Competence

Competence refers to ensuring that the evaluation team has or can draw on the skills, knowledge and experience needed to undertake the evaluation.

Competence is one of the guiding principles of the American Evaluation Association:

• B. Competence: Evaluators provide skilled professional services to stakeholders.
  • B1. Ensure that the evaluation team possesses the education, abilities, skills, and experiences required to complete the evaluation competently.
  • B2. When the most ethical option is to proceed with a commission or request outside the boundaries of the evaluation team's professional preparation and competence, clearly communicate any significant limitations to the evaluation that might result. Make every effort to supplement missing or weak competencies directly or through the assistance of others.
  • B3. Ensure that the evaluation team collectively possesses or seeks out the competencies necessary to work in the cultural context of the evaluation.
  • B4. Continually undertake relevant education, training or supervised practice to learn new concepts, techniques, skills, and services necessary for competent evaluation practice. Ongoing professional development might include: formal coursework and workshops, self-study, self-or externally-commissioned evaluations of one's own practice, and working with other evaluators to learn and refine evaluative skills expertise.