Pre-Conference Workshop
The Pre-conference Capacity Building Workshop series will take place on 08 & 09 March 2027. It consists of a selection of 12 different workshops, across a broad range of topics and of varying complexity levels ranging from Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. One and two-day workshops are available.
The following is a list of pre-conference workshops. You are able to register for the workshop in on easy step, when registering for the conference.
1 - Speed, Rigour, and Relevance: Mainstreaming Rapid Evaluation for Agile Governance in Times of Crisis
Presenters and organisations
Professor Ian Goldman — International Evaluation Academy
Moses Mashingaidze — EvalAnalytica (Pty) Ltd
Duration
1-day workshop
Date
Monday 08 March 2027
Level
Intermediate to advanced
Pre-requisites
Familiarity with undertaking evaluations. Bring a current or previous evaluation example. Advance reading: the South African Rapid Evaluation Guideline and DPME criteria on transformative equity and climate and ecosystems health.
Description
Learn to design and manage rapid evaluations that deliver timely, credible evidence for decision-making. Using their own evaluation examples, participants will develop evaluation questions, an evaluation matrix and an outline plan, incorporating equity, climate and ecosystems considerations. Guided exercises also explore ways to streamline processes before and after an evaluation, supporting more responsive learning and action within organisations.
2 - What About Learning? Strengthening the Missing Link in MERL: From Evidence and Findings to Collective Learning and Meaningful Change
Presenters and organisations
Diana Haag — Learning For Change
Duration
1-day workshop
Date
Monday 08 March 2027
Level
Beginner to intermediate
Pre-requisites
No formal prerequisites.
Description
Explore how evidence becomes shared understanding, organisational learning and changed practice. Through reflection, facilitated dialogue and practical activities, participants will apply the Cycle of Collective Learning and examine what helps or prevents learning within MERL processes. The workshop introduces frameworks and tools for collective sense-making and helps participants identify ways to embed learning, adaptation and action in their own organisations.
3 - From Findings to Action: Strengthening Utilisation and Management Decision Making after Evaluation
Presenters and organisations
Tamarie Magaisa — MusangeyaConsulting (Pty) Ltd
Patricia Rwasoka-Masanganise — Independent Consultant
Duration
1-day workshop
Date
Monday 08 March 2027
Level
Intermediate
Pre-requisites
No mandatory prerequisites. Previous involvement in commissioning, managing or responding to an evaluation is beneficial.
Description
Strengthen the use of evaluation findings in management decisions, budgets and programme practice. Drawing on a multi-country evaluation case, participants will diagnose barriers to uptake, tailor communication to different audiences and turn recommendations into a management response and action-tracking register. Practical exercises culminate in a draft utilisation plan with clear responsibilities and follow-up arrangements that participants can adapt for their own evaluations.
4 - Beyond Indicators: Applying Outcome Harvesting to Capture Systems Change in Complex Development Programs
Presenters and organisations
Jackline Musuya — Hewatele Limited
Duration
1-day workshop
Date
Monday 08 March 2027
Level
Intermediate
Pre-requisites
Basic familiarity with programme outcomes, theories of change or results frameworks. No prior Outcome Harvesting experience is required.
Description
Discover how Outcome Harvesting can capture intended and unexpected changes in behaviour, relationships, institutional practice and policy. Through practical exercises, participants will write verifiable outcome statements, examine programme contribution and plan independent substantiation. The workshop addresses inclusion, power and evidence quality, helping participants interpret patterns of change and develop a preliminary Outcome Harvesting plan for learning, adaptation and accountability in complex programmes.
5 - The AI-Ready Evaluator: Tools, Trust and Tradecraft for MERL Practitioners
Presenters and organisations
Eugene Miheso Swinnerstone — Organisation to be confirmed
Dr Steven Masvaure — CLEAR Anglophone Africa, University of the Witwatersrand
Duration
1-day workshop
Date
Monday 08 March 2027
Level
Basic digital literacy; suitable for emerging and practicing evaluators
Pre-requisites
Basic digital literacy; no coding experience required. Bring a laptop for hands-on exercises.
Description
Practice using AI for qualitative coding, evaluation instrument design and report drafting while maintaining evaluative judgement and evidence quality. Guided labs use realistic evaluation materials to explore bias, inaccurate outputs, confidentiality and verification. Participants will develop and peer-review an organisational AI use protocol covering privacy, disclosure and quality control, and take away a reusable checklist for assessing AI-assisted evaluation outputs.
6 - Cracking the M&E Career: The “Other” Competencies That Drive Excellence
Presenters and organisations
Dr Rogers Mutie — Ascend Empowerment Solutions Ltd
Duration
1-day workshop
Date
Tuesday 09 March 2027
Level
Open to emerging and experienced practitioners
Pre-requisites
No specific prerequisites.
Description
Explore the professional competencies that strengthen effectiveness and career growth in M&E practice. Through self-assessment, case discussions and peer coaching, participants will examine adaptive learning, communication, stakeholder relationships, ethical courage and professional influence. The workshop helps participants identify their strengths and development priorities and translate these insights into a practical 90-day personal development plan.
7 - Beyond Outputs: Using Social Network Analysis to Measure Systems Change and Collective Impact
Presenters and organisations
Ezethu Nsiki — ASK AFRICA
Duration
1-day workshop
Date
Tuesday 09 March 2027
Level
Intermediate
Pre-requisites
Basic understanding of MERL concepts. No prior Social Network Analysis experience is required. Participants are encouraged to bring programme or initiative examples.
Description
Use Social Network Analysis to understand the relationships, collaboration and influence that drive systems change. Participants will practise stakeholder mapping, develop network indicators and data collection tools, and interpret network metrics and visualisations. Practical exercises show how network evidence can strengthen programme learning and adaptive management. Participants will leave with a draft measurement framework and tools for integrating network analysis into existing MERL systems.
8 - From Recommendations to Actionable Results
Presenters and organisations
Dr Margaret Roper — Khulisa Management Services
Duration
1-day workshop
Date
Tuesday 09 March 2027
Level
Intermediate to advanced
Pre-requisites
Familiarity with core evaluation concepts and practice. Participants may bring recommendations from a recent evaluation; this is optional.
Description
Turn evaluation recommendations into a structured management and implementation plan. Using a recent Khulisa evaluation as a case study, participants will examine why recommendations go unused and apply a framework to prioritise them by urgency, feasibility, cost and responsibility. Facilitated exercises will help participants sequence actions and draft a one-page implementation plan that decision-makers can use to guide follow-through.
9 - Anticipatory MERL in an Era of Polycrisis: Foresight-Informed Evaluation for Innovation, Inclusion and Impact
Presenters and organisations
Dr Steven Lichty — REAL Consulting Group
Dr Eric Barela — Raya Cooper Impact Consulting
Duration
1-day workshop
Date
Tuesday 09 March 2027
Level
Intermediate to advanced; interested beginners are welcome
Pre-requisites
Knowledge of evaluation and current trends in the field. No previous foresight experience is required.
Description
Explore how foresight can strengthen evaluation in environments shaped by uncertainty and rapid change. Through practical exercises, participants will use horizon scanning, the Futures Triangle and Causal Layered Analysis to examine emerging risks, assumptions and different perspectives. They will develop plausible future scenarios and test theories of change, evaluation questions and recommendations against them. Participants will leave with adaptable tools to support inclusive learning, programme adaptation and strategic decision-making.
10 - Artificial Intelligence for Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning Bootcamp
Presenters and organisations
Varaidzo Faith Magodo-Matimba, Emeka Nwankwo and Linda Raftree — The MERL Tech Initiative
Duration
2-day workshop
Date
Monday 08 & Tuesday 09 March 2027
Level
AI: beginner to intermediate; MERL: intermediate
Pre-requisites
Access to a generative AI tool of your choice. Bring a laptop.
Description
Build practical skills for using artificial intelligence responsibly across the MERL cycle and for evaluating programmes that use AI. Participants will experiment with AI tools, practise prompt engineering and assess when these technologies are appropriate. The bootcamp examines bias, inaccurate outputs, privacy, consent and accountability, equipping participants with ethical guidance and frameworks for informed AI adoption and the monitoring and evaluation of AI-enabled initiatives.
11 - Practical Microsoft 365 Tools for Monitoring, Evaluation and Research
Presenters and organisations
Ntombizodwa Jane Maseko — Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation
Duration
2-day workshop
Date
Monday 08 March 2027
Level
Beginner to intermediate
Pre-requisites
Bring a laptop with internet connectivity and access to a Microsoft 365 account. Access to Forms, Teams, SharePoint and Planner is required where available.
Description
Create an integrated digital workflow for monitoring, evaluation and research using Microsoft 365. Through demonstrations and guided practice, participants will design surveys in Forms, organise information in SharePoint Lists, collaborate through Teams and track tasks with Planner. Working through a realistic case study, participants will connect data collection, information management and project tracking into a practical workflow they can apply in their organisations.
12 - Theory of Change in Practice: Developing and Applying Your Organisation’s Theory of Change
Presenters and organisations
Munashe Muchenga and Palesa Magashule — Nation Builder
Duration
2-day workshop
Date
Mon 08 & Tues 09 March 2027
Level
Beginner and emerging evaluators to intermediate
Pre-requisites
No formal prerequisites. Bring programme information and any existing Theory of Change or M&E framework. Introductory reading, a short video and an online pre-assessment will be shared in advance.
Description
Develop or strengthen a Theory of Change and turn it into a practical monitoring and evaluation framework. Day one covers problem analysis, goals, outcomes pathways, activities and assumptions, with structured peer review to test the logic and evidence. Day two translates the Theory of Change into indicators, data sources, responsibilities, baselines and targets. Participants work on real programmes and leave with tools to support implementation, learning and adaptation.