Guide for Remote Evaluation Technical Management

The pandemic has led to a global shift in expectations around where evaluation is performed. In addition to remote data collection, the “behind the scenes” activities of evaluation planning, team management, and technical oversight also occur virtually – in some cases, team members never meet in person. The likelihood that this work modality remains a part of at least some monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) activities encouraged us to capture and formalize the evidence about what works when managing evaluations remotely by publishing this Remote Evaluation Technical Management Guide.

This guide provides information for managers on how to remotely administer the technical aspects of evaluations and presents options and recommendations for innovative, responsible, and safe approaches to assess programs without field-based travel. Drawing from experience conducting field-based and (now) remote evaluations for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the US Department of State, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, Mastercard Foundation, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, this guide compiles our challenges, lessons learned, and promising practices for the wider MERL community.