Evaluation studies are important to work out how well an intervention, policy or practice works. An evaluation plan helps make sure the project does not miss any steps and is good quality.
The two main types of evaluations are outcome evaluation and impact evaluation.
- Outcome evaluations focus on the short- and long-term goals of the project. It looks as if the project has achieved what it set out to do. For example, has the program improve a person’s blood pressure.
- Impact evaluations look at the effect of the project on the people involved. For example, has there been an improvement in their knowledge, attitudes, behaviours and/or skills.
When planning an evaluation, it is important to determine:
- The purpose of the evaluation (who and what).
- What is the key question you want to find the answer to?
- What data will help answer these questions? Where will the data come from?
- What will the evaluation involve? Are any resources needed? What is the timeframe?
- Implementation: Did the program go to plan?
- Effectiveness: Is it achieving its purpose? Consider the goals.
- Efficiency: Are resources (including people), time, budget used well?
- Cost-effectiveness: Does the gain of the program make up for the cost?
- Attribution: Are the results related to the program or something else occurring at the same time?
The general process will involve:
- A description of the project.
- State the purpose and intended use.
- Determine evaluation questions and/or metrics.
- Design the evaluation.
- Plan how the implementation of the evaluation.
Projects may be evaluated by:
- Surveys
- Interviews/focus groups
- Metrics
Further resources on evaluation:
- Step by Step guide to planning an evaluation
- Watch this video to learn more about study design