5.2 Introduction

An evaluation needs to be carefully prepared.

Designing evaluations requires making clear choices about many things including, for example: the purpose of an evaluation; the resources needed; required skills; ethical guidelines; data collection and analysis procedures; and how to encourage evaluation use. Getting these choices right at the beginning is essential to ensure any evaluation will be of good quality. (Stern, 2015, p. 10)

An evaluation project is also a dynamic process. One can expect that some of the process won’t go as planned. If there is clear understanding of the political context, agreement on the objectives, and if the evaluation project was developed with care to ensure strong coherence, one will be able to adapt the project according to changing conditions. A detailed plan that is agreed upon in advance of starting the project can be used as a compass when challenges arise. Sometimes, during the field work, one can be caught in day-to-day dynamics. The evaluation plan will help provide direction on how to maintain the project’s coherence even if some changes need to be made. “Effective evaluators learn to adapt to changed conditions” (Patton, 1997, p. 118). Below we will review elements that need to be taken into consideration when preparing for an evaluation.