USING THE ONLINE FIELD GUIDE

This Field Guide provides a compilation of foundational material relevant to peacebuilding contexts on the design and conduct of evaluation (including manuals, guidelines, tools, etc.), developed by international agencies, academic institutions and NGOs.

Filter by
Filter by
BEGINNER INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED

Guide Contents

What is in the Online Field Guide and how should I use it?
Managing and Implementing an Evaluation Planning an Evaluation Introduction to Evaluation and General Guidance
What is the Online Field Guide?
Who should use the Online Field Guide?

What is in the Online Field Guide and how should I use it?
BEGINNER

The Field Guide is divided into sections featuring materials ranging from basic readings on evaluation and peacebuilding evaluation, to concrete step-by-step guidance and toolkits targeting different stakeholders and aspects of evaluation. The Field Guide is structured in a way that allows readers to follow the different sections progressively or, if they so prefer, to consult different sections individually according to needs and interests.  There are three navigation links, leading to resources on:

Managing and Implementing an Evaluation

You will find practical guidance on managing and implementing an evaluation - from writing terms of reference to managing logistices, managing a team and budgets. Also included are resourced related to:
  • How do you collect and analyze data?  You will find resources on different data collection and analysis methods to ensure your evidence is valid and representative.
  • Ensuring the evaluation process is ethical and conflict-sensitive. You will find resources on ethical and conflict sensitivity issues implicated in peacebuilding evaluation and how to manage them.
  • Evaluating efforts in particular sectors.  Included are sector-specific tools and guidance for evaluation.
  • There are resources appropriate for evaluators with little, some or extensive evaluation experience—marked by labels Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.

Planning an Evaluation

You will find practical guidance on planning an evaluation, including:
  • Determining whether you are ready for evaluation and what options exist for assessing your program if you are not
  • How to prepare for an evaluation
  • Developing and eliciting the theory of change of the peacebuilding initiative being evaluated
  • Criteria for evaluating peacebuilding
  • What evaluation approaches/designs you might use to conduct the evaluation - including guidance on how to implement different approaches

Introduction to Evaluation and General Guidance

If you are new to evaluation... You will also find: Information on types of evaluation (formative, summative, developmental, etc.)
  • Key books and online "how to" resources for peacebuilding evaluation
  • Glossaries of evaluation terminology
  • An Overview of Peacebuilding Evaluation - including the state of play and history
  • Quality standards for evaluation
  • Links to places where you can find additional resources

What is the Online Field Guide?
BEGINNER

This Field Guide provides a compilation of foundational material relevant to peacebuilding contexts on the design and conduct of evaluation (including manuals, guidelines, tools, etc.), developed by international agencies, academic institutions and NGOs.  The Guide has been “curated” by the members and Advisory Board of the Peacebuilding Evaluation Consortium (PEC)—which include the Alliance for Peacebuilding, Mercy Corps, Search for Common Ground, CDA Collaborative Learning Projects, BESA: Catalysing Strategic Change, and the US Institute of Peaceand ten Advisory Board members with deep experience in evaluation of peacebuilding around the world. There is a plethora of evaluation guidance already available online and in print.  The Field Guide does not replicate these resources, but tries to help evaluators and program staff find guidance they need easily and quickly by providing a manageable number of excellent, accessible and user-friendly resources on evaluation that are related to or relevant for peacebuilding.  These range from basic readings on evaluation and peacebuilding evaluation (for those new to the field) to concrete step-by-step guidance and toolkits, sector-specific guidance and tools, and briefs on dealing with special challenges in peacebuilding evaluation. The peacebuilding evaluation field is constantly evolving, with new innovations and new challenges emerging every day.  The Guide will evolve with the field; we will update it and replace old resources, as new excellent guidance, innovations and tools are developed. This Guide focuses on evaluation. We recognize that program design and monitoring are elements of effective practice, and their quality can affect the quality and usefulness, even the feasibility, of evaluation.  The Field Guide currently does not include these critical topics—but may in the future. We also welcome your input.  If there are resources or materials that you think are foundational, or new resources that should be included—please let us know by reaching out to [email protected].

Who should use the Online Field Guide?
INTERMEDIATE

The field guide is intended mainly for the following users:
  1. Commissioners or managers of evaluations.
  2. Peacebuilding practitioners who have typically been commissioned to conduct evaluation of peacebuilding programming but have little evaluation experience or knowledge of evaluation.
  3. Evaluation professionals who have little or no experience in peacebuilding contexts and programming.