Economic appraisal is a type of decision method applied to a project, programme or policy that takes into account a wide range of costs and benefits, denominated in monetary terms or for which a monetary equivalent can be estimated. Economic Appraisal is a key tool for achieving value for money and satisfying requirements for decision accountability. It is a systematic process for examining alternative uses of resources, focusing on assessment of needs, objectives, options, costs, benefits, risks, funding, affordability and other factors relevant to decisions.

Ein Appraisal (dt. „Bewertung", „Beurteilung") ist eine Überprüfung einer Organisation hinsichtlich der Umsetzung der Anforderungen eines Prozessmodells wie beispielsweise Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI). Das Vorgängermodell Capability Maturity Model (CMM) und ISO/IEC 15504 (SPICE) verwenden an dieser Stelle den Begriff Assessment anstatt Appraisal - gemeint ist damit das Gleiche.