The sequence of evaluation phases in successive cycles creates overlaps that have to be organised as efficiently as possible to avoid duplication. The basic principle is that evaluation , during a programme should use evidence from evaluation performed on the preceding programme. The relative continuity of actions programmed from one period to the next makes it possible to use evidence from the recent past to judge the relevance of the new measures proposed. The following diagram shows that interactions are possible between evaluations performed at the different phases of several successive programmes.
Box Articulation of evaluation programming cycles
Thus, an ex ante evaluation that prepares the adoption of a future programme has to take advantage of the results of earlier work, i.e.:
- the intermediate evaluation of the period drawing to a close. This evaluation will have produced conclusions on the first years of activity and on the ensuing programmes. It may have been completed by a final review of the outputs and results of the current programme, based on information from the monitoring system. Evaluations may also have been done on parts of programmes.
- ex post evaluation of the period preceding the current period, possibly completed by thematic evaluations and in-depth analyses. These evaluations will have made it possible to observe and analyse the impacts of former interventions which are similar to the planned interventions and which took place in a partly similar context.
Since the role of intermediate evaluation (mid-term or ongoing) is to check whether the objectives are still relevant and in the process of being achieved, it will be necessary to refer primarily to the monitoring system data but also:
- to the ex-ante evaluation and particularly to the diagnosis made in relation to the prevailing socio-economic context before the start of the programme, and which needs to be updated;
- to the ex-post evaluation of the preceding programme, of which the conclusions concerning the same areas of intervention could serve as references.
Ex post evaluation is based on management and monitoring data and on surveys in the field which will help to observe and analyse the real and sustainable impacts of the interventions. It refers to ex ante evaluation in so far as it has to report on the attainment of objectives. It refers to intermediate evaluation, particularly to identify the success or failures which were identified at that stage.
In so far as evaluation must draw conclusions from the experience of preceding programmes to improve future programmes, an interesting solution is to establish a multi-annual evaluation plan as recommended by the European Commission for the 2007-2013 period (and for the new Member States in 2004-2006). The idea is to identify the different possible evaluations and to establish their timing and content in relation to the political schedules and deadlines for decision-making of the evaluation "customers" at various levels.