The responsibility for carrying the evaluation lies with people who have not been involved in the implementation of a measure. Experts obtain information about the subject of the evaluation and provide feedback to the managers about what they think about it.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| No “insider blindness” | Little involvement to the field of work |
| Impartiality | No link to the context and lack of expert knowledge |
| Methodological competence | Less legitimacy within the organisation |
| Greater acceptance by others |
Suitability
External evaluations are particularly well suited to evaluations that are carried out to legitimise a project. External evaluations are used if the organisation’s own staff resources are tight or if there is little evaluation know-how within the organisation itself.
| Important The purpose and the questions to be asked during the evaluation must be clearly defined. The choice of suitable external evaluators is decisive for the success of the evaluation. Evaluators must of course bring with them the requisite specialist knowledge, but they must also show the necessary sensitivity in contact with stakeholders and be accepted by them. Lastly, schedules and budgets must be realistic. |