Eval Academy Week: Kick-off Your Evaluation Right – Conversations That Set the Stage for Success by Stephanie Spencer

Date: Monday, January 13, 2025

You’ve won the RFP— what’s next in ensuring an impactful evaluation process? It all begins with intentional conversations.

Kick-off meetings are more than a project formality—they’re an opportunity to align expectations, clarify goals, and build relationships. I’m Stephanie Spencer, a Project Lead at Three Hive Consulting and Eval Academy Coordinator. I’ve found that the conversations had at the start of an evaluation often determine the success of the entire process. For each evaluation we complete at Three Hive, we always begin with a kick-off meeting. Here are my Hot Tips to make those first discussions count.

1. Build Connections: Introductions and Role Clarity

Start by creating a welcoming environment that fosters collaboration. Share an agenda in advance so everyone knows what to expect from the kick-off meeting.

• Introduce participants and define roles: Ensure both the program and evaluation teams understand their responsibilities. Who will provide the data, and how will it be collected? Who reviews deliverables? Clear roles prevent misunderstandings later.
• Use an icebreaker: Help participants ease into the meeting with a simple activity like, “What’s one word that comes to mind when you think of evaluation?” or a creative metaphor exercise. This not only breaks the ice but also surfaces underlying perceptions and assumptions.

2. Align on Program Goals

Understanding the program’s broader goals is foundational for a meaningful evaluation.

• Ask questions about the program’s purpose:
  • What’s the program trying to achieve?
  • What are its core activities and objectives?
  • What’s the rationale behind its design?
• Why this matters: A shared understanding of the program’s goals ensures that the evaluation aligns with its mission and intended outcomes. For example, knowing whether a program is designed to address immediate needs or long-term systemic change informs your evaluation approach.

3. Define Evaluation Goals Together

Evaluation goals guide your design and deliverables, but they aren’t always clear from the start.

• Facilitate a scoping discussion: Use open-ended questions to uncover what key partners want to achieve:
  • Why is this evaluation being conducted?
  • How will the findings be used?
• Refine goals: Key partners often start with broad expectations like “assess everything.” Help them focus on what’s actionable.

4. Identify and Engage Key Partners Early

Identifying and involving key partners early in planning ensures the evaluation is relevant and actionable.

• Pinpoint primary intended users: These are the people with the authority and motivation to act on the findings. Keep their needs central throughout the evaluation.
• Encourage inclusive engagement: Use tools like partner matrices or brainstorming activities to identify who needs what information and how they’ll use it.

5. Clarify Communication and Timelines

Effective communication prevents misunderstandings and keeps the project on track.

• Set expectations early: Agree on key points like:
  • Preferred communication methods (e.g., email, shared platforms) and working styles.
  • Frequency of updates or meetings.
  • Availability of team members and response times.
• Outline a high-level timeline: Discuss milestones such as data collection, analysis, and reporting. A realistic schedule avoids rushed deliverables and ensures quality.
• Build rapport in kick-off meetings: Establishing trust with the client and partners can uncover their challenges and priorities while identifying what success looks like to them.

6. Establish Evaluation Principles

Grounding your work in shared principles ensures the process is transparent and values-driven.

• Discuss core principles: Ask key partners what values should guide the evaluation. Should it prioritize equity, timeliness, or rigour? Principles provide a shared framework when decisions get tricky.

Lessons Learned

A well-planned kick-off meeting sets the tone for a collaborative, successful evaluation. By focusing on introductions, objectives, partner engagement, and communication, you create a strong foundation that supports meaningful results.

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