I get a lot of questions about what it takes to be a good evalutor. I'll be honest - I'm not sure that I'm the most qualified person to answer this question, or that everybody would agree with my take on it. But I'm always happy to share what I look for:
1) Understanding of applied research and/or evaluation principles
2) Familiarity with data collection, data analysis and basic statistics
3) Ability to organize and conceptualize large amounts of information
4) Writing & communication skills
5) The ability to recognize and identify the needs of customers
6) Integrity & the willingness to tell unpopular truth when necessary
7) A natural sense of curiousity and openness to learning.
8) A philosophy of evaluation that aligns with the intent/purpose of the project.
I'm officially adding an ability that I've often overlooked:
9) The ability to manage up.
Why managing up? Quite simply, good evaluation never happens out of context. Many people who are smarter than me have written about the importance of grounding measurement in strategy - I feel pretty confident that I don't need to make that case for you (if you're not sure, look here, here or here for a few good discussions of the measurement/strategy connection). But we don't often talk about what that means for us as evalutors. As an internal evaluator, I collect information that informs strategy, but I do not create strategy - that authority falls with our executive staff and Board of Directors. However, in order to collect information that informs strategy, it's necessary that we have a clear strategy in place.
The truth of the matter is that many organizations do not have clear strategies. And even the most strategic organizations hit transition periods that can turn strategies a little muddy. At those times, evaluators can play an important role in clarify goals and direction for the organization - but they have to be able and willing to "manage up" to those who have the authority to set strategy.
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