Knowledge resources from the university in the community
1. Measurement and evaluation can help more than you might imagine. An M&E system can be designed to enhance or enable program improvement, research, marketing/publicity, internal coordination, public access and external coordination, performance management, external reporting, strategic planning, and allocation. The purposes need to shape the design to be effective. read more
2. Start with the end in mind—identify your measurement and evaluation questions. When thinking about your measurement and evaluation system needs, start first with these two questions: read more
- What do you want to understand better about your programs?
- What do you want others to understand better about your programs?
3. Start with a statement of what your program is designed to accomplish. Successful evaluation, meaning evaluation that generates information and answers you can use, begins with clearly identified program goals. What is your program designed to accomplish?
4. Identify your underlying model–push or pull–to get better answers. Understanding whether your program leans more towards a “push” model (in which the driving goal or mechanism is changing something about the audience) or a “pull” model (in which the mechanism towards achieving the program goals involves providing access to services or resources so that participants are supported in meeting their goals) will help shape your evaluation questions. Programs with “pull” elements will want to frame part of the evaluation around the extent to which users receive value and meet their goals. read more
5. Collect information on program activities, effectiveness, and resources. Most programs will want to be able to answer these questions: What are we doing? Whom are we reaching? How effective are we? How can we improve? What resources is it taking? Addressing these questions means collecting information on activities (outputs); effectiveness (outcomes); and, if possible, resources (inputs). read more
6. Target limited evaluation resources carefully, considering the type of evidence needed for your purpose. Base an evaluation plan on two areas of decision: (1) what information you need to get from the evaluation; and (2) how much certainty you need. Evaluation can serve a number of purposes, including program improvement or development, research, marketing, and reporting. The characteristics and type of evidence needed differs, as do the resources required to obtain different types of evidence. read more
7. The “why” shapes the “what” and “how” of M&E. The target M&E purposes will shape whether the information collected needs to be quantitative, rich in qualitative detail, consistent across programs, consistent across time, comprehensive, and/or validated. read more
8. Collect data the easy way if possible. Collect data in the easiest way possible that meets your needs. From easiest to hardest: existing data source; compilation from existing source; modification of existing source; development of new source. Minimize reporter burden as much as possible to conserve time and resources and enhance data validity and completeness. read more
9. M&E systems require care and feeding. In other words, they require user-centered communication, hand-holding, and system improvement in response to user feedback and information analysis. This is especially true for ones that rely on information that people are asked to provide with no clear benefit to themselves.
