Classic Methodologies: Why They Still Matter

ABSTRACT While recognizing the importance of innovative, new approaches to evaluation, the guest editors and authors present this special issue of New Directions for Evaluation , urging evaluators to revisit established methodologies to address the growing complexity and ambiguity of today's wicked problems and indeed any problem they are commissioned to evaluate. Within this issue, we revisit four key methodologies of benchmarking, environmental scanning, rapid reconnaissance, and strategic environmental assessment (SEA). We also ask evaluators to reflect on the importance of understanding their evaluation contexts, philosophical, and methodological approaches when making evaluation decisions. We argue that by understanding philosophical and methodological choices, we can produce evaluation outcomes that contribute to high‐level decision‐making. Our research highlights that the four methodologies outlined in this special issue have received limited attention in the evaluation literature. Therefore, we consider it timely to share our insights and practical applications of these methodologies. It is hoped that through this special issue we successfully argue these tried and tested methodologies have potential application across both strategic and tactical spaces, creating an interface for evaluators to value‐add to their practice.