Developmental Evaluation ADAPT Framework

Abstract Information: When Developmental Evaluation was introduced as a new utilization-focused evaluation approach more than fifteen years ago, it was in response to the voices of social innovators who did not see the value or utility of the traditional formative and summative approaches to evaluation. Over the past five years, Development Evaluation has become increasingly relevant and used in response to rapid developments like the global pandemic and climate crisis. Yet DE is not an approach that is easy to teach in a classroom or workshop setting. Hands-on experience and mentorship are critical to understanding the nuances and complexities of taking a developmental evaluation approach. Developmental Evaluation requires a level of confidence and humility that takes time and support to develop. In this session, we will share some of what we have learned as an intergenerational team implementing and adapting Developmental Evaluation to make it useful across a range of contexts, from local to global. We will share successes and failures, along with an emergent framework for Developmental Evaluation that attempts to make it more accessible to new and emerging evaluators and useful to partners in the co-created evaluation process. ADAPT is a mnemonic spotlighting what we have identified as essential success factors in implementing DE. A – ADAPTIVE MINDSET. D – DYNAMIC DESIGN. A – ACTIONABLE LEARNING. P – PURPOSEFUL PARNERSHIPS. T – TRANSFORMATIVE TRAJECTORIES. We will walk through this new framework and explore how it can support new and seasoned evaluators to more effectively implement DE. With so many alternative evaluation approaches, we will also explore how DE can be described and positioned to help decision-makers and potential evaluation users determine if DE is appropriate for their information needs. This is especially important in amplifying and empowering voices in evaluation. In what ways does DE support, enhance, and deepen voice amplification and participant empowerment? Answering this question requires understanding how DE has evolved. The new ADAPT framework captures and communicates that evolution. The session will define and describe each of these dimensions of DE and demonstrate how they can inform the niche and nature of DE as it has evolved with special attention to how DE can and does contribute to amplifying and empowering voices in evaluation.