Whether it’s by building capacity through the evaluation process or by developing realistic, actionable recommendations, evaluation plays an important part in making a difference on both a small and a grand scale!

A book review of Michael Quinn Patton’s Developmental Evaluation: Applying Complexity Concepts to Enhance Innovation and Use (2011).

I am now finally working on an evaluation that I believe to be true developmental evaluation. The initiative and evaluation is in its early days. Yet, I have already had a very different experience than previous DE (and so-called DE) experiences and learned a number of lessons I’d like to share. In this article, I outline six lessons from my DE experience, including why I think it is true DE.

Like Yoda, Michael Quinn Patton is revered for his wisdom and his power to inspire thinking differently about evaluation ideas. And while he isn’t a small, green humanoid alien there are striking similarities between the two (that go beyond the bald head and unique sweaters).