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How Evaluation Question Relate to Evaluation Criteria and Activity Cycle Stages

How Evaluation Question Relate to Evaluation Criteria and Activity Cycle Stages

Questions are central to evaluative activities and there is a close relationship between evaluation questions and:

• the purposes of accountability, learning and improvement
• the key evaluation criteria of relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability (cf. NZAID Evaluation Policy Statement).

No single approach can respond to the diversity of questions posed in review and evaluation. Instead, evaluation designs flow from the questions asked and may combine a variety of methods and approaches. As modes of development assistance change and new kinds of questions are posed, new evaluation methods and approaches evolve. Examples of questions associated with activity cycle stages are given in Table 2. Table 3 gives examples of questions for each of the key evaluation criteria of relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability and illustrates the relationship between questions, criteria and the stages of the activity cycle.

Table 2. How evaluation questions and approaches relate to stages of the Activity Cycle

	Stage of Activity Cycle
	Programming	Identification & Design	Implementation	Completion / Transition
Focus	Strategy formulation	Appropriate and feasible design	Improvement of process, quality and outcomes (results)	Identification of outcomes (results) and impact
Examples of evaluation questions	What is the most appropriate strategy?	Is there a reason to intervene? What is the most appropriate design for this Activity?	What is happening in this Activity and why? How can this Activity be improved? What difference is this Activity making?	What difference has the Activity made? Was there value for money?
Examples of approaches	Broad analysis of partner country situation including mainstreamed and other cross-cutting issues of gender, conflict, HIV/Aids, environment and human rights	Literature/research review Review of good practice Situation analysis Needs assessment Appreciative Inquiry Feasibility analysis Development of Programme or Intervention Logic Planning for monitoring, review and evaluation	Implementation analysis Formative evaluation Analysis of monitoring data Outcome mapping Most Significant Change Analysis	Outcome mapping Most Significant Change Analysis Impact assessment Summative evaluation Cost/benefit/effectiveness analysis Success case method

Table 3. Linking evaluation questions to evaluation criteria and stages of the Activity Cycle.

Criterion	Question	Activity Cycle Stage
Relevance	How well is the Activity likely to respond to the priorities of the intended beneficiaries?	Design
	How will the proposed project affect the rights of the intended beneficiaries and promote gender equity?	Design
	Who is and is not benefiting from the Activity?	Implementation
Effectiveness	Is the intervention logic clear?	Design
	What could be done differently to improve implementation?	Implementation
	What agreed outcomes is the Activity achieving? To what extent are these outcomes resulting from the Activity rather than external or contextual factors?	Implementation
Efficiency	How will the Activity be managed?	Design
	Could a different type of intervention lead to similar results at a lower cost?	Design
	Are resources being used in the best possible way?	Implementation
	Has there been value for money?	Completion
Impact	How will the Activity contribute to achievement of the Millennium Development Goals?	Design
	What positive and negative effects are resulting from the Activity? Is it likely that the positive effects will outweigh the negative ones?	Implementation
	What would have happened without the Activity?	Completion
	To what extent has the Activity contributed towards capacity development, strengthening of institutions and poverty reduction?	Completion
Sustainability	Is local ownership developing?	Implementation
	Is the current positive influence of the Activity on protecting the environment likely to continue in the future?	Implementation
	Will there be continued positive impacts after the funding ends?	Completion