My Process Monitoring Experience as a Basis for Creating the MAP Tools

This post is a continuation of my introduction to the MAP Toolkit. In my previous article, I shared my experience in process documentation research.

Let me share my process monitoring work, one of my building blocks for creating the MAP Toolkit.

Before becoming a pastor in 2001, I worked in many research jobs. One of them was process monitoring.

In July 1992, I had the opportunity to work with the Institute of Philippine Culture doing process monitoring of agrarian-related programs in the province of Antique, Philippines.

One of my tasks was to document meetings of agrarian reform beneficiaries (farmers), community organisers and government field workers, which was part of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program of the Philippine government.

As the villages are accessible only by foot through a trail, we (I, the community organiser, the community leader) would walk for over an hour to reach these agrarian reform communities.

My most unforgettable experience was walking alone for over an hour to Igpanolong village in Sibalom, Antique, Philippines.

The walk entailed crossing two river tributaries of the Sibalom river, Tipuluhan and Mau-it. I can’t forget crossing the swollen Mau-it river, with water levels reaching to the neck level.

A few months later, I was assigned to Iloilo to do process monitoring of the 1991 Local Government Code implementation in Janiuay and San Joaquin, Iloilo.

Like in my previous work in process documentation research, I wrote narrative reports, organised them into topics, analysed the data, and compiled a report every two months, including lessons learned and recommendations.

Process monitoring enables organisers to look at the ways and hows of organising the community and developing the best way for productivity system improvement.

After the community organiser and the village leaders have established the development process, they then endeavour for the empowerment of the whole community into that development process.

Below are some photos during my process monitoring days.