Real-time evaluations of humanitarian action: An ALNAP guide

This ALNAP guide provides a structured approach for conducting real-time evaluations (RTEs) during humanitarian responses.

It offers practical steps, methods, and tools to deliver timely feedback, enabling adaptive management of ongoing operations.

This document offers practical guidance on how to conduct real-time evaluations during humanitarian interventions, focusing on delivering timely feedback to influence ongoing responses. Authored by John Cosgrave, Ben Ramalingam, and Tony Beck, this pilot guide is designed to support evaluation managers and teams, providing detailed steps and tools to conduct RTEs, which are particularly suited to dynamic and fast-changing crisis situations. The guide is intended to enhance decision-making and accountability in the initial phases of humanitarian actions.

Key features

• Detailed steps for evaluation managers: The guide provides eight steps for evaluation managers, starting from deciding to conduct an RTE, refining the terms of reference, planning and budgeting, to disseminating findings and using results for real-time improvements in ongoing operations.
• Guidance for evaluation teams: It includes specific steps for evaluation teams, such as planning fieldwork, drafting interview guides, and conducting beneficiary consultations. There is a focus on triangulating data through multiple methods like interviews, surveys, and focus groups.
• Tools and techniques: Section III contains 25 practical tools and templates, including standard terms of reference, alternative evaluation criteria, interview guides, and checklists for documenting issues, findings, and recommendations. These resources streamline the RTE process and support consistent evaluation practices.
• Participatory and adaptive approach: The guide emphasizes the importance of involving stakeholders, such as local field staff and affected populations, to ensure that evaluations are grounded in local realities. The interactive feedback process ensures that evaluation findings are immediately useful and can lead to prompt adjustments in operations.

How would you use the resource?

M&E practitioners can apply this resource to conduct real-time evaluations in fast-moving humanitarian settings, particularly during the first phases of a crisis response. The guide’s step-by-step process for managers and evaluation teams, along with the included tools, can help practitioners adapt their evaluation processes to gather real-time data, provide immediate feedback, and influence the course of ongoing humanitarian operations. The emphasis on practical tools and participatory methods also aids in ensuring that evaluations are contextually relevant and actionable.

Why are we recommending it?

This guide is recommended for its practical focus on RTEs, which can help promote accountability and support decision-making during humanitarian crises. Its structured approach, combined with flexible tools and techniques, makes it particularly useful for evaluation managers and teams operating in insecure, rapidly evolving contexts.