The evolution of a philosophy and practice of evaluation advice

Advice regarding evaluation can be solicited, given, and used in a variety of informal to formal practices, which can range from unstructured to highly structured. Gathering input into an evaluation is intended to include other perspectives and voices into a process so that the evaluation is cocreated with others to enhance its rigor, relevance, and utility. In evaluation practice, the advice system should be integrated within a model of evaluation practice and should be a component of effectively managing one or more evaluation studies. The authors draw on a combined 40-year career in evaluation and in advice giving to review their increasingly sophisticated advice-system practice. This history is mined for some real-world problems encountered and how these were addressed. Finally, the article provides suggestions on how an evaluator can include soliciting advice to create a shared understanding necessary for good evaluation practice. This we call the evaluation facilitator.