Strategic Evaluation Planning Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Advanced Certificate on completion
Who attends Monitoring and Evaluation Managers, Evaluation Commissioners and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-ME-109

Before you join: Participants should have practical experience with monitoring, programme management, research, commissioning or use of evaluation findings.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Evaluation plans often fail before fieldwork begins: questions are too broad, intervention logic is untested, data sources cannot support the intended claims, and findings arrive after key decisions. In development and humanitarian programmes, these weaknesses can produce expensive studies with limited use, expose participants to avoidable risk, or leave managers without credible evidence for funding, design and accountability decisions.

This advanced course equips participants to plan evaluations that are decision-focused, technically defensible and feasible within operational constraints. Participants work through evaluability assessment, Theory of Change review, OECD DAC criteria, stakeholder analysis, evaluation matrices, mixed-methods design, sampling, data quality, ethical safeguards, procurement and quality assurance. The course also addresses how to judge evidence, manage validation, formulate actionable recommendations and establish multi-year evaluation plans linked to strategy and governance.

Teaching combines concise instructor briefings with realistic cases from humanitarian response, public health, livelihoods, education and governance programmes. Participants analyse commissioning scenarios, prepare planning documents, test methodological choices against budget and access constraints, and review examples of terms of reference, evaluation reports and management responses. Each participant leaves with a structured Strategic Evaluation Plan pack: an evaluability assessment, evaluation matrix, methods rationale, governance arrangements, risk controls, workplan and use plan that can be adapted for an active programme or evaluation portfolio.

The course is suited to experienced monitoring, evaluation, research, programme and commissioning professionals who need to lead or improve evaluations rather than only contribute data to them. It is delivered over five instructor-led days in classrooms in 50+ cities or live online, with a certificate of completion issued to participants who complete the course.

What you will be able to do

  • Conduct evaluability assessments using intervention logic, evidence availability and decision-use criteria
  • Formulate decision-focused evaluation questions using OECD DAC criteria and stakeholder needs
  • Construct evaluation matrices linking questions, indicators, sources, methods and judgements
  • Select mixed-methods, sampling and causal inference approaches appropriate to evaluation constraints
  • Specify data quality, disaggregation, safeguarding and data protection requirements
  • Design evaluation governance, terms of reference, procurement criteria and quality assurance controls
  • Manage evidence synthesis, triangulation, validation and recommendation development
  • Produce a multi-year strategic evaluation plan aligned with organisational priorities and decision calendars

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Prepare evaluation terms of reference that produce decision-relevant evidence
  • Defend methodological choices before donors, boards and technical reviewers
  • Identify evaluability weaknesses before committing funds to fieldwork
  • Manage evaluators through clear governance, quality gates and acceptance criteria
  • Build a reusable strategic evaluation plan for current responsibilities

For your organisation

  • Reduces spending on poorly scoped or unusable evaluations
  • Improves alignment between evidence production and strategic decision points
  • Strengthens ethical, safeguarding and data protection controls during evaluations
  • Produces more credible findings through documented methods and quality assurance
  • Creates an evaluation portfolio that balances accountability, learning and resource constraints

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can define an evaluation’s purpose, scope and evaluability before commissioning begins.

  • Purpose statements distinguish accountability, learning, decision support and programme improvement
  • Commissioning questions using FINER criteria and decision-use mapping
  • OECD DAC criteria translated into context-specific evaluation questions
  • Evaluability assessment examines intervention logic, data availability, stakeholders and timing
  • Scope boundaries set geographic coverage, populations, components, periods and resources
  • Risk registers identify political sensitivity, access constraints and safeguarding concerns
  • Decision calendars align evaluation milestones with strategy, funding and governance cycles

Participants can test and strengthen programme logic as a basis for evaluation design.

  • Problem trees distinguish root causes, immediate causes and observable effects
  • Theory of Change pathways state causal assumptions and external influences
  • Results chains connect inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and impacts
  • Contribution analysis tests alternative explanations for observed outcome patterns
  • Assumption matrices rate evidence, influence, uncertainty and monitoring implications
  • Systems mapping identifies feedback loops, actors, incentives and unintended effects
  • Logic model quality checks expose gaps between activities and intended outcomes

Participants can establish inclusive governance and write terms of reference that direct credible evaluation work.

  • Stakeholder analysis maps primary users, duty bearers, partners and affected groups
  • Power-interest grids determine engagement approaches and consultation priorities
  • Evaluation reference groups define roles, decision rights and review points
  • Terms of reference specify purpose, questions, scope, methods, deliverables and governance
  • Independence safeguards manage commissioner influence, conflicts and evaluator selection
  • Participation plans include accessible methods, feedback routes and informed consent
  • Communication protocols set approval paths, escalation procedures and disclosure rules

Participants can select and justify an evaluation design suited to intended claims and constraints.

  • Evaluation matrices link questions, indicators, sources, methods and judgements
  • Mixed-methods designs combine quantitative estimates with qualitative explanatory evidence
  • Sampling strategies compare purposive, stratified, cluster and respondent-driven approaches
  • Quasi-experimental options assess feasibility of comparison groups and counterfactuals
  • Process tracing examines causal mechanisms using Bayesian confidence tests
  • Case selection uses maximum variation, typical-case and critical-case logic
  • Design rationales document trade-offs among credibility, feasibility, ethics and cost

Participants can specify credible data requirements and quality controls for an evaluation plan.

  • Indicator protocols define constructs, numerators, denominators, disaggregation and interpretation
  • SMART indicators tested against validity, reliability, sensitivity and feasibility
  • Data quality assessments examine accuracy, completeness, timeliness, integrity and confidentiality
  • Baseline reconstruction methods address absent pre-intervention measurements and recall bias
  • Administrative data audits identify duplication, missingness, denominator errors and incentives
  • Data collection plans schedule tools, fieldwork, quality controls and handovers
  • Disaggregation plans address sex, age, disability, location and marginalisation

Participants can integrate ethical, safeguarding and data protection requirements into evaluation planning.

  • UNEG ethical principles guide independence, impartiality, credibility and utility
  • Do-no-harm assessments anticipate risks from questions, disclosure and field presence
  • Informed-consent procedures address capacity, voluntary participation, withdrawal and data use
  • Safeguarding protocols manage disclosures involving children, survivors and at-risk adults
  • Data protection impact assessments identify lawful bases, retention and access controls
  • Trauma-informed interviewing reduces distress, coercion and retraumatisation risks
  • Conflict-sensitive planning maps actors, tensions, access restrictions and referral pathways

Participants can manage evaluation commissioning through clear plans, contracts and quality controls.

  • Evaluation workplans sequence inception, data collection, analysis, validation and reporting
  • Budget models estimate evaluator days, travel, translation, security and contingencies
  • Procurement scoring criteria assess technical quality, independence, experience and value
  • Evaluator competency profiles distinguish methodological, sectoral, linguistic and contextual expertise
  • Quality assurance plans specify peer review, deliverable acceptance and revision cycles
  • Contract clauses define ownership, confidentiality, safeguarding, schedules and termination
  • Adaptive management procedures handle scope changes, access delays and emerging risks

Participants can plan transparent evidence synthesis and make defensible evaluative judgements.

  • Analysis plans pre-specify coding frameworks, statistical tests and triangulation procedures
  • Evidence rubrics rate strength, consistency, relevance, limitations and confidence
  • Qualitative coding uses deductive codes, inductive themes and intercoder checks
  • Descriptive analysis disaggregates patterns by population, geography, service and time
  • Contribution claims distinguish plausible influence from demonstrated attribution
  • Triangulation protocols reconcile convergent, complementary and contradictory evidence
  • Judgement criteria convert evidence into transparent ratings and conclusions

Participants can convert findings into usable products, accountable actions and organisational learning.

  • Findings statements separate evidence, interpretation, conclusion, recommendation and management response
  • Recommendation matrices assign actions, owners, deadlines, resources and verification measures
  • Validation workshops test factual accuracy, interpretation and feasibility with stakeholders
  • Audience segmentation tailors products for boards, donors, programme teams and communities
  • Learning agendas prioritise decisions, uncertainties, evidence gaps and follow-up studies
  • Management response systems track acceptance, implementation status and barriers
  • Dissemination plans balance transparency, protection risks, timing and accessible formats

Participants can prepare a prioritised multi-year evaluation plan linked to organisational strategy and resources.

  • Multi-year evaluation plans align strategic priorities, evidence needs and governance
  • Portfolio mapping balances mandatory evaluations, learning reviews and research studies
  • Prioritisation matrices score significance, risk, uncertainty, demand and feasibility
  • Evaluation calendars coordinate baselines, midterms, endlines and decision windows
  • Resource scenarios compare internal capacity, external commissioning and partnership options
  • Plan assurance reviews test coherence, resourcing, ethics and intended use
  • Personal application plans identify first decisions, sponsors, milestones and measures

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Evaluability assessment template
  2. Evaluation matrix template
  3. Strategic evaluation plan
  4. Terms of reference checklist
  5. Evaluation risk and ethics register
  6. Recommendation and management response matrix

Who should attend

  • Monitoring and Evaluation Managers — responsible for evaluation quality, planning and use
  • Evaluation Commissioners — need defensible terms of reference and procurement decisions
  • Programme Directors — require evidence plans tied to strategy and delivery decisions
  • Research and Learning Leads — coordinate learning agendas and evidence generation
  • Donor Programme Officers — assess evaluation proposals, reports and management responses
  • Humanitarian Response Managers — plan credible evaluations under access, protection and time constraints

Skills and tools covered

Evaluability assessmentEvaluation designMixed-methods planningEthical evaluation governanceEvidence triangulationEvaluation portfolio planning

Tools and standards

OECD DAC Evaluation Criteria, UNEG Norms and Standards for Evaluation, Theory of Change, ALNAP Evaluation of Humanitarian Action Guide

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short technical briefings followed by case work, group exercises, planning simulations and individual application planning. Participants assess programme documents for evaluability, convert decision needs into evaluation questions, build evaluation matrices and compare design options under realistic budget, access and timing constraints. Cases include donor-funded development programmes and humanitarian operations. Facilitated peer review is used to test terms of reference, risk controls, evidence claims and management responses. Participants receive instructor feedback on their Strategic Evaluation Plan pack.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have practical experience with monitoring, programme management, research, commissioning or use of evaluation findings. They should be familiar with results frameworks, indicators and basic data collection concepts, and should be able to discuss an existing or planned programme. Prior experience designing an evaluation is useful but not essential. The course does not require advanced statistics, econometrics, specialist qualitative software, coding skills or prior knowledge of impact evaluation designs. Participants will make methodological choices using planning criteria rather than undertake complex statistical analysis.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants need practical familiarity with programmes, monitoring, research or evaluation use. Advanced statistics and previous responsibility for an evaluation are not required.

Bring a results framework, Theory of Change, logframe, evaluation terms of reference or programme strategy if you can share it appropriately. A current planning challenge will help you build a directly relevant evaluation plan.

It is designed for experienced M&E managers, programme leaders, evaluation commissioners, donor staff and research or learning leads. It is most useful for people who shape evaluation scope, methods, budgets or use of findings.

General M&E courses commonly focus on results frameworks, indicators and routine performance monitoring. This course concentrates on planning and commissioning evaluations, including evaluability, design selection, governance, ethics, quality assurance and evaluation portfolios.

You can use the templates to review a planned evaluation, improve a terms of reference or prioritise an evaluation portfolio. The final application plan identifies actions, owners, milestones and decision points for your setting.

Training runs from 08:30 to 16:30 each day, providing about 6.5 contact hours daily. Time is divided between instructor input, cases, group planning work, design simulations, peer review and individual application planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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