The role of monitoring and evaluation in construction project management

This paper seeks to give meaning to the monitoring and evaluation practice in construction project delivery. The practice of monitoring and evaluation in the building and construction industry appears to be side-lined whereas other project management areas are given much attention in project delivery. Hence resulting in the neglect and the less attention given to the monitoring and evaluation of the entire project implementation process to ensure the successful completion of projects. The study adopts an extensive desk review approach to explain the role of monitoring and evaluation throughout the life cycle of project delivery. The study revealed that monitoring and evaluation is the only project activity which begins with the initiation of the project until project closure. Some project scope requires monitoring and evaluation to be practised beyond project implementation to ascertain the impact of the implemented project on beneficiaries and end users. The study concludes that effective M&E plays a critical role in construction project implementation given the needed attention by the project implementors/team by providing adequate resources, technical capacity building and providing a conducive project environment and the involvement and participation of stakeholder in M&E will see project performance improved.