Project Evaluations

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Project Evaluations

What is an Evaluation?
An evaluation of a development cooperation project is a systematic and objective assessment of an ongoing or completed project, including its design, implementation and the results. An appraisal or feasibility study is a "ex ante" evaluation, prior to the decision of funding.
While external evaluations provide clients with a more independent view on the project, the advantage of self-evaluations lie in the evaluator's detailed and specific knowledge of the project and the participating institutions. Also, self-evaluations create a sense of "ownership" for the evaluation results.
Swiss Consulting favors external evaluations applying a participatory, interactive approach working with a wide range of stakeholders of a project.
This approach combines advantages of both external and self-evaluations.

What are the main purposes of project or programme evaluation?
Evaluations have the following three main purposes:

Accountability towards the donor and the national stakeholders;

Support stakeholders and managers in regards to a possible future cooperation;

Draw more general lessons learned applicable to other cooperation projects.

A project or program evaluation should answer the following two main questions:

Are we doing things right?

Are we doing the right things?

Evaluations allow donors and partners to identify strengths and weaknesses of the project and its implementation, and to draw lessons from the past. It is essential that the evaluation exercise initiate a learning process, rather than merely focusing on accountability. Last but not least evaluations should encourage an open dialogue between partners and donors.

What main criteria does an evaluation assess?

Quality of project identification and project design, including envisaged links or synergies within a programme or to interventions of other donors.

Relevance: To which extend are the objectives of the project consistent with the beneficiaries' needs, the country's needs, and global priorities? Is the project coherent (consistent) with the policies, guidelines and approaches set by the donor?

Achievements: Fulfillment of the development objectives (goals) and the objectives (intended results) defined in the project plan.

Efficiency: How economically are resources (inputs), such as funds, expertise, and time converted into outputs? Is the project implemented in a proper and economically sound manner?

Effectiveness: To what extend were the project's objectives achieved, considering their relative importance. Did the project reach target groups (direct and indirect beneficiaries)? Did it achieve the expected impact in terms of positive and negative, primary and secondary effects produced by a project, directly or indirectly, intended or unintended.

Sustainability: Are the benefits and effects generated by a project are likely to continue after its termination?

Project Management
Since its establishment in 2001, Swiss Consulting has participated in identification, appraisal and evaluation of more than 20 international development cooperation projects and programmes in Vietnam, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Thailand, Central Asia, and Africa for major donors such as SECO, SDC, Sida, NORAD, UNIDO as well as for Swiss non-governmental organizations such as Terre des hommes.
Daniel Keller was also lead consultant for policy assessments in the field of investment legislation and public administration reform ("one-stop-shop concept", block-grant mechanisms on provincial level and for scientific-technological organizations).
Swiss Consulting applies a similar methodology for Institutional Assessments

Referencens: see CV of Daniel Keller

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