Analyzing and Engaging Stakeholders

This chapter focuses on the processes of analyzing and engaging stakeholders. In doing so, it helps to identify who the key stakeholders are and clarify the purposes and goals of the evaluation. It also helps to specify which stakeholders should be worked with, in what ways, and at which stages of the evaluation process, in order to increase the chances that the evaluation will serve its intended purpose for its intended users. The chapter summarizes what the evaluation literature says about identifying and engaging with primary intended evaluation users. It then presents various stakeholder identification and analysis techniques, primarily focusing on the evaluation stakeholder engagement planning matrix. The chapter also offers suggestions on how to use stakeholder analysis to help determine more precisely the evaluation's purpose and goals. Finally, the chapter discusses the need for flexibility, adaptability, and situational responsiveness in rapidly changing evaluation situations.