Thank you very much for this insightful and well-written contribution. You have hit upon a key point in our discussion... as long as assessment remains confined to a logic of compliance, even the introduction of forward-looking methods risks producing only a superficial shift rather than a genuine change in approach. I particularly appreciate your emphasis on the need to transform the very purpose of evaluation, so that it becomes a space for learning, adaptation and decision-making in the face of uncertainty. Your point about institutional acceptance of criticism, uncertainty and programme evolution is crucial, as it clearly shows that the challenge is not merely methodological, but also cultural and political. It is precisely this tension between normative evaluation and forward-looking evaluation that we must continue to explore together.
RE: From Hindsight to Foresight: How Evaluation Can Become Future-Informed
Kenya
Steven Lynn Lichty
Managing Partner
REAL Consulting Group
Posted on 18/04/2026
Thank you very much for this insightful and well-written contribution. You have hit upon a key point in our discussion... as long as assessment remains confined to a logic of compliance, even the introduction of forward-looking methods risks producing only a superficial shift rather than a genuine change in approach. I particularly appreciate your emphasis on the need to transform the very purpose of evaluation, so that it becomes a space for learning, adaptation and decision-making in the face of uncertainty. Your point about institutional acceptance of criticism, uncertainty and programme evolution is crucial, as it clearly shows that the challenge is not merely methodological, but also cultural and political. It is precisely this tension between normative evaluation and forward-looking evaluation that we must continue to explore together.