Ex ante evaluation
A project is called “feasible” if it is considered to be capable of being done or carried out. Therefore, this is a typical dimension for the evaluation ex ante. The most important aspects to be considered with regard to the feasibility of a research project are the following:
1. The logical or technological framework.
- Is the project sufficiently realistic, or is it too difficult to be realized? (Some problems are just too difficult, either in absolute terms, or in the context in which the proposer has to work.)
- Is the proposed methodology for performing the project feasible, or are there better ways to achieve the required result? Are the workplan and/or the distribution of tasks realistic?
- Is the project economically feasible, meaning that the expected benefits outweigh the required costs?
2. The time framework.
- Is the proposed time for the realization of the project realistic, or is it impossible to complete it within the project timeframe?
- Is there a time schedule and specific deadlines for the project, and are they realistic?
3. The resource framework.
- Does the person in charge of the project and his proposed team have the necessary experience (both in intellectual capacity and in available time, taking into account other obligations) to successfully perform the project?
- Is the necessary institutional support satisfactory (adequate resource management, supervision, access to scientific literature and networks, etc.)?
- Is the infrastructure necessary for a successful performance of the project available, or can it be acquired within the project budget?
Ex post evaluation
Feasibility needs sometimes to be assessed ex post. If the conduct of a research or its results are not satisfactory, the question may be raised as whether the project as proposed was feasible in the first place. That may require a retrospective study of the causes of failure (or of partial failure).
- (See also the annex: conditions for a good evaluation)
