LocationsImpact Evaluation Guidelines published
March 19, 2026
UNDP’s Independent Evaluation Office has released a five-part Impact Evaluation Guidelines package to help teams decide when an impact evaluation adds value and how to conduct one that is rigorous and practical.
Impact evaluations test whether a programme caused the change we see - not just whether results happened. The guidelines explain how to build credible counterfactuals, choose appropriate methods (experimental, quasi experimental, qualitative, mixed methods), and plan for the data an impact evaluation needs.
They also explain when an impact evaluation is not the right tool, so users can match the question to the right approach and invest resources wisely. The package reflects UNDP’s commitment to stronger impact evidence under the Strategic Plan and knowledge strategy.
- Chapeau. The case for impact evaluation at UNDP and how the pieces fit.
- Rolling Out Decentralized Impact Evaluation. UNDP’s strategic approach to institutionalizing impact evaluations.
- Guide for Programme Managers. Planning, designing and implementing rigorous impact evaluations.
- Impact Measurement Data Metrics. Developing, standardizing and planning impact data collection for evaluations.
- Approaches and Methods. Comprehensive overview of impact evaluation approaches and methods.
Where do I start?
New to impact evaluation? Begin with the Chapeau, then the Guide for Programme Managers.
Designing/commissioning studies? Go straight to Approaches and Methods.
Building data plans? Read Impact Measurement Data Metrics.
Setting up institutional arrangements? See Rolling Out Decentralized Impact Evaluation.
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