Evaluation for learning, accountability, and more ....

Achieving collaborative, business or personal goals requires effective planning and follow-through. The plan is effectively a "route-map" from the present to the future. To plan a suitable route you must know where you are (situation analysis) and where you want to go (establish goals). Only then can appropriate action plans be developed to help achieve the desired future.

However, because the future is uncertain, our action plans must be adaptive and allow continually for "learning by doing". To do this we need appropriate evaluation tools and processes, and information flows that help the different stakeholders involved check that their efforts are proceeding as planned, and to refine and guide their responses if changes are needed.

Both sets of plans are best developed in conjunction with the people who will carry them out, as they are then more likely to actually do so. As the accompanying diagram shows, there are two sets of monitoring plans needed. Results monitoring focusses on whether you are getting where you want to go, while process monitoring focusses on how efficiently you are geting there. Indicators in this regard may be either qualitative or quantitative, and a combination of the two is often best. An evaluation is like a good story, it needs some (qualitative) anecdotal evidence to put the lesson in context, and some (quantitative) facts and figures that reinforce the message. As the diagram below shows different evaluation approaches can be used to measure different parts of the overall project or change intitiative.

Figure: A project plan and how different evaluation types and approaches can be used to measure progress through different stages of implementation (Adapted from Taylor-Powell 2008 )

Effective collaborative initiatives are the ones that pay attention to both the task and the process, and so meet the needs that the different participants have in both areas. In this regard the task can be defined as what those involved have to do (e.g. reduce pest numbers). The process is concerned with how people and groups work together and maintain relationships. Experience shows that people often neglect process issues, often in order to concentrate on their task. However both task and process will suffer if they are split from each other. Because task and process are linked in this way, it is important to measure progress of both as the above logic model illustrates.

With the broader evaluation context there are a number of framings that will infuence the final approaches chosen. These are highlighted on different pages here. Different types of evaluations answer different questions. Other frameworks which can provide ideas as to the scale and levels of programme intensity to be considered by stakeholders. And a consideration of underlying theory of change and logic models that should underpin our initiatives can help strengthen both program design and program evaluation. Within these overall frameworks more examples of different evaluation techniques that can be used can be found from the different approaches page.

Viewed in this way evaluation provides a platform for learning, accountability and capacity building. As the diagram below show evaluation and reflection are powerful multi-function tools. Accountability to particular goals is an important function for evaluation, but the process of reflecting on how well we did in different dimensions not only helps us learn more about the efficiency and efficacy of our program, it also serves to build capacity.

Other related pages include links to guides on managing participation and improving facilitation. By fostering good participation in evaluation we can support empowerment, motivation and strengthened relationships.