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Evaluation
P:N consultants have carried out evaluation assignments at various
junctures in the life cycle of a program or project. Evaluations have
been used to:
- Check project inputs (e.g. personnel, funds, facilities, equipment)
against targets,
- Assess project operations/activities that transform project
inputs into project outputs,
- Measure project outputs against project targets, and
- Appraise project outputs against the project goal.
P:N consultants classify the various forms of evaluation as follows:
An inputs evaluation performs the function of checking project
inputs at the inception of the project to ensure that, given current
and projected conditions, they are the most appropriate set of inputs
for the achievement of the project goal.
A monitoring function, PLAN:NET views monitoring as an integral
part of project quality management; monitoring should inform decision
making with relevant and timely information. Access to the most current
and accurate information on project implementation is essential for
maximizing the effectiveness of project management. By maintaining
currency with all aspects of project implementation, the Monitor is
able to better identify and flag potential problems before they emerge.
The mid-phase (or periodic) evaluation measures project
achievements in relation to project purpose, and performs two valuable
functions: a) to recommend project changes that, conditions permitting,
lead to achievement of the project's goal; and b) to provide timely
lessons for planning beyond the current life cycle of the project.
The end-of-phase evaluation also measures project achievements
against project purpose and, because of the more advanced time frame,
provides a basis for comparison with results obtained through the
mid-phase evaluation. The post-phase evaluation investigates the extent
to which the purpose has contributed toward the achievement of the
project goal.
Complementarity with Project/Program
The effectiveness of evaluations can be enhanced if their design complements
the program/project's planning system. If monitoring and evaluation
are to be relevant to project implementation, its design must utilize
the information provided in plans and workplans developed by project
staff, as well as the routines for reviewing them. For its part, the
planning and management systems must be flexible enough to convert
monitoring and evaluation feedback into corrective action for improved
implementation.
Stakeholder Participation as a Measure of Success
Successful evaluations, in P:N's view, maximize their relevance to
all stakeholders. To be relevant, evaluation requires (to the extent
possible) the participation of stakeholders in the design, data gathering
and reporting phases of the assignment. In the design of evaluation
assignments, P:N consultants consider key stakeholders as a resource,
offering detailed practical knowledge of their project/organization
and its constituency. This collaborative approach, combined with the
consultant's technical knowledge of evaluation and healthy detachment
from the subject matter, set the stage for an effective enquiry.
Change Management
We are all fond of alluding to the shelves of dust-gathering reports
and the wasted ideas and money they represent. Evaluation is only
as good as the system in place for absorbing its results. Thus, in
its evaluation work, P:N attempts to help establish and work with
the mechanisms by which evaluation results are presented to clients,
adjusted to practical realities and used to improve the quality of
future work in such dimensions as policy, organization, management
and field delivery.
In Essence...
As much as possible, from beginning to end, P:N consultants try to avoid making
evaluation simply an academic exercise. Rather, they regard evaluation as a dynamic
tool to improve project performance - a management tool.
View examples of our current and previous evaluation projects
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