Evaluation Contribution

Designing and managing successful public programs is no easy task, with many people and organizations involved. Professional evaluators contribute to this important enterprise in a variety of ways.

Evaluator Contributions

• Clarifying assumptions and expectations when programs are being designed
• Monitoring and providing feedback to managers on processes, progress, and problems experienced in early start-up stages
• Answering questions that unfold during program implementation about the validity of the program design, challenges to implementation, success or failure to achieve intended outputs and short, medium, and long-term outcomes, whether the program is avoiding negative side effects, and how it addresses concerns of program advocates and critics
• Identifying appropriate observational approaches and performance measures
• Producing periodic studies to provide ongoing feedback on the quality and efficiency of programs
• Building practical accountability mechanisms into the ongoing management of programs
• Assessing program success in terms of processes, outputs, and outcomes
• Determining the transferability of successful programs to other locations, organizations, and service environments
• Providing lessons for improving the design and execution of the next generation of programs
• Identifying areas for cost savings and providing guidance on costs in relation to benefits
• Assessing whether a mature program remains relevant and effective after significant demographic, cultural, or technological changes