A formative goal-free evaluation was conducted to assess products (documents) developed after the first year of a federally funded project. Fifteen packets of sixty-six documents were rated by an external panel of five judges, using a checklist developed for the evaluation. An intermediary between the panel and the goal-free evaluator interviewed key project staff to clarify questions about the documents and to obtain perceptions of the goal-free process. The bulk of the written evaluation report was a summary of judges' comments and ratings for each packet. Several problems surfaced: project staff seemed anxious and mistrusting about the goal-free method, and there was a major discrepancy between proposed project goals and the external evaluator's perception of the project. In summary, goal-free evaluation seems most appropriate when product development is a major task. Personal observation during evaluation seriously jeopardizes the disclosure of goals. The approach is best used as an adjunct to other evaluation methods, although it needs refining. (The checklist is appended). (CP)