Course Outline

Module 1: The Role of an Evaluation Manager

• This introductory module has two parts. In the first part, we will clarify the role of the evaluation manager(s), the criteria we use to assess effective evaluation management, and the competencies required in evaluation management. This will ground the areas of emphasis in the overall course.
• In the second part, we will use a case example and dive into a skills-focused section on conducting evaluation contracts including task analysis, staffing, and budgeting.

Module 2: The Importance of Context and Planning

• In this module, we will explore the client-evaluator relationship, and discuss how to make it a successful one in different types of evaluation commissioner environments .We will review the authority and limitations of each party, and explore how to partner while staying independent in that important relationship. Internal evaluators deal with issues of authority and independence differently, thus this section is also relevant to them.
• We will then move to the role of the manager in evaluation planning: context, vision for the evaluation, mastering logistics, and the outputs of evaluation planning. We will focus on the role of the evaluation manager regardless of evaluation design, but will refer different designs and how some designs add complexity to evaluation management.

Module 3: Communications, Negotiations, and Relationship Management

• In the first part of this module, we will explore the key management competency of communication, including how evaluation managers can build on their strengths to fulfill their communication and negotiation responsibilities.
• In the second part of this module, we will explore the evaluation manager’s responsibility to build and manage an evaluation team, including team planning, supervision, negotiating, and managing stress.

Module 4: Quality Control and Oversight

• In the first part of this module, we will review how evaluation managers must fulfill their role of monitoring the implementation of an evaluation, from data collection to report writing. We will identify pause points and appropriate interventions for the evaluation manager, and discuss living in the nexus of fulfilling contract requirements, responding to client needs, and protecting independence.