Tag Archives: commissioners of evaluation

Lifting the quality of evaluation #3: Evaluation associations with focus

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Jane Davidson

Two things that make or break the quality and value of evaluation are: Evaluation-savvy clients Capable evaluators who know their ‘space’ What’s #3? #3: Professional evaluation associations with focus! The vast majority of professional evaluation associations around the world are … Continue reading →

Posted in Commissioning evaluation, The client's role, Value for money | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

9 golden rules for commissioning a waste-of-money evaluation

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Jane Davidson

There may well be some managers out there who have yet to experience the thrill of commissioning a total waste-of-money evaluation. Well, thankfully, your colleagues around the world have been working diligently on building a knowledge base just for you! Continue reading →

Posted in Evaluation team composition, Learning from failure, The client's role | Tagged , , , , | 29 Comments

How to spot a ‘lip service’ approach to culturally responsive evaluation (a checklist for evaluation clients)

Posted on May 24, 2010 by Jane Davidson

So you’ve put out an RFP for an evaluation of a policy, program or initiative intended to serve and effect positive change in a “minority” community. All the proposals look terribly impressive, and they all include “cultural experts” on the evaluation team. How can you distinguish the proposals that show a clear understanding of what it takes to do effective and culturally responsive evaluations from those that merely pay ‘lip service’ to cultural competence? Continue reading →

Posted in Appropriate criteria and standards, Appropriate inference, Appropriate reporting, Community programs, Cultural context, Evaluation team composition, Evaluative questions & answers, The client's role | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Culture – insiders’ and outsiders’ insights – and genuine evaluation

Posted on February 23, 2010 by Jane Davidson

One great area of interest for me is the study of organizational culture and organizational culture change. I’d like to present a few ideas from that area and see how they apply to the concept of culture more generally. And, how these insights might be able to drive us closer to genuine evaluation. What mix of ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’ can provide rich insights into what really matters and help surface important undiscussables? Continue reading →

Posted in Community programs, Cultural context, Government programs, The client's role, Values-based | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Who’s responsible for un-genuine evaluation?

Posted on February 5, 2010 by Jane Davidson

When evaluations turn out to be major disappointments, there’s often a pervasive assumption that it is ALL the evaluator’s fault. In my view, at least as much responsibility rests on the client side. I have seen entire “evaluation” reports with absolutely no evaluation questions, and sometimes with not even a research question in sight! Where on earth was the client when the discussions were being had about what they needed to know? Continue reading →

Posted in The client's role | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment