1. What are the benefits to doing an evaluation?
2. When is it better to hire someone to conduct an evaluation versus doing it myself?
3. What qualities should I look for when hiring an external evaluator?
4. My company is really pressed for time. Isn't evaluation a lot of work?
5. What can I expect during the course of the evaluation?

Conducting evaluation can save time and money in designing a new program, modifying a production process, or allocating project funding. Evaluations allow you to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses at the point of inception as well as over time, provide evidence of program viability to stakeholders, and observe how a program changes over time (longitudinal studies can be to your benefit for funding or public relations reasons).

• External Evaluation – Hire an external evaluator when you clearly need an unbiased judgment about the evaluand for funding or organizational structure requirements. External evaluators also have the ability to draw on years of experience, and can offer a fresh perspective of the evaluand. An external evaluation can also free up time for the actual project execution, saving your staff time and money.
• Internal Evaluation – Conduct an evaluation yourself when working with small-scale evaluations. Sometimes smaller projects can be done more efficiently and effectively in-house, saving you the time to orient and transfer information to an external evaluator. You may also want to conduct an evaluation yourself when environmental, political, or organizational structures are key to program success, as external evaluators may not have that knowledge of your organization.
• Other factors to consider include
  • cost (of the evaluation, of not conducting an evaluation, of time that could be devoted to other projects)
  • availability (of personnel, equipment, subject matter expertise, or other resources)
  • ability to collect and analyze information in a timely, objective, and organized manner
  • flexibility in designing the evaluation based on the particular evaluand and associated questions, criteria, and standards
  • internal and external perceptions of the program and its potential evaluation
  • accountability requirements imposed by funders
  • willingness to provide or receive constructive criticism
  • utilization of evaluation results and recommendations for program improvement, policy formulation, etc.
  • dissemination of results to appropriate stakeholders
  • ethical issues associated with the evaluation effort
  • organizational investment of time, money, personnel, or other resources into the evaluand

Depending on the nature of the evaluand, some evaluations are better conducted in cooperation with both an external evaluator and internal employees (e.g., collaborative evaluation).

• Acquires strong educational background in evaluation
• Demonstrates knowledge application of sound evaluation principles and methods
• Possesses evaluation experience in a variety of organizations
• Maintains a good relationship with stakeholders
• Provides reliable communication and reporting
• Sets realistic evaluation goals and timelines
• Stays at or under budget
• Produces clear, straightforward evaluation results, conclusions, and recommendations
• Provides follow-up consultation

Evaluation can be a lengthy or streamlined process depending on the evaluand and the need to answer corresponding questions. However, the benefits (see FAQ #1) far outweigh the disadvantages in being able to have greater visibility of what is and is not working in a program, process, product, or policy. Evaluation can be done internally or externally, so any tasks can be allocated accordingly.

See our 6-step process.