The evolution of a philosophy and practice of evaluation advice

Advice regarding evaluation can be solicited, given, and used in a variety of informal to formal practices, which can range from unstructured to highly structured. Gathering input into an evaluation is intended to include other perspectives and voices into a process so that the evaluation is cocreated with others to enhance its rigor, relevance, and utility. In evaluation practice, the advice system should be integrated within a model of evaluation practice and should be a component of effectively managing one or more evaluation studies. The authors draw on a combined 40‐year career in evaluation and in advice giving to review their increasingly sophisticated advice‐system practice. This history is mined for some real‐world problems encountered and how these were addressed. Finally, the article provides suggestions on how an evaluator can include soliciting advice to create a shared understanding necessary for good evaluation practice. This we call the evaluation facilitator. ©Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association.