Handling Complexity in Policy Evaluation Online Workshop: Module Three – Commissioning and Managing a Complex Evaluation
Tuesday 8th July 2025, 10:00 – 16:00, Live Online Training (via Zoom)
Tutors: Martha Bicket and Georgie Parry-Crooke
Back by popular demand, our ‘Handling Complexity in Policy Evaluation’ workshop series provides you with knowledge and practical advice to allow you to deal with complexity in policy analysis and evaluation.
Complexity is present in many social and natural systems and is an important factor accounting for the success or failure of policies. Making complexity explicit can result in better policy development and delivery. Ignoring complexity risks policies that are ineffective, fail or behave in unexpected ways.
Comprising three modules, the training is based on the Supplementary Guide to the Government’s new edition of the Magenta Book on evaluation: ‘Handling Complexity in Policy Evaluation’, which was developed by CECAN.
We recommend attending all three modules, which have been designed to complement one another, but this is not essential and the workshops can be attended individually.
Course Details:
This third workshop of the series builds on modules 1 and 2 and will focus on material presented in chapter three of the Supplementary Guide, exploring the particular challenges complexity presents to the management and commissioning of evaluation.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this workshop, participants will:
- Understand what it means to manage in complexity and how this applies to commissioning and managing a complex evaluation.
- Have a shared framework for commissioning and managing complex evaluations.
- Be able to specify the policy/project/programme complexity to contractors and clarify what is expected from them.
- Understand how the contracting relationship can accommodate the complex nature of the evaluation (e.g. non- linear, adaptive and dealing with the unexpected).
Intended Audience: These workshops are designed to support policy makers, analysts and evaluators at all levels facing complexity challenges in their current work.
Tutor Biographies:
This workshop is led by Martha Bicket and Georgie Parry-Crooke.
Martha Bicket has over twelve years’ experience at the interface of research and policy, working closely with senior policymakers and analysts across local, national and international levels of government towards the goal of better-informed decision-making and policy. Martha led the development of Defra’s Complexity Evaluation Framework and is one of the authors of HM Treasury’s Magenta Book Supplementary Guide “Handling Complexity in Evaluation”. She is experienced in supporting Government teams from a wide range of different departments with their real-world complex policy and evaluation challenges through coaching and bespoke training.
Georgie Parry-Crooke is an independent, experienced facilitator, trainer and evaluator, and Professor Emerita at London Metropolitan University where she developed and delivered an MSc in evaluation. Her experience includes project and programme evaluations of social care, health and in particular, mental health services. In 2016, Georgie left the university to join the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations where she carried out evaluation and training before becoming an independent consultant in 2022. In 2019, she led the Tavistock Institute’s team delivering evaluation capacity building for the British Council across five geographical regions and also with IpsosMORI, designed and delivered evaluation seminar series for the Departments for Transport and International Trade. Currently, Georgie works with a range of organisations including providing training for CECAN Ltd and the UK Evaluation Society.
Course Fees:
Tickets for this workshop are available on an Early Bird Rate until 11th May 2025, as follows:
- Government / commercial: £300 per person (or £375 if booked from 12/5/25)
- Staff at academic / charitable institutions: £275 per person (or £325 if booked from 12/5/25)
- Students (including Postgraduate Researchers): £250 per person (or £285 if booked from 12/5/25)
All prices are exclusive of VAT where applicable.
The CECAN research centre has funding for a limited number of bursaries to support Early Career Researchers and Postgraduate Researchers working across the social and natural sciences to further develop their skills in policy evaluation methods from a complex systems perspective – more information here.
How to Book:
Reserve your place by registering and paying via our Eventbrite page.
If you have any questions, please contact CECAN by emailing training@cecan.co.uk
CECAN Ltd is the commercial arm of the ESRC funded Centre for Evaluating Complexity across the Nexus (CECAN). It offers access to innovative policy evaluation approaches and methods to support decision makers.
