Using rigour criteria to guide bricolage
Content type:
Poster
Author(s):
Richard Smith
Theme:
OM Resources: Events
Language:
English
Published:
7 April 2026
This poster was presented by Richard Smith at the OMLC Learning Lab 2025.
Combining practices or thinking from different methodologies allows evaluations to respond more robustly to a wider range of values and questions than is possible with single method evaluations. Yet, using multiple methodologies is often difficult in shorter or lower budget evaluations because doing so would exceed available time or resources. Inspired by Tom Aston and Marina Apgar’s CDI Practice Paper The Art and Craft of Bricolage in Evaluation, this poster explores how rigour criteria can be used to guide evaluation designs that maximise the strengths and bolster weaknesses of a core methodology.
The use of rigour criteria is demonstrated using a scenario where Outcome Harvesting (OH) was the primary method because of existing organizational capacity. By assessing the strengths and limitations of OH against rigour criteria, "bricolage options"—concepts or steps drawn from other methodologies—were identified to strengthen the design. The resulting design responds to stakeholder interests without the cost of a full multi-method framework.
The results show that rigour criteria are useful to identify where different methods complement one another and, in resource-constrained settings, bricolage guided by these criteria can be feasible when planning ahead and using an internal-external team model.
This poster was presented by Richard Smith at the OMLC Learning Lab 2025.
Combining practices or thinking from different methodologies allows evaluations to respond more robustly to a wider range of values and questions than is possible with single method evaluations. Yet, using multiple methodologies is often difficult in shorter or lower budget evaluations because doing so would exceed available time or resources. Inspired by Tom Aston and Marina Apgar’s CDI Practice Paper The Art and Craft of Bricolage in Evaluation, this poster explores how rigour criteria can be used to guide evaluation designs that maximise the strengths and bolster weaknesses of a core methodology.
The use of rigour criteria is demonstrated using a scenario where Outcome Harvesting (OH) was the primary method because of existing organizational capacity. By assessing the strengths and limitations of OH against rigour criteria, "bricolage options"—concepts or steps drawn from other methodologies—were identified to strengthen the design. The resulting design responds to stakeholder interests without the cost of a full multi-method framework.
The results show that rigour criteria are useful to identify where different methods complement one another and, in resource-constrained settings, bricolage guided by these criteria can be feasible when planning ahead and using an internal-external team model.
