Following are some recommendations I usually make to organizations in order to improve their evaluation process. I have structured them in a prioritized order.

• Make the evaluation process more participatory. This would imply the involvement of the stakeholders and interested parties in all phases of the evaluation:

• design – the staff holds critical information about the program evolution, so it is important to organize brainstorming sessions in all offices (i.e. during a staff meeting) to determine the issues which should be included in the evaluations, the tools which would work best for their sites as well as indicators which could be measured;
• gathering and analyzing data – with a more clear understanding of the goals and uses of the evaluation, as well as a sense of belonging, the stakeholders could better explain these to the participants, and thus gather more accurate information;
• concluding and making recommendations – a final brainstorming should take place after the data is analyzed, so as to involve staff members and other stakeholders in elaborating recommendations for the program, as well as drawing conclusions on the future of the program.

It is crucial that the process involves all characteristics of a participatory evaluation: participant focus and ownership, negotiations, inclusion of diverse views, a flexible design and participant’s involvement in conducting the evaluation (1) . The evaluation could thus be transformed into a learning process which would benefit both the program and its users.

• Involve cultural and regional aspects into the evaluation. This becomes particularly true where there are various countries participating in the project, as they have different cultural, geographical and political backgrounds, the evaluation should be designed to incorporate various needs of all regions.
• Train the local staff. All staff members (or at least the management team) should be trained on how to conduct an evaluation, how to use data collection tools, data analysis and evaluation ethics.
• Increase funding for evaluation. Many organizations do not allocate funds to the evaluation process thinking it can is part of the project management per se. But we have to keep in mind that not spending any money on evaluations can increase latter costs in the program. Monetary incentives should be offered to facilitators, and incentives should be a must at all the meetings. Additionally, to create a relaxing atmosphere for case studies, participants could be interviewed over dinner or lunch. In a less formal environment, they could be more prone to providing more feed back.
• Establish a control group and take into account critical assumptions. Other outside factors should be taken into account when planning and conducting the evaluation. As an example, a special control group should be established to compare the results and verify their accuracy.

Do not hesitate to contact me if you want more information or if you want to set-up a “Basic Principles of Project Evaluation” two-day training for your team.

(1) - “Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Tips: Conducting a Participatory Evaluation”, USAID Center for Development Information and Evaluation, 1996, Number 1

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