A study was conducted to design valid and reliable self-evaluation instruments for periodic evaluation of academic programmes of Bolgatanga Polytechnic in Ghana, using evaluation experts and relevant stakeholders of the polytechnic. This paper presents some of the challenges, including those of institutional support, the technical demands of designing the instrument and that of culture. How these challenges were met and the lessons learnt illustrate how self-evaluation was introduced to an institution where previously no course evaluation had been carried out. (Contains 2 tables.)