Local managers and specialists understand their issues and resources best and, therefore, are best able to design a monitoring project to meet their specific needs. Methodology is the last refuge of the sterile mind. That may be an odd statement to find in a methods guide, but the success of a monitoring project does not start with choosing methods. On the contrary, the probability of failure increases as the investigator's thinking becomes method rather than problem oriented. Planning is the selection and prearrangement of events for the predictable attainment of an objective.
Planning is the most difficult and even tedious aspect of a project.
It requires mental discipline and exercise, which can be frustrating and exhausting even for practiced minds. The investigator must often draw from principles of unfamiliar disciplines, such as business management and statistics. The rewards of planning are great. Planning increases the chances of success and reduces losses, caused by unforeseen difficulties. Planning without action is futile.