How It Works

A structured assessment to determine if your program is ready for a meaningful evaluation.

Answer 7 Questions

Rate your readiness on each factor using descriptive levels from 1 (not ready) to 5 (fully ready).

Get Your Score

Your total score out of 35 places you in one of four readiness bands with a clear recommendation.

Focus Your Efforts

See which factors are weakest and get specific guidance on what to strengthen before proceeding.

Evaluation Readiness Assessment

Assess whether your program is ready for evaluation across seven key factors.

Question 1 of 70/7 answered

Clear Purpose and Questions

Your evaluation has a well-defined purpose and specific questions it will answer.

When Should You Evaluate?

Evaluation readiness depends on several factors beyond just having a program to evaluate. Organizations that rush into evaluation without adequate preparation often produce findings that are unreliable, unusable, or both. The seven readiness factors in this tool are drawn from standard evaluation planning checklists used by international development organizations.

Key considerations:

Program maturity matters. Programs need 12-18 months of stable operation before summative evaluation is meaningful. Earlier evaluations should focus on process and implementation questions.
Data must exist before you can analyze it. If systematic data collection has not been happening, invest in data systems before evaluation.
Organizational commitment is non-negotiable. Evaluations that lack leadership buy-in rarely lead to program improvements, regardless of quality.
Timing affects quality. Conducting evaluations during major transitions or peak periods produces lower-quality data and strains staff.

Evaluation Planning Resources

Evaluation Design Guide

Plan your evaluation design and methodology once you are ready.

Sampling Calculator

Calculate sample sizes for your evaluation data collection.

MEL Planning Guide

Build a complete monitoring, evaluation, and learning plan.

Need Help Planning Your Evaluation?

Our advisory services help M&E teams design evaluations that produce useful, credible findings within realistic constraints.

See How We Work Talk to an Expert

When Should You Evaluate?

Key considerations:

Program maturity matters. Programs need 12-18 months of stable operation before summative evaluation is meaningful. Earlier evaluations should focus on process and implementation questions.
Data must exist before you can analyze it. If systematic data collection has not been happening, invest in data systems before evaluation.
Organizational commitment is non-negotiable. Evaluations that lack leadership buy-in rarely lead to program improvements, regardless of quality.
Timing affects quality. Conducting evaluations during major transitions or peak periods produces lower-quality data and strains staff.