Practical Guide for Engaging Stakeholders in Developing Evaluation Questions

Soliciting input from stakeholders early in the evaluation design process allows for more relevant, credible and useful measurement of impact. This practical guide outlines five steps to engage stakeholders effectively.

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Seve Billig	(4/20/2011 4:21:17 PM)

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I liked the report but recommend one important alternative to the approach. The report focuses on engaging stakeholders in the development of questions. I suggest that the process should focus on information objectives rather than questions. In my experience peple often suggest interesting questions without thinking through the utility of the answer. The approach I have often used is to begin with exploring with stakeholders what the most important issues/challenges the have relevant to the program. Then, what are the most important decisions they face related to those issues? Then, what information do they need to support and guide those decisions? That list of needed information becomes the master list of information objectives.

This process ensures that all important issues will be addressed and all information gathered will be useful.

The actual construction of questions is then left to research professionals, to be reviewed by stakeholders for validity and reliability.

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Hallie Preskill	(4/27/2011 1:50:08 PM)

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Thanks, Seve, for your suggestion. We are in total agreement here. While the guide is focused on an end goal of developing the key evaluation questions, getting to those questions involves various kinds of conversations. To be sure, one such discussion should include identifying the objectives of the evaluation, clarifying what success of the program and the evaluation would look like, and articulating the program's theory of change (and logic model or outcome map). With regard to your suggestion that the actual construction of the questions be left to research professionals, I would only add that once stakeholders have provided their input into what the questions are, then it is the job of the evaluator(s) to craft the questions, ensuring that the stakeholders' voices and information interests are respected and included. I'm glad you found the Guide to be useful. Thanks!