Live Online Project Assessment and Evaluation Training

Funders, boards and communities increasingly want proof that a project was worth doing and that its results will last, not just a list of completed activities. The week covers appraisal before approval, including needs assessment, feasibility studies, cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis, and reviewing risks and assumptions in a logical framework. You will then plan evaluations using the OECD DAC criteria of relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability. Sessions explain theories of change, indicator selection, baselines, evaluation designs and mixed-method data collection, from surveys and key informant interviews to focus groups.

Working in teams, you appraise a case investment, draft evaluation questions and terms of reference, and critique a real evaluation report for rigour and usefulness. Further topics include managing external evaluators, ethics and data quality, and writing findings and recommendations that decision makers will act on. Project managers, M&E officers, planners, programme officers and auditors in government, NGOs and the private sector will find it relevant. Afterwards you can judge whether a proposal stacks up, design a proportionate evaluation and present evidence on performance with credibility.