Developing a departmental evaluation plan

2020-01-21 africa connect guideline learns monitoring and evaluation

The National Evaluation Policy Framework (NEPF) focuses on evaluations of strategic and important policies, programmes or projects, which are identified as part of a National Evaluation Plan. It also talks of Offices of the Premier and departments rolling out similar plans. By 2015/16 five provinces had approved Provincial Evaluation Plans (PEPS). Some national and provincial departments have also developed Departmental Evaluation Plans (DEPs). Both provinces and departments have based their plans on the processes, frameworks and guidelines developed for the national evaluation system, so they do not need to start from the scratch but to customise the national system in their respective spheres of operation. Evaluation is a fundamental component of the standard operating procedures of Departments. Typically Government goes about its work through cycles of planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and reporting, and now also evaluation. Besides its importance in the lifecycle of departments, evaluation can also be used to inform ongoing strategic management and decision-making of policy implementation, programmes and projects. This is a guideline and it is not meant to be prescriptive. A template is attached for a possible structure of a DEP, but departments may want to adapt it. Departments may also want to include both their evaluation and research agenda, as for example DHET has done.