CMP (U.S. Department of State)

Speeches Shim

What is Developmental Evaluation?

Developmental evaluation (DE) is an approach that supports continuous adaptation in complex environments, and differs from typical evaluations in a few ways: (1) DEs have a Developmental Evaluator embedded alongside the implementation team; (2) DEs emphasize iterative, real-time data collection and regular reflection to support adaptation; (3) DEs are methodologically agnostic and adjust analytical techniques and evaluation questions as the project changes. For more information on DEs, consider reading Developmental Evaluation from Better Evaluation.

Why DE?

The Community Memorialization Project (CMP) uses memory as a tool for peacebuilding, making it a nontraditional intervention without established best practices and evidence. The project team wanted an evaluation embedded into CMP’s design that enabled iterative adjustments and ongoing learning. To facilitate this, CMP included a DE to get real-time feedback on implementation approaches: what was effective, what was not, and differences between initial assumptions and actual events. The DE that CMP funded lasted the full length of the project from 2015-2018. It is also being used under CMP Phase II, which began in 2018. 

Date 
Monday, November 30, 2020 - 11:15am