Development aid is changing rapidly. Development evaluation needs to change with it.
Planning in a Complex Environment
Linear, mechanistic planning is increasingly seen as problematic. Traditional feedback loops are too slow to influence decision-making. A new generation of evaluations is needed — one that reflects the unpredictability and complexity of systems.
We need more responsive, more frequent, and lighter evaluations that can adapt to rapidly changing circumstances.
Multi-Level Mixed Methods Become the Norm
An evaluation based on a single method is simply not good enough. Mixed methods allow for triangulation — comparative analysis that enables us to capture complex realities from multiple perspectives.
Outcomes Count
What ultimately matters — and should be monitored and evaluated — are outcomes and impact. Not how something is done, but what happens as a result.
This blog was originally published in 2014 as a guest blog in BetterEvaluation.