Independent Evaluation

Evaluation Presentations

Full Evaluation Report

Technical assistance can contribute to the achievement of development results. Sadly, reviews and evaluations conducted in the last ten years conclude that it has not reached its potential. Why does technical assistance fall short? How can it be managed for results?

Technical assistance is a key operational instrument of ADB. It is used, extensively, to identify, formulate, and implement projects; improve institutional capabilities; formulate development strategies; promote transfer of technology; and foster regional cooperation.

In 2006, the Operations Evaluation Department in ADB examined technical assistance from country and corporate perspectives. It looked at strategic focus and sector overviews, analyzed completed projects, studied good and bad practices, scrutinized fund allocation systems, and investigated the work of other development agencies.

The study revealed lack of strategic direction at the country level, inadequate formulation processes, variable quality-at-entry, and generic implementation issues. Yet, outputs were delivered or exceeded in three quarters of the sample, and outcomes were accomplished successfully or highly successfully in like proportion.

At corporate level, ADB's priorities are stronger country focus, greater coherence of all ADB activities at country level, long-term engagement in selected areas in each developing member country, and better coordination with other funding agencies. The study showed that technical assistance had not been sufficiently leveraged in support of these.

The study's findings have wide-ranging implications for country positioning, formulation and implementation of technical assistance, and corporate level management.

The study advocated that resource allocation be improved to ensure that technical assistance fits with ADB's strategic development priorities, and addresses the strategic areas and themes contained in country partnership strategies.

Country partnership strategies should locate technical assistance within a long-term framework that prioritizes and focuses on topics, covering both lending and nonlending operations, and integrates the work of ADB's knowledge departments.

Corporate level management must improve. It should be a priority of ADB's Management to ensure that a better technical assistance management system is put in place.

ADB must strengthen quality-at-entry. A sample of technical assistance projects should be evaluated as part of ADB's biennial review to assess the progress made in this area.

Monitoring and evaluation of the portfolio of technical assistance should provide corporate- and departmental-level data on implementation, performance, and outcomes. In ADB, this means streamlining the performance report and ensuring its regular update; including the views of executing agencies and consultants in completion reports; and upgrading management information systems.

Crucially, knowledge management tools must be leveraged to collect and connect lessons from technical assistance. But knowledge management should also find expression in the design of technical assistance, for example in line items for translation, dissemination, and peer reviews.

In ADB, the staff that has processed technical assistance should whenever practical remain involved up to completion even if they are transferred internally.

And, ADB should delegate authority and accountability for prioritizing and programming technical assistance, as well as selecting, supervising, and evaluating consultants, to executing agencies that have the capacity to do so and can guard against corruption.