Smart Toolkit for evaluating information projects, products and services

Smart Toolkit for Evaluating Information Projects, Products and Services (Second Version)

Background: In 2005, The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) along with the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) and a host of other institutions and individuals from ACP countries, EU, Canada, Sri Lanka and the United States, and a host of partners have embarked on the production of the second edition of the Smart Toolkit based on feedback on the first version and an online survey done in May 2007. Substantial work has since been carried out and at an Editorial consultation meeting in Bonn A ‘Steering Group’ made up of all the participants has been collaborating to further improve and finalise toolkit content.  produced the first version of the Smart Toolkit for Evaluating Information Products and Services. Although the first Toolkit has been widely accepted as a groundbreaking resource for the evaluation of information projects, products and services, CTA, IICD and (October 29-31, 2007) to critically review the Toolkit, there was general agreement that much more needs to be done to make it a ‘living document’.

Purpose: The publication, promotion and dissemination of the Smart toolkit will contribute significantly to the field of information by providing practical and cost-effective methods for planning, monitoring and evaluating information to a wide range of stakeholders. The Toolkit is expected to be used mainly by information practitioners, managers of information projects, ACP partner institutions, development agencies, farmers’ organisations, non-governmental organisations and research organisations and policy-makers.

Current status of the project: The second version of the toolkit has been published. Pdf files of the main components of the toolkit as well as easily downloadble files of the tools are available on the website ( http://www.ink4dev.net/?q=toolkit ).

CTA has also been conducting a series of Smart toolkit training workshops and sensitisation exercises throughout the ACP, the most recent being the Smart toolkit workshop for southern Africa which was held in Namibia, in November 2009. Activities for 2010 include a 2-day sensitisation workshop to be held in Ghana in October, and a 1-week training workshop (to be conducted in French) in Côte d'Ivoire.