Internal Evaluation

Internal evaluation is the use by an organization of evaluators who are employees of that organization to evaluate the organization's own programs. During the last decade, internal evaluation has grown rapidly worldwide. In North America, internal evaluation is estimated to account for between half and three quarters of all evaluations.

There are three characteristics that distinguish internal evaluations from external evaluations:

• 1
  The primary responsibility for internal evaluation lies with the organization itself. Internal evaluation is viewed as an essential tool for managers and an integral part of the management process.
• 2
  The issues addressed by internal evaluation are the concerns of the managers, staff, and clients of the organization. In contrast, the focus of external evaluations typically are the concerns of persons outside of the organization; for ...