(1) 40 –53
© The Author(s) 2020
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DOI: 10.1177/1035719X20977522
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Baselines and monitoring:
More than a means to
measure the end
Leanne M Kelly
Deakin University, Australia
Carol Reid
The University of Melbourne, Australia
Abstract
Monitoring is largely ignored in its capacity to provide a distinct contribution to
evaluation. It is often thought of as a process of collecting data to feed into an
evaluation, rather than for its own powerful transformative potential. Evaluation is
considered a mechanism for producing findings that enable learning, improvement
and decision-making; but what if monitoring could produce these same outcomes
with, in some cases, greater alignment to quality characteristics of utility, timeliness,
feasibility, propriety, accuracy, completeness and monitoring accountability? This
article examines the utilisation and value of monitoring through a case study of a
government funded 12-month rural health project in Victoria, Australia. The project
initially commissioned a baseline to assess against post-project outcomes. However,
adopting a utilisation-focused perspective to prepare for use and support stakeholder
engagement enabled implementation of a multipurpose monitoring framework. The
case study provides examples of monitoring in action with timely learning, decision-
making and improvements resulting in incremental system and behaviour changes,
rather than relying on periodic outcome recommendations at evaluation completion.
This article adds to evaluation theory and practice through highlighting monitoring
as a significant mechanism for enabling learning, decision-making, and improvement.
Keywords
baseline, developmental evaluation, evaluation, everyday evaluation, health, informal
evaluation, monitoring, rural urgent care, utilisation, utilisation-focused evaluation
Corresponding author:
Leanne M Kelly, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia.
Email: kelea@deakin.edu.au
977522EVJ0010.1177/1035719X20977522Evaluation Journal of AustralasiaKelly and Reid
research-article2020
Academic Article
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