Often used as a synonym for evaluation; sometimes recommended for approaches that report measurement without making judgments on the measurements.

The external factors, influences, situations or conditions that are necessary for project success. Assumptions are external factors that are quite likely but not certain to occur and which are important for the success of the project or program, but which are largely or completely beyond the control of project management.

An examination or review that assesses and reports on the extent to which a condition, process or performance conforms to predetermined standards or criteria.

The set of conditions existing at the outset of a program. Periodic comparisons to the baseline state can determine progress, or lack thereof.

A reference point or standard against which progress or achievements may be compared.

Compares that which is being measured to a benchmark such as best practices in the field, including professional or scientific standards.

The extent to which a measurement or method systematically underestimates or overestimates a value.

Resources within a society that influence the type and scale of activity undertaken by individuals and organizations (e.g., natural resources, infrastructure, human resources, technology).

Organizational and technical abilities, relationships and values that enable countries, organizations, groups and individuals at any level to carry out functions and achieve their development objectives over time.

The ability of individuals, groups, institutions and organizations to identify and solve development problems over time.

The process by which individuals, organizations, institutions and societies develop their individual and collective abilities to perform functions, solve problems and set and achieve objectives.

The phenomenon to be investigated in case study research. The term is also used for clinical “cases” such as the behavior pattern of an individual.

A research process focused on understanding a specific phenomenon, within its real life context, generally involving multiple sources of information.

Refers to the control of data to a few offices and individuals during an assessment of organizational performance with the intent of carefully hiding any criticism directed at the organization in question.

The person, group or agency that has commissioned an evaluation and to whom the evaluator has legal responsibility.

A reasoned judgment based on a synthesis of findings.

When there is a clash between the private interest and the public interest of a person responsible for an evaluation. It is not necessarily fatal to validity (e.g., self-evaluation is a legitimate strategy), but may affect credibility unless various interests are suitably balanced.

Set of values, guiding beliefs, understandings and ways of thinking that are shared by members of an organization and are taught to new members. Culture represents the unwritten, informal standards of an organization.

A variable that is thought to be affected or influenced by a program.

The extent to which objectives or planned outputs have been achieved.

Empowers those involved in an evaluation study by giving them new knowledge of their performance. Enabling environment.

Attitudes, policies and practices that stimulate and support effective and efficient functioning of organizations and individuals.

The extent to which a project or program has been defined in such a way as to enable subsequent evaluation.

An organization’s ability to maintain the inflow of financial resources greater than the outflow.

A factual statement about the program based on evidence. It may involve a synthesis of data and, therefore, judgment.

A carefully planned and moderated informal discussion where one person’s ideas bounce off those of another, creating a chain reaction of informative dialogue. The purpose is to address a specific topic in depth and in a comfortable environment in order to elicit a wide range of opinions, attitudes, feelings and perceptions from a group of individuals who share some common experience relative to the dimension under study.

Issues and problems involved in aligning the interests of those who manage an organization with those who are responsible for its results, who own it, and with outsiders who have a stake in the organization.

The ultimate planned and unplanned consequences of a program; an expression of the changes actually produced as a result of the program, typically several years after the program has stabilized or been completed.

An explicit measure used to determine performance; a signal that reveals progress towards objectives; a means of measuring what actually happens against what has been planned in terms of quality, quantity and timeliness.

Reference to the basic conditions (facilities and technology) that allow work to go on within the organization (e.g., adequate lighting, clean water).

Resources that are required for achieving the stated results by producing the intended outputs through relevant activities (e.g., human resources, materials, services).

Implicit or unwritten codes that include cultural values, norms, religious precepts and taboos. Also known as “informal rules of the game.”

Process whereby an individual engages in processes of influencing a group of individuals to achieve a common purpose.

A scale that asks respondents to indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree with a statement. Five and seven point scales are the most common; three can be used for special situations and children.

The translation of assumptions and mental models of individuals into understandable and familiar systems that complement the needs and expectations of an organization, thus allowing it to make logical decisions.

Data that the evaluator intended to collect but was unable to for a variety reasons (e.g., the inability to interview a key informant, limited access to a research setting, blank items on a questionnaire, data entry errors).

An ongoing process to verify systematically that planned activities or processes take place as expected or that progress is being made in achieving planned outputs.

An intrinsic and moral desire to achieve a purpose.

Type of management that involves the identification of and concentration on a competitively valuable capability (or set of capabilities) that an organization has more of or can do better than its rivals.

Expresses a particular effect that the program is expected to achieve if completed successfully according to plan.

Ability of an organization to meet the needs and gain the support of its priority stakeholders in the past, present and future.

The value that one gives up by selecting one of several mutually exclusive alternatives.

An effect or consequence of a program in the medium term. Between an output that is short term and one that is often considered to be five years or more from the program intervention. A medium-term result that is the logical consequence of achieving a combination of outputs.

The physical products, institutional and operational changes, or improved skills and knowledge to be achieved by the project or program as a result of good management of inputs and activities. The immediate, visible, concrete and tangible consequences of project inputs.

Information obtained first-hand by the researcher.

A group of related projects, services and activities directed to the achievement of specific goals.

The process of making judgments about a program based on information and analysis relative to such issues as relevance, cost-effectiveness and success for its stakeholders.

The fundamental reason(s) why a program exists, together with its underlying assumptions.

A planned undertaking designed to achieve certain specific objectives within a given budget and a specified period of time.

A situation in which a project takes precedence over an organization and its mission, possibly leading to organizational decline.

Data that use non-numeric information for description. Generally words, but may include photographs and films, audio recordings, and artifacts.

Information that describes, explains and reports on phenomena using numbers.

A set of written questions used to collect data from respondents.

The degree to which the purpose of a project or program remains valid and pertinent.

The quality of a measurement process that would produce similar results from (1) repeated observations of the same condition or event, or from (2) multiple observations of the same condition or event by different means. Reliability also refers to the extent that a data collection instrument will yield the same results each time it is administered. In qualitative research, reliability refers to the extent that different researchers, given exposure to the same situation, would reach the same conclusions.

Describable or measurable change in a given state that is derived from a cause-and-effect relationship.

In fiscal evaluation, the ratio of benefits to costs, generally expressed as a percentage.

Legal or regulatory structures within an organization. Rules are one of the most important ingredients of an enabling environment.

A subset of a population.

Any group within or outside an organization that has a stake in the organization’s performance. Creditors, suppliers, employees and owners are all stakeholders.

A favorable program or project result that is assessed in terms of such considerations as effectiveness, impact, sustainability and contributions to capacity development.

The focus and boundaries of a contract research project, including a statement about who the research is for, the research objective, major issues and questions, and sometimes the schedule and available resources.

A process of using multiple data sources, data collection methods, and/or theories to validate research findings, help eliminate bias, and detect errors or anomalies in discoveries.

The actual object being investigated (e.g., persons, classrooms, organizations, nations).

The largest methodological challenge to organizational assessment, validity refers to the ability of a methodology to be relevant and meaningful as well as appropriate to an organization’s mission.

The extent to which an evaluation’s conclusions are justified by the data presented.

A characteristic that can assume any one of a range of values.

A document that details the resources and methodology to be used in conducting an evaluation.