Competency frameworks

Synonyms:

Evaluator competencies

Competencies are the skills, knowledge, attributes and behaviours needed to fulfil particular roles.

Competency frameworks can be used to strengthen individual and organisational capacity in terms of Knowledge, Skills and Competencies, as shown in the following diagram from the UNAIDS (2010) Standards for a Competency-based Approach to Monitoring and Evaluation Curricula & Trainings.

Knowledge, skills, and competencies (KSC) Capacity Building Framework. A flowchart box 1 'KSC' leads to box 2 'Individual KSC assessment, e.g. UMAT', which leads to two options under the frame 'KSC gap analysis'. At the individual level this leads to a professional development plan, then an individual training plan. At the organisational level, this leads to a capacity building strategic plan, which leads to curriculum development and training materials development.

Source: UNAIDS (2010, p.11)

Competencies can also be used to recruit staff, create or select evaluation teams, develop an internal evaluation function, signal what is needed for effective M&E, and develop accredited education programs delivered by external providers such as universities.

Competencies can be stated in terms of a list or linked to a rating scale (such as entry/novice, proficient/skilled, mastery/expert).

Some competency frameworks relate to M&E, many to evaluation only and some to monitoring.

Competency frameworks can be developed by government departments (for example, the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation, South Africa), by VOPEs - Voluntary Organisations for Professional Evaluation (for example, the International Development Evaluation Association IDEAS), or by a network of organisations such as The Global Evaluation and Monitoring Network for Health (GEMNet-Health).

Some competency frameworks relate to evaluators or monitoring officers only, and others address a number of different roles, including program managers.

Examples

Evaluation Competency Framework for Government (South Africa)

The South African Government's 2014 Evaluation Competency Framework for Government set out competencies for three different roles involved in the evaluation of government programmes and policies:

The programme manager
The internal M&E advisor
The internal or external evaluator or evaluation team member

Key Competencies for the Monitoring Function (Global Partnership for BetterMonitoring)

The Global Partnership for Better Monitoring 2021 Key Competencies for the Monitoring Function set out competencies for four different roles:

Data collection, visualisation and management (often done by a monitoring officer, project officer, information officer or enumerator)
Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) management (often done by an M&E manager)
Program management (often done by an activity manager or program manager)
Organisational management (often done by a CEO or member of the senior management team)

Competencies for development evaluation evaluators, managers, and commissioners (IDEAS)

The IDEAS 2012 Competencies for development evaluation evaluators, managers, and commissioners were developed for three different roles:

Development Evaluation Evaluators - an individual who (1) self-identifies his or her primary or secondary profession as evaluation and (2) works or seeks to work as an evaluator of development interventions
Managers of international development evaluations - those who have general oversight of an evaluation of a development intervention, typically with the title of Project Officer or Project Manager
Commissioners of international development evaluations - the main clients for the development evaluation – these include members of the board of organisations, parliamentarians, executive directors, or those in similar roles.

Competencies by VOPEs

Competency frameworks developed by VOPEs have focused on competencies for evaluators, including those developed by SAMEA (South African Monitoring and Evaluation Association), ANZEA (Aotearoa New Zealand Evaluation Association), AEA (American Evaluation Association).

Resources

Overview

A précis of the evaluation competency literature

This literature review, written by Robyn Bailey for the Aotearoa New Zealand Evaluation Association (ANZEA), outlines much of the literature that has been developed on evaluator competencies with a view to informing the development of a s
Competencies & credentials for development evaluators: update on an ideas initiative

This slide show comes from a presentation given by Linda Morra Imas and Oumoul Ba-Tall provides an overview of the development of evaluator competencies by the International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS).

Examples

Evaluator competencies 2011

This paper from the Aotearoa New Zealand Evaluation Association (ANZEA) outlines the purpose, use and principles behind the evaluator competencies developed to ensure cultural values are placed at the forefront of evaluation practice.
Competencies for development evaluation evaluators, managers, and commissioners

This paper from the International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS) provides a range of core competencies that evaluation managers and evaluators should possess wherever they work.
Crosswalk of Evaluator and Evaluation Manager Competencies and Characteristics

This paper from the International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS) provides an overview of their competencies for evaluators and evaluation managers.
Competencies for Canadian Evaluation Practice

This document outlines a set of competencies that evaluators should possess before conducting evaluations.
Evaluation Competencies for Evaluation Specialists

This USAID document describes the key competencies that are required of evaluators undertaking evaluation of their programs.
Evaluation competency framework for government

This document is a draft of the Evaluation Competency Framework (ECF) used by the South African Government.
Key competencies for the monitoring function

This document sets out the functional competencies (skills, knowledge, attributes and behaviours) needed for effective monitoring.
Health Policy Project: Capacity development resource guides and competencies

The Health Policy Project's series of Capacity Development Resource Guides are focused on enhancing the abilities required to impact health policy through design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation, though many of the areas covered will be ap
Professionalization of evaluation competency framework for evaluators

This competency framework is designed to assist with strengthening professionalisation of evaluation in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
The 2018 American Evaluation Association (AEA) Evaluator competencies

This document outlines the AEA's evaluator competency framework, developed through a collaborative process with members from 2015 to 2018.

Sources

UNAIDS (2010). Standards for a Competency-based Approach to Monitoring and Evaluation Curricula & Trainings. Retrieved from: https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/sub_landing/files/13_8_MERG_Standards_Comptency-based_ME_CurriculaTrainings.pdf

Global Evaluation Initiative (2022). MESA Guidance Note: Diagnostic Tool for a Monitoring and Evaluation Systems Analysis. Retrieved from https://www.globalevaluationinitiative.org/mesa

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