Resources
This issues brief from the OMG Center for Collaborative Learning (OMG) describes the experience of using a developmental evaluation approach in order to evaluate the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Community Partnerships portfolio. The brief provides a range of practical lessons describing what was learned during the evaluation and in particular answers two questions: when should you use developmental evaluation?; and, how can groups engage successfully in the developmental evaluation process.
Contents
- When is Developmental Evaluation a Good Approach?
- How Can Communities, Evaluators, and Funders Engage Effectively in a Developmental Evaluation?
- Emphasize learning, rather than measuring the achievement of specific outcomes
- Recognize the dual purpose of a Theory of Change: To guide implementation and learning
- Putting Lessons into Practice
- Create opportunities to reflect and strategize with stakeholders
- Rethink the purpose of deliverables — use them to generate reflection and refinement
Sources
OMG Center for Collaborative Learning (OMG), (2014). Amplifying learning in systems change investments: An experience in developmental evaluation. Retrieved from website: http://www.omgcenter.org/sites/default/files/IssueBrief05-DevelopmentalE...