Targets and monitoring

 Targets

A programme target is a quantified goal or objective that a programme plans to achieve by a certain date.

Examples: under-five mortality will be reduced by two thirds between 1990 and 2015; 80% of children 0-5 months old will be exclusively breastfed by (year); 80% of under-five children with suspected pneumonia will be treated with antibiotics by (year); 90% of under-five children with acute diarrhoea will receive oral rehydration therapy by (year); 70% of under-five children in malaria risk areas will sleep under insecticide-treated bednets by (year); 100% of primary health care facilities will be staffed with providers trained in IMCI (integrated management of child health) and regularly supplied with essential medicines by (year).

Targets should be set for all types of indicators in the logical flow from process to outputs, outcomes and impact. Obviously, the targets set for impact and outcome indicators should be based on the targets for the output and process indicators, rather than on their own, as they strongly depend on and result from them.

Monitoring

Indicators should be monitored on a regular basis and plans for monitoring them should be included in the master plan for any intervention. Monitoring provides information not only about what is happening and how activities are implemented but also about why things are or are not happening. Monitoring of indicators helps suggest how the intervention needs to be modified during implementation to address the issues identified. In this way, monitoring informs planning.