A real-time evaluation (RTE) is a rapid peer review carried out early on in a humanitarian response to gauge effectiveness in order to adjust implementation and take corrective action in ‘real-time’, when this can still make a difference. Pioneered by UNHCR, this innovation is both a process and a tool to improve the quality of response programmes. RTEs offer staff involved in a fast-paced response an unusual opportunity to ‘step back and reflect’.
