Module 4 – Evaluation: General Characteristics

25/02/20162 Overview of the Module Definitions Purposes Milestones Stakeholders A win-win exercise

25/02/20163 Program evaluation consists in using scientific research methods to check the design, the implementation and the effectiveness of the program. (General Accounting Office, USA) Definitions of Evaluation Evaluating the effectiveness of a program consists in using scientific research methods to assess what part of the results, both intended and not, can be attributed to program activities. The causal relationship is established by comparing the actual results with an estimation of what the results would have been without this program. (General Accounting Office, USA)

25/02/20164 Various Definitions (cont.) Evaluation is a project management tool which makes it possible to better program for the future based on the past and to inform the various stakeholders. It is also a control instrument that is part of the trust reinforcement process. (ONG Round Table, Jan. 94, France.)

25/02/20165 Evaluation is a function that consists in making an appraisal, as systematically and objectively as possible, of an ongoing or finished project, program or series of courses of actions, its design, its implementation and its results. The purpose is to assess the relevance of the objectives and the extent to which they were attained, the efficiency in development terms, the efficacy and the viability. (Development Assistance Committee DAC/OECD) Various Definitions (cont.)

25/02/20166 To evaluate is to communicate. (UNICEF) The evaluation of a program is its periodical, unbiased and objective review to determine, in view of the circumstances, to what extent its objectives, its design and its results, both expected and unexpected, are satisfactory. The evaluation explores the purpose of the program, its effects and its cost-effectiveness compared to other approaches. (Treasury Board of Canada.) Evaluation is the measurement of the interactions between a development project and its context. (IRFED) Various Definitions (cont.)

25/02/20167 Various Definitions (cont.) verifying the relevance and the coherence of the initial objectives; assessing how resources are put to use and how adequate they are in relation to the objectives; measuring if the objectives have been attained and if the results are sustainable. (Evaluation Guide (July 2001),Bureau de l'évaluation, DGCID, MAE, France) The purpose of evaluation is to pass a judgement on the value of an action. It aims at:

25/02/20168 For the World Bank The purpose of evaluation is to measure to what extent and with what degree of efficiency operational programs and activities produce the desired results and to reuse the information gathered to outline new directions, policies and procedures. Evaluation is an essential instrument that supports a result-based management approach aimed at providing a framework for strategic planning and management based on the principles of knowledge improvement and responsibility sharing.

What are the Purposes of Evaluation ? Discussion

25/02/ Know, understand and learn lessons Manage, monitor Decide People in charge Manager, Operational staff Researcher Know, be informed Public, beneficiaries, contributors 4 main purposes Purposes of an Evaluation

25/02/ Projects, programs, policies Scope of an Evaluation

25/02/ The “Key Milestones" of an Evaluation

25/02/ Key Evaluation Products BeforeDuring At the end Afterwards To check the design To improve the implementation For accountability purposes To assess the impact Program Start

25/02/ Types of Evaluations Formative Evaluation –Aims at improving the functioning of an existing program –Carried out during the implementation of the program –Involves stakeholders and operational staff who will learn during the evaluation and then redirect the project, if needed. Summative Evaluation –Done to evaluate the results of a project or program (its effects) –Carried out once the program is over –Makes it possible to grasp the totality of the results (the ‘sum’).

25/02/ Donor Partner country Possible co-funders Evaluating body Project operational staff External experts Stakeholders/ beneficiaries ? Who Participates in an Evaluation?

25/02/ Donor Partner country Possible co-funders Evaluating body Project operational staff External experts Stakeholders/ beneficiaries Self-evaluation Who Participates in an Evaluation?

25/02/ Donor Partner country Possible co-funders Evaluating body Project operational staff External experts Stakeholders/ beneficiaries Internal evaluation Who Participates in an Evaluation?

25/02/ Donor Partner country Possible co-funders Evaluating body Project operational staff External experts Stakeholders/ beneficiaries Joint evaluation Who Participates in an Evaluation?

25/02/ Donor Partner country Possible co-funders Evaluating body Project operational staff External experts Stakeholders/ beneficiaries External evaluation Who Participates in an Evaluation?

25/02/ Donor Partner country Possible co-funders Evaluating body Project operational staff External experts Stakeholders/ beneficiaries External evaluation Including partners External evaluation Including partners Who Participates in an Evaluation?

25/02/ Donor Partner country Possible co-funders Evaluating body Project operational staff External experts Stakeholders/ beneficiaries Participative Evaluation Who Participates in an Evaluation?

25/02/ … as long as norms and ethical principles are respected Evaluation, a Win-Win Exercise… Methods used in evaluations Confrontation with facts and standards, use of documents, suitable methods and credibility of findings Transparency and pluralism Dialogue Outside perspective on things Logic, the ultimate weapon