A recurring frustration among international development implementors and evaluators is our over-reliance on reductionist indicators to measure outcome-level changes. Such indicators often do not capture the degree of change desired in a project or the complexity inherent in that outcome. Nevertheless, they are pervasive in monitoring and ...

This template is an optional tool to help improve consistency across evaluation reports.

This updated How-To Note supplements ADS 201.3.2.18. It presents guidelines and recommended practices in planning and implementing a Mission-wide strategy-level portfolio review. These guidelines and practices can also be adapted for Washington-based Operating Unit portfolio reviews as well as project- and activity-level reviews conducted...

This guidance describes the responsibilities and steps to prepare post-evaluation action plans that respond to evaluation report findings and conclusions, and recommendations (as required). The guidance is primarily for use by USAID staff.  

Members of a collective action group in Debre Birhan, Ethiopia, scout the location of a fecal sludge disposal site. Credit: Maheder Hailesalassie Failing Sanitation ServicesDespite urgent needs and past efforts, the town of Debre Birhan, Ethiopia, still struggles to provide reliable, long-term sanitation services to its 113,000 resid...

 Evaluation syntheses are analytic reviews of evaluations that aggregate findings from evaluation reports and/or examine the quality of the evaluations reviewed. This Discussion Note, Making Evidence Accessible through Evaluation Synthesis, focuses on two common types of evaluation syntheses that USAID commissions: meta-evaluati...

As organizational learning professionals, we have received a lot of questions over the years about what makes for a good organizational learning plan. We saw a lack of good resources on organizational learning plans, including publicly available organizational learning plans for others to learn from and adapt. This blog series is intended...

Under its Private Sector Engagement (PSE) Policy, USAID is working hand-in-hand with the private sector to design and deliver development and humanitarian programs across all sectors, and to harness resources to open markets and other opportunities for U.S. businesses. The USAID PSE Evidence and Learning Plan, launched in 2019, champions ...

Through the USAID-funded Nobo Jatra (New Beginning) project, World Vision Bangladesh uses CLA to revisit past failures to improve and adapt future approaches. While staff were open to applying CLA in their work, there was limited understanding of the benefits of applying CLA to learn from failures at an overall project level. Despite a co...