Evaluability assessment

Evaluability assessments (EAs) provide information of whether a programme can be evaluated or not.^[1] They are also used to describe the objectives, logic and activities of the programme with an aim to investigate its credibility, feasibility, sustainability and acceptability.^[2] EAs address the likelihood of the programme achieving its anticipated outcomes, the required changes needed for optimum management, whether an evaluation can improve the programme's performance and to identify stakeholder interests in the evaluation and how the findings will be used.^[3] According to Jung and Schubert (1983) these specific aspects^[2] of a programme need to be address by an EA:

• Obtaining perspectives of all involved in the programme e.g. programme staff and stakeholders
• Investigating the programmes objectives the methods to measure whether they were achieved
• Providing information of how the programme is actually functioning
• Identifying ways to improve the programme
• Relaying important information about the programme

Evaluability assessors form a workgroup^[3] which comprises an evaluation representative and a managerial member of the programme. The workgroup investigates official programme records and documentation. In addition, interviews and observations are conducted to understand and describe how the programme is perceived by the programme staff and relevant stakeholders.^[1] The workgroup is supervised by a policy group who oversees managerial decisions concerning the impending evaluation of the programme.^[3] Jung and Schubert (1983) provide six areas ^[2] which ought to be addressed in an EA. These include:^[2]

• Identifying the programme's objectives
• Identifying the intended activities to achieve the programme objectives
• Identifying incongruities between the programme's objectives and its intended activities
• Investigating field operations
• Comparing actual field operations to the programme's intended activities
• Providing management and evaluation options