Developmental Evaluation (DE) is a term coined by Michael Quinn Patton in the mid-1990s. This approach has gained more and more traction over the past years as being particularly suited for assessing, informing and supporting innovative and adaptive development, especially in complex and dynamic environments where a knowledge base is not yet established. DE can be used for a range of purposes, including ongoing programme development, generating innovations and taking them to scale, facilitating rapid response in crisis situations and accompanying organizational change.

Focus on development and adaptation (versus improvement, accountability or summative judgment)
Takes place in unpredictable complex dynamic environments
Feedback is rapid, or as real-time as possible
The evaluator works co-creatively with social innovators to conceptualize, design and test new approaches in a long-term, ongoing process of adaptation

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1. DE is highly adaptive and versatile. It helps identify options and solutions while navigating through non-linear and complex environments, for which more traditional evaluation approaches are not always well suited.
2. It is based on a forward-looking and utilization-oriented approach. DE involves multiple co-creation processes with evaluation users, thus promoting a high level of participation and ownership of results.
3. It entails a continuous process of data collection and feedback loops, which support timely decision-making and adaptation. This real-time feature of DE helps maximize utility and learning while also enabling quick course correction