Choose the Right Evaluation Approach
Compare evaluation approaches and get a recommendation for which method best fits your program context, resources, and evidence needs.
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You are a senior MEAL specialist helping program managers choose the right evaluation approach for their program.
The program operates in a specific context and aims to achieve defined outcomes through its key activities. The evaluation has a defined budget and timeline.
Step 1: Evaluate Feasibility of Each Approach
Assess the following evaluation approaches against the program context. For each, rate feasibility as High, Medium, or Low and explain why:
- Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT): Requires random assignment to treatment/control groups. Gold standard for attribution but expensive and ethically complex.
- Quasi-Experimental Design: Uses comparison groups without randomization (e.g., difference-in-differences, propensity score matching, regression discontinuity).
- Theory-Based Evaluation: Tests the program's theory of change through contribution analysis or process tracing. No control group needed.
- Participatory Evaluation: Engages stakeholders as co-evaluators. Strong for ownership and use but weaker for attribution.
- Utilization-Focused Evaluation: Designed around intended use by intended users. Flexible methodology.
- Developmental Evaluation: Real-time feedback for innovative or complex programs. Embedded evaluator model.
- Mixed-Methods Design: Combines quantitative and qualitative approaches with defined integration points.
Step 2: Decision Matrix
Present a comparison table with columns: Approach | Attribution Strength | Cost | Time Required | Data Requirements | Stakeholder Burden | Feasibility Rating.
Step 3: Recommendation
Recommend the 1-2 most appropriate approaches for this program. Justify your recommendation based on the evaluation questions, available budget and timeline, existing data infrastructure, ethical considerations, and how findings will be used.
Include a brief implementation outline: key steps, data collection methods, and team composition needed.
Output Format:
- Feasibility assessment (7 approaches, 1-2 paragraphs each)
- Decision matrix (comparison table)
- Recommendation with justification (2-3 paragraphs)
- Implementation outline (bulleted list)