Evaluability assessment checklist

Check each area through document review and interviews, recording ratings (◎ sufficient; ○ broadly acceptable; △ improvement needed; × insufficient). Use the overall assessment to decide whether evaluation can proceed now.

When to use this worksheet and what completion involves Fictional completed example

EvalCompass Worksheet

Evaluability assessment checklist

Method: Evaluability Assessment

Basic information

Overview of the program being assessed

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

Program name: Counseling accompaniment program (fictional)
Implementation period: April 2026–March 2027
Participants and scale: 20 residents
Assessor and assessment date: Internal evaluation officer / September 13, 2026

Reason for this entry: Check usable records before undertaking the full evaluation.

Program name

Implementation period

Participants and scale

Assessor and assessment date

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Overview of the program being assessed

Check usable records before undertaking the full evaluation.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Follow each field’s heading to record the program name, focus, period, and other details. Leave undecided matters clearly marked as unresolved.

Read the full fictional example

Assessment items with ratings

Check each item through document review and interviews and record a rating

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Assessment item	Rating (◎○△×)	Evidence and comments	Recommendations for improvement
Clarity of objectives	○	The plan states the aim of connecting people to applications	Standardize the definition of connection
Follow-up data	×	No records after initial counseling	Collect prospectively from consenting participants
Timing of use	◎	Use at the December budget meeting for the following year	Present an implementation evaluation by November

Reason for this entry: Record evidence and responses by area rather than combining them into one rating.

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Assessment item	Rating (◎○△×)	Evidence and comments	Recommendations for improvement

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Check each item through document review and interviews and record a rating

Record evidence and responses by area rather than combining them into one rating.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Keep the information in each row aligned. Scroll wide tables horizontally to see every column.

Read the full fictional example

Standard assessment items

Items to copy into the table above

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

☑ Checked: Program objectives are explicitly documented
☑ Checked: Objectives are described measurably
☑ Checked: A logic model or equivalent causal hypothesis exists
☐ Not checked: Indicators are defined
☐ Not checked: Baseline data exist or can be collected
☑ Checked: Necessary data are accessible
☑ Checked: Decision-makers interested in using findings are involved
☑ Checked: The necessary budget and time for evaluation are secured

Reason for this entry: Indicator definitions and records of starting conditions are insufficient.

Program objectives are explicitly documented
Objectives are described measurably
A logic model or equivalent causal hypothesis exists
Indicators are defined
Baseline data exist or can be collected
Necessary data are accessible
Decision-makers interested in using findings are involved
The necessary budget and time for evaluation are secured

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Items to copy into the table above

Indicator definitions and records of starting conditions are insufficient.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Read each item and check those you have confirmed. Do not use the fictional example’s checkbox states as findings about your own program.

Read the full fictional example

Overall assessment and recommendations

Record the evaluability judgment (ready now / feasible with conditions / preparation needed first) and recommended actions

Completed example for this section (fictional)

This fictional example is for explanation. Adapt it to your own program. Your entries will not change.

Feasible with conditions. Evaluate reach and operational barriers by November. Causal effect estimation is outside scope; include a follow-up design in the next plan.

Reason for this entry: Incorporate responsibility and timing for filling gaps into evaluation design.

Writing tips and explanation for this section

About this section

Record the evaluability judgment (ready now / feasible with conditions / preparation needed first) and recommended actions

Incorporate responsibility and timing for filling gaps into evaluation design.

View the method explanation

Writing tips

Use the example as a reference and record what you have established about your own program. Distinguish assumptions and unchecked matters from confirmed facts.

Read the full fictional example

Before writing, check when to use the worksheet and what completion involves

Evaluability assessment checklist is a worksheet for applying Evaluability Assessment in meetings or individual work. For the overall duration of the method, use “Illustrative estimate (adjust for scale and staffing): 1–4 weeks (including document review and interviews)” as a reference, adjusting for scale and resources. Fill in what you know provisionally and leave unresolved matters as questions to check next.

When this worksheet is useful

Prioritizing programs for evaluation when budgets and staffing are limited
Quickly assessing objectives, indicators and data readiness when accepting a new evaluation assignment
Examining the feasibility and usefulness of reevaluation when an earlier evaluation was not used

Participants and preparation

Evaluation officers (evaluators or an internal evaluation team), program managers and key stakeholder representatives. A small team of 2–4 can conduct the assessment.

Bring the materials used for decisions, existing data, and differing stakeholder views to help complete the worksheet.

Suggested order

1. Basic informationOverview of the program being assessed
2. Assessment items with ratingsCheck each item through document review and interviews and record a rating
3. Standard assessment itemsItems to copy into the table above
4. Overall assessment and recommendationsRecord the evaluability judgment (ready now / feasible with conditions / preparation needed first) and recommended actions

Signs the worksheet is ready for review

Evaluability assessment report
Evaluability checklist
Recommended preparatory actions before evaluation

Cautions for review

Using EA as a procedure for refusing evaluation and documenting an escape from accountability
Relying solely on document review without consulting frontline staff and beneficiaries
Completing an EA report without incorporating recommendations into evaluation design

Read a completed fictional example (your entries will not change)

Fictional example; not actual results

The following fictional example concerns a counseling program scheduled for a final evaluation, but without follow-up on people’s circumstances after support.

Basic information

Program name: Counseling accompaniment program (fictional)
Implementation period: April 2026–March 2027
Participants and scale: 20 residents
Assessor and assessment date: Internal evaluation officer / September 13, 2026

Reason for this entry: Check usable records before undertaking the full evaluation.

Assessment items with ratings

Scroll horizontally to view the table

Assessment item	Rating (◎○△×)	Evidence and comments	Recommendations for improvement
Clarity of objectives	○	The plan states the aim of connecting people to applications	Standardize the definition of connection
Follow-up data	×	No records after initial counseling	Collect prospectively from consenting participants
Timing of use	◎	Use at the December budget meeting for the following year	Present an implementation evaluation by November

Reason for this entry: Record evidence and responses by area rather than combining them into one rating.

Standard assessment items

☑ Checked: Program objectives are explicitly documented
☑ Checked: Objectives are described measurably
☑ Checked: A logic model or equivalent causal hypothesis exists
☐ Not checked: Indicators are defined
☐ Not checked: Baseline data exist or can be collected
☑ Checked: Necessary data are accessible
☑ Checked: Decision-makers interested in using findings are involved
☑ Checked: The necessary budget and time for evaluation are secured

Reason for this entry: Indicator definitions and records of starting conditions are insufficient.

Overall assessment and recommendations

Feasible with conditions. Evaluate reach and operational barriers by November. Causal effect estimation is outside scope; include a follow-up design in the next plan.

Reason for this entry: Incorporate responsibility and timing for filling gaps into evaluation design.

Common errors in judgment

Assuming every type of evaluation is feasible because more than half the items are rated ○

How to revise: Check needed materials and major barriers for each evaluation question

Reason: Other ○ ratings cannot compensate for missing critical data.

Concluding that a program has no value because its effects are difficult to estimate

How to revise: Judge evaluation feasibility separately from program value

Reason: This assessment does not judge program performance.

Editorial and checking information

Content updated: 2026-09-13Source checked: 2026-09-13 (includes AI cross-checking)No documented human reviewIncludes fictional examplesEditorial policy and scope of checking Cite this page Report a correction

References and checked sections

Evaluability assessment
BetterEvaluation
Section consulted
3. What do Evaluability Assessments examine?; 4. How do you do an Evaluability Assessment?
How it relates to the text
Checklist items are not necessarily equally important; major barriers to proceeding are considered separately.
Source checked: 2026-09-13 (includes AI cross-checking)

How to cite this page

EvalCompass Editorial Team. “Evaluability assessment checklist”. EvalCompass, updated 2026-09-13. https://evalcompass.jun-nakatani.com/en/worksheets/evaluability-assessment/

Add the date you accessed the page. Text created by this site is available under CC BY 4.0. Quotations, external materials, and bundled fonts have their own terms of use. When reusing content, credit the source, link to the license, and indicate any changes.

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Change history

2026-09-13 — Updated explanations to correspond to the sources and added method-specific fictional completed examples, judgment examples and a change log.