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11.1 Introduction to Evaluation

11.1.1Evaluation plays an important role complementary to appraisal. Evaluation is an ex post activity which examines the outturn of a project, programme or policy, and is designed to ensure that the lessons learned are fed back into the decision-making process. This ensures government action is continually refined to reflect what best achieves objectives and promotes the public interest.
11.1.2Departments should make arrangements to measure outturns and record them. Outturns should be compared with initial estimates and the results used to consider how to improve the quality of the assumptions in future appraisals, including, for example, the estimates of costs and benefits and the assumptions made about risks and appraisal optimism.
11.1.3Evaluation is like appraisal conducted in retrospect. Thus the general principles and techniques of the NIGEAE apply as much to evaluation as to appraisal. This includes the principle of proportionate effort.
11.1.4When any policy, programme or project is completed or has advanced to a pre-determined degree, it should undergo a comprehensive evaluation. Major or on-going programmes, involving a series of smaller capital projects, must also be subject to ex post evaluations (also known as post project evaluations (PPEs) or post implementation reviews (PIRs)). Major expenditures or changes in resource use should be followed by full scale post implementation reviews. Lesser decisions require a more modest evaluation effort.
11.1.5Every appraisal of any substance should indicate how the proposals concerned will be evaluated after completion and how the results of the evaluation will be disseminated.
11.1.6PPEs are an integral part of the process involved in completing a project and should not be seen as an additional complication to the appraisal process, but rather as an opportunity to learn valuable lessons and to avoid repeating mistakes. They also provide an important input into a Gateway 5 Review (see Section 10.5).
11.1.7An evaluation might address a project, programme or policy, particular aspects of one of these activities, or key issues affecting a number of activities. Where a large number of small scale projects or activities require evaluation, it may be appropriate to select a representative sample for evaluation. It may be appropriate to conduct more than one PPE for a particular project, for example, where it has been implemented in stages. In  these cases the Gateway 5 Review may need to be repeated in line with the outcomes of each stage or phase.

                 Evaluation Terms

PPE

Post Project Evaluation

General term for an ex post assessment of a project.
PIR

Post Implementation Review

General term for an ex post assessment of a policy, programme or project. Also known as Post Review.
PER

Project Evaluation Review

PRINCE2 term for an ex post assessment of management effectiveness, conducted at project closure i.e. on implementation. Previously known as a Project Management Evaluation (PME)
PPR

Post Project Review

PRINCE2 term for an ex post assessment of benefits and costs obtained from an activity, conducted 6 to 12 months after implementation. This is the main substance of a PPE and hence the terms PPR and PPE are now often used interchangeably.

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