When people say 'M&E', they make the distinction between ongoing collection of data (the 'monitoring aspect of M&E), and the periodic summation and analysis of this ongoing data collection. Normally there are specialised 'M&E' experts who have to be hired to help explain what needs to be done, and to help the organisation understand their own 'M&E' components. In our experience, most organisations believe that 'M&E' is a 'necessary evil'.
We however, feel strongly that there is some 'techno-baffle going on. That is 'M&E' is being made far harder than it needs to be. There is a suspicion that like the medics of the 17th Century who chose to label everything in Latin to keep those not trained ignorant, today's 'M&E' experts make mountains out of mole hills - and charge accordingly!
We'd like to take the view that if your organisation cannot see the value of the monitoring programme that is implemented, then really it's useless.