A Practical Guide for Engaging Stakeholders in Developing Evaluation Questions

This guide describes a five-step process for engaging stakeholders in developing evaluation
questions, and includes four worksheets and a case example to further facilitate the planning
and implementation of your stakeholder engagement process.

Step 1: Prepare for stakeholder engagement: This step includes collecting information about
the program or initiative being evaluated—its history, why it came into being, what it is trying
to accomplish and what success would look like.

Step 2: Identify potential stakeholders: This step involves identifying all of the potential
stakeholders whom you might engage in the evaluation question development process.

Step 3: Prioritize the list of stakeholders: This step helps determine which stakeholders are
most vital to the question development process.

Step 4: Consider potential stakeholders‘ motivations for participating: This step has you
consider stakeholders’ motivations for participating in the question development process.
Knowing this will help you select an engagement strategy.

Step 5: Select a stakeholder engagement strategy: Based on stakeholders’ motivations, your
reasons for including them and various other considerations, this step helps you choose one
or more engagement strategies to facilitate the identification and development of the
evaluation’s key questions.