aes24 International Evaluation Conference

Authors: Kristy Hornby (Grosvenor)

There is a lot of interest in rapid M&E planning and rapid evaluations at present; partially borne out of rapid contexts in a COVID-19 policy context; and partially borne out of constricting appetites for time and money spent on evaluations. It is unlikely this trend will reverse in the short-term, so what do we do about it to acquit our responsibilities as evaluators, ethically and appropriately, in a rapid context? This session sets out a step by step approach to conducting a rapid evaluation, inviting attendees to follow along with their own program in mind, to come away from the session with a pathway for conducting their own rapid evaluation. The session uses a fictional case study as the construct to move the rapid evaluation approach forward, describing throughout the session how you can use literature reviews, qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis techniques, and report writing approaches innovatively to save you time while not compromising rigour.

We contend it is possible to do a rapid evaluation ethically and appropriately, but the backbone of doing so is good planning and execution. This session shares practical tips and approaches for doing so through each key phase of an evaluation, so attendees are well-equipped for their next rapid evaluation.

To consolidate the learning, attendees will be provided a framework to come away from the session with a high level plan of how to conduct their own rapid evaluation, to increase their chance of success.