Short Abstract

Drawing from diverse programme examples, this session presents a three-stage approach as a tool to help programmes to prioritise and learn while embedding evaluative practices into programme management process.

Description

In many development settings, evaluation remains a standalone activity, often disconnected from programme design, delivery, and decision-making. This limits its ability to inform adaptive management, foster learning, and drive meaningful change. With funding uncertainty, such disconnects become more problematic, as programmes must make strategic decisions with limited resources and shifting priorities. In these contexts, promoting a culture of evaluation is not a luxury but a necessity. To support this, programmes must create environments where evidence is actively collected, co-owned by teams and stakeholders, and responsive to their needs.

Drawing on practical experience from diverse programme contexts including Public Finance Management, Youth and Community Empowerment, and Forest Land Use Governance, this session presents a three-stage approach to institutionalising evaluation in budet constrain contexts. The approach helps implementing teams prioritise interventions, adapt strategies, and strengthen learning in the face of uncertainty. It offers a practical roadmap for making evaluation a core part of programme culture and decision-making.

Embedding Evaluation in the Theory of Change

The first stage focuses on integrating learning and evaluation priorities into the programme’s Theory of Change. This means a simple theory of change should be in place to articulate outcome pathways and their assumptions, which should be supported by feedback loops for learning and adaptation. Co-developing the Theory of Change with stakeholders ensures evaluative thinking is embedded from the outset, shaping how change is understood and how learning takes place. In resource-constrained settings, this clarity helps implementing teams focus on what matters most and make informed trade-offs. Equity and inclusion lenses are also critical at this stage prompting teams to ask whose voices are represented and whose experiences are being measured.

Operationalising Evaluation in Results Frameworks

Results frameworks must evolve beyond static result indicators to capture change over time. Indicators should be designed to track progress in stages, allowing for nuance and adaptation. In this context the use of rubrics and participatory scoring tools can provide teams with opportunities to learn as they reflect on their progresses. In uncertain funding environments, linking results frameworks to learning moments enables teams to reflect, reprioritise, and adjust course with agility.

Embedding Evaluation in Routine Programme Management

Routine programme management can incorporate periodic evaluative practice. This involves embedding evaluative activities into everyday workflows such as reflection sessions during team check-ins, collaborative workshops for scoring and interpreting results, and feedback forms that capture team and beneficiaries reflections. These tools generate actionable data and build ownership of evidence across spectrums. In times of financial constraint, this embedded approach ensures that evaluation remains relevant and cost-effective supporting improvement without requiring separate, resource-intensive processes.

Through interactive formats, this session inspires discussion on how to embed evaluation into programme design, results frameworks, and management helping teams prioritise, adapt, and learn in the face of funding uncertainty, while fostering inclusive, evidence-driven decision-making. This timely discussion enables participants to critically reflect on their evaluation practices in the current context of reduced aid budget.