Purpose
The Post Hoc Quality Assessment (PHQA) is an independent external assessment of the quality of WFP evaluations. It is a learning and accountability tool for WFP Office of Evaluation, Country Offices, HQ Divisions and Regional Bureaus, independent evaluators, and evaluation users.
By looking at the extent to which WFP evaluation reports are based on appropriate evaluation methods, present a sound analysis and credible findings, provide valid conclusions and useful recommendations, the PHQA provides stakeholders with a reliable assessment as to whether they can use the evaluation with confidence for decision-making.
It is designed to improve the quality of future evaluation products by providing expert feedback from an evaluation perspective on all centralized and decentralized evaluation reports.
The application of the Post Hoc Quality Assessment is mandatory for all WFP-managed evaluations, except for Synthesis evaluations and joint evaluations which have followed a quality assurance system other than that set out in the Decentralized Evaluation Quality Assurance System and Centralized Evaluations Quality Assurance System.
Guidance for impact evaluations is under development and all completed IE reports will be independently assessed starting 2023.
Methodology
The independent assessment of final evaluation reports is delivered against eight set criteria, aligned with the WFP evaluation quality assurance system.
1. Report Summary (Summary Evaluation Report for Centralized Evaluations)
2. Context and Overview of Evaluation Subject
3. Evaluation Rationale, Objectives and Scope
4. Evaluation Methodology
5. Findings
6. Conclusions and Lessons
7. Recommendations
8. Accessibility and Clarity
The PHQA also provides a score for the report’s integration of gender, as per the standards of the UN System Wide Action Plan on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women’s Gender Evaluation Performance Indicator (UN-SWAP EPI).
PHQAs are disseminated to commissioning units, evaluation managers and regional evaluation units via email and are posted alongside the corresponding evaluation report on the WFP Evaluation Library.
PHQA results are reported by the Office of Evaluation in the Annual Evaluation Report and through the UN System Wide Action Plan on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women’s annual reporting exercise, coordinated by WFP Gender Office.
