You learn how to optimize for success and discover the story behind the results.
Evaluators ask three over-arching questions at the start, middle and end of the project:
- What happened?
- Why? (the story behind what happened)
- Why do these results matter and what’s next?
During the planning phase, the evaluation focuses on understanding how to optimally design the project to best meet its goals. During the implementation phase, the evaluation seeks to understand how the initiative is taking shape, where there is early progress and how to maximize the ongoing success of the project. At the close of a project, the evaluation assesses the extent to which project aims were met and identifies circumstances that led to both high and low levels of success. Evaluation also probes throughout for important unintended consequences of the work (e.g., a program designed to promote child car seat usage also motivates parents to use safety belts for themselves.) All of this together helps to tell the full project story.