Document detail

Managing evaluations in the field: step-by-step planning guidance. Analysis and evidence

Geneva: International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) (2022), 17 pp.
"This guidance is useful for ICRC teams in the field managing different evaluation types that cover various interventions. Importantly, it is not an evaluation manual. Nor is it the only source to draw on when planning and managing an evaluation. It should be used in conjunction with other ICRC policies, standards and guidance on which the evaluation relies. In this document, we use the term “evaluation” as a catch-all term to refer to evaluations, impact evaluations, evaluative reviews and learning workshops. Evaluations are determined by a level of objectivity and/or independence and are conducted according to clear lines of inquiry and a methodological approach (see section 3). Specifically, when we refer to an evaluation, we understand it as follows: The systematic and objective assessment of an ongoing or completed project, programme or policy, its design, implementation and results. The aim is to determine the relevance and fulfilment of objectives, developmental efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability. An evaluation should provide information that is credible and useful, enabling the incorporation of lessons learnt into the decision-making process of both recipients and donors. Likewise, we use the term “intervention” to refer to the subject of the evaluation, including all the various types of work or efforts that may be evaluated (such as a project, programme, strategy, thematic area, or other activity or action). This document will also prove useful for those guiding design, strategic planning and results management at the start of the intervention. A good evaluation relies on effective monitoring, evaluation and learning systems within the intervention cycle. Gaining clarity on what success looks like at the design phase of an intervention helps to make the intervention assessable." (p.3)
Contents
1 What this guidance is for and how to use it, 2
2 What support is available to help manage evaluations? 3
3 Evaluation types, 4
4 How do evaluations relate to monitoring and audits? 6
5 Managing an evaluation: a step-by-step guide, 7
Step 1: Evaluability assessment
Step 2: Establish an evaluation reference group
Step 3: Develop the evaluation TOR
Step 4: Recruit an appropriate evaluation team or evaluators
Step 5: Oversee the inception phase
Step 6: Oversee the evaluation phase
Step 7: Have the reference group validate the final evaluation report
Step 8: Review progress on implementing the recommendations
Step 9: Disseminate the evaluation report in accordance with the ICRC's policies and objectives
Annex 1: Evaluation questions organized by Criterion, 15