"IDRC’s experience with evaluation and institutional assessment corroborates many of the claims by the proponents of participatory approaches in development. For example, Southern research managers at two recent workshops, one in East Africa, the other in South Asia, forcefully emphasized to donors the advantages of involving recipient institutions in assessments of their own performance. They felt their own information needs were being ignored and that they were being assessed against an unknown set of performance criteria. Whereas project-centred evaluations tend to fragment and undermine institutional learning and change, full participation gives the organization useful experience with the process and ownership of the results."

The Data Quality Assessment Tool (for auditing and capacity building) is linked in content to the M&E Systems Strengthening Tool and provides the methodology to assess the ability of these systems to collect and report quality data and to verify a sample of reported data related to specific indicators. The Data Quality Assessment Tool provides processes, protocols and templates that will allow a rigorous audit of an information or reporting system. The application of the tool entails: Audit of the design and implementation of the Program/project's data collection and reporting systems; 'Trace and verify' protocols that allow a recount of selected indicator results; and Templates to allow the Audit Team to produce and present findings and recommendations in a concise, action-oriented manner. The Data Quality Assessment Tool can be used by independent external auditors or internally within a Program or project. While the Data Quality Assessment Tool is designed to be used in its entirety, parts can be used separately or independently (e.g. the systems assessment component for capacity building or parts of the trace-and-verify protocols for targeted data verification). The Data Quality Assessment Tool was successfully pilot-tested in November 2006 in Tanzania. These tools are still in draft form, pending final approval