Program Evaluation 101

Evaluating the Impact

What is Program Evaluation?​
Program evaluation is the systematic process of collecting and analyzing data to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of a program, project, or policy. It is vital for understanding a program’s impact and for making informed decisions and continuous improvements.

Program Evaluation Project Lifecycle

• Planning: Evaluation supports effective project design by identifying strategies to
best meet its goals.
• Implementation: It monitors progress to understand how the initiative is taking
shape, as well as highlights early successes and challenges to guide real-time
adjustments.
• Closing: Evaluation assesses overall project, draws insights from wins and setbacks,
and uncovers unintended outcomes helping to tell the full story behind the data.

More Than Monitoring
Evaluation is more than data tracking and improvement science. It considers context to explain outcomes and offer actionable suggestions to improve ongoing and future program efforts.

Every Voice Counts
Evaluation values every voice. Participant feedback provides vital insight into what is going well and what is not. This information guides program adjustments, improving communication, logistical support, and resource allocation and utilization and helping to efficiently and effectively address the target community's needs.

One Size Does Not Fit All
Evaluation can take many forms, tailored to fit various goals and settings.
Oftentimes, using a mixed methods approach, combining both quantitative and qualitative methods, like surveys or interviews, is used to get the full picture of the program’s impact.

You Can Start Small
While teams can embed evaluative practices into their work, such as probing reflection questions about program effectiveness into existing surveys to gather valuable insights over time engaging an evaluator offers an especially valuable perspective. An outside voice provides an unbiased assessment, which is crucial for objectively measuring program success and ensuring credibility.