Guide to Project Evaluation: A Participatory Approach
Population Health Directorate
Health Canada
August 1996
Our mission is to help the people of Canada
maintain and improve their health.
Health Canada
Additional copies in English or French, as well as additional resource materials
on family violence, are available from:
National Clearinghouse on Family Violence
Family Violence Prevention Unit
Public Health Agency of Canada
Health Canada (Address Locator: 1909D1)
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1B4
Telephone: (613) 957-2938
or call our toll-free number:
1-800-267-1291
For TTY users: (613) 952-6396
or call toll-free:
1-800-561-5643
Facsimile: (613) 941-8930
FaxLink: (613) 941-7285
or toll-free: 1-888-267-1233
Published by the authority of the Minister of Health Canada, May 1996
Également disponible en français sous le titre : Guide
d'evaluation de projet Une démarcheparticipative
This publication can be made available in or on (computer diskette, large
print, audio-cassette, braille) upon request.
Please feel free to photocopy, with acknowledgement to Health Canada,
any useful information in this document.
Cat. No. H39-355/1996E
ISBN 0-662-24231-9
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The following people contributed their time, energy and creative thinking
towards the production of this Guide. Yolande Samson
Michel Boyer
Tina DeRita-Oliveira
Dina Juras
John Stinson
Penny Mosmann
Brenda Simpson
Lillian Baaske
Carole Legge
Moffatt Clarke
Barbara Brady
Denise Annett
Carol MacLeod
Pat Corbett
Des O'Flaherty We
would also like to thank the many other Health Canada program staff involved
in reviewing this Guide during its various stages of development.
Special thanks go to the writers of this Guide, Donna Denham and Joan
Gillespie, of Denham Gillespie Associates, who were instrumental in the
design and development of this document.
CONTENTS
Chapter |
1. |
Introducing the Guide |
|
1.1 |
Why evaluate? |
|
1.2 |
Getting started |
|
1.3 |
A note on terminology |
|
|
|
Chapter |
2. |
Evaluation for Learning |
|
2.1 |
Participatory evaluation |
|
2.2 |
Putting participatory evaluation into practic |
|
2.3 |
Activity: Introducing a participatory approach to evaluation |
|
2.4 |
Handout: Principles of a participatory approach to evaluation |
|
|
|
Chapter |
3. |
A Framework for Project Evaluation |
|
3.1 |
The five key evaluation questions |
|
3.2 |
The five evaluation process steps |
|
3.3 |
Tools for using the evaluation framework |
|
3.4 |
A framework for project evaluation |
|
|
|
Chapter |
4. |
Defining Project Work |
|
4.1 |
Developing project goals and objectives |
|
4.2 |
Writing Project Objectives |
|
4.3 |
Activity: Writing Effective Project Objectives |
|
4.4 |
Role of the outside evaluator |
|
4.5 |
Points to remember |
|
|
|
Chapter |
5. |
Developing Success Indicators |
|
5.1 |
Purpose of success indicators and their measures |
|
5.2 |
The process of developing success indicators and their measures |
|
5.3 |
Activity: Defining success indicators |
|
5.4 |
Success indicators for project activity types |
|
|
|
Chapter |
6. |
Collecting Evaluation Data |
|
6.1 |
Determining information collection needs |
|
6.2 |
Information collection tools |
|
6.3 |
Sample evaluation tools |
|
|
|
Chapter |
7. |
Analysing and Interpreting Data |
|
7.1 |
Analysing project evaluation information |
|
7.2 |
Preparing useful evaluation reports |
|
7.3 |
Activity: Analysing and interpreting data |
|
|
|
Chapter |
8 |
Using Evaluation Results |
|
8.1 |
Using evaluation results |
|
|
|
Chapter |
9 |
Putting It Together |
|
|
|
Appendices |
|
|
|
1. |
Definitions of evaluation terms |
|
2. |
Annotated bibliography of evaluation resources |
|
3. |
Framework worksheet for the five key evaluation questions and examples
of developing the questions by project activity type |
|
4. |
Framework worksheet for success indicators and examples of developing
the indicators by project activity type |
|
5. |
Success indicators of increased public participation and strengthened
community groups |
|
6. |
Reaction sheet for evaluation workshop |
|
7. |
Guided telephone interview - Community Resource Handbook for
Women with Breast Cancer |
|
8. |
Focus group interview guide - Child, Safety Awareness Program |
|
9. |
Guidelines for keeping a project diary - Child Safety Awareness
Program |
|
10. |
Mail-out questionnaire -Advisory Committee, Health and Disabled
Women's Project |
|
11. |
Mail-out questionnaire - Health Care Providers, Health and Disabled
Women's Project |
|
12. |
We Want Your Feedback |
1 INTRODUCING THE GUIDE
Evaluation can be useful, exciting and an important knowledge development
tool. This evaluation guide has been developed to help make all these things
happen. The goal of this evaluation guide is to provide easy-to-use,
comprehensive framework for project evaluation. This framework can be
used to strengthen evaluation skills and knowledge to assist in the development
and implementation of effective project evaluations.
1.1 Why evaluate?
Effective project evaluations can
- account for what has been accomplished through project funding
- promote learning about which health promotion strategies work in
communities and which don't
- provide feedback to inform decision-making at all levels: community,
regional and national
- contribute to the body of knowledge about health promotion
- assess the cost-effectiveness of different health promotion strategies
- position high quality projects for future funding opportunities
- increase the effectiveness of project and program management
- contribute to policy development.
A good project evaluation provides an extremely useful tool to manage ongoing
work, identify successes and plan effectively for new health promotion initiatives.
1.2 Getting started
The Guide to Project Evaluation: A Participatory Approach provides
direction for your work in planning and implementing effective project
evaluations.
While no single resource can answer all your questions, we hope that
the Guide to Project Evaluation.- A Participatory Approach provides
you with clear directions. Add to it, adapt it, and customize it to meet
your own needs.
1.3 A note on terminology
For many people the language of evaluation is a barrier that prevents
them from getting on with the real evaluation work. This guide attempts
to avoid this problem by using plain language throughout. Appendix 1 provides
a brief overview of definitions of the more common evaluation terms.
To make the guide as practical as possible it includes
- a framework to guide the step-by-step process of developing effective
evaluations.
- activities to introduce and plan for project evaluation.
- examples demonstrating the application of the evaluation framework
to health promotion projects.
- an annotated bibliography of a selected number of useful evaluation
resources (see Appendix 2).
2 EVALUATION FOR LEARNING
This guide is based on the belief that evaluation can be a useful and
positive experience that promotes learning and action. What is learned
from project evaluation is as important as what the project produces or
creates.
2.1 Participatory evaluation
Health promotion activities enable people to take more active roles in
defining their health needs, setting priorities among health goals and
influencing and assessing efforts to improve their health. Participatory
evaluation work supports these activities because it is a collaborative
approach that builds on strengths and that values the contribution of
everyone involved. While there are other approaches to evaluation, a participatory
approach seems most consistent with the goals of the Public Health Agency of Canada's strategies
and programs.
Principles of participatory evaluation
- Participatory evaluation focuses on learning, success and action.
- The evaluation must be useful to the people who are doing the
work that is being evaluated.
- The evaluation process is ongoing and includes ways to let
all participants use the information from the evaluation throughout
the project, not just at the end.
- Recognition of the progression of change - knowledge, attitudes,
skills and behaviour - is built into the evaluation.
- The project sponsors are responsible for defining the specific
project evaluation questions, the indicators of success and realistic
timeframes.
- Participatory evaluation makes it possible to recognize shared
interests among those doing the work, the people the work is designed
to reach, the project funders and other stakeholders.
|
For a more detailed examination of these principles, refer to the handout
on page 6, Principles of a participatory approach to evaluation.
2.2 Putting participatory evaluation into
practice
Participatory evaluation calls for collaboration among those who share
a common interest in improving health. The collaborative process starts
at the beginning of a project and continues throughout the life of the
project. This type of evaluation is never a one-time, end-of-project event.
Refer to Chapter 9 of this guide, Putting it Together, for a checklist
of common points to consider in each stage of project evaluation.
Collaboration allows those involved in the project to
- work in partnership with community groups to do evaluation
- recognize the experience and expertise of community groups
- recognize the health outcomes of the project
- make evaluation questions and findings relevant to all stakeholders
- increase the acceptability of and support for the evaluation process
and outcomes
- produce more meaningful results that can be used by both programs
and projects to learn how to improve the work being done and to influence
policy and program directions.
The activity on the next page - Introducing a participatory approach
to evaluation - outlines a process for beginning the discussion
about this type of collaborative evaluation. You may want to facilitate
it yourself with the groups with which you work, or you may decide to copy
it and give it to the project coordinators to use on their own.
For a thorough discussion of the principles and application of participatory
evaluation, we highly recommend the following two resources:
- Keeping on Track: An Evaluation Guide for Community Groups, produced
by the Women's Research Centre of Vancouver
- The Royal Society of Canada, Study of Participatory Research in
Health Promotion, prepared by the Institute of Health Promotion
Research, University of British Columbia.
2.3 Activity: Introducing a participatory approach
to evaluation
Topic: |
Introducing a participatory approach to evaluation |
Purpose: |
- To increase the group's comfort with evaluation
- To discuss the key principles of participatory evaluation
|
Suggested uses: |
This discussion is useful for a group to have at the beginning of
new projects uses: so they can think about and build in evaluation
measures right from the start. |
Time: |
30 minutes |
Materials: |
- flipchart
- handout: Principles of a participatory approach to evaluation
|
Activity: |
- Ask participants to work in pairs to prepare responses to the
following question: "What does evaluation mean to you?"
- Record on the flipchart the group's responses.
Often at this point you will get both negative and positive comments
about evaluation. It is important to acknowledge all the participants'
previous experiences with evaluation, good and bad. You can learn
from their comments how project sponsors want to make evaluation practical
and useful.
Distribute the handout: Principles of a participatory
approach to evaluation (page 6).
Divide the participants into small groups. Ask each group
to discuss the handout and to identify the three principles of a
participatory approach to evaluation that they think are most important
for their type of project activity.
Bring all participants together again to get the feedback and
to discuss their ideas on how these principles could be practiced
in their project. Use this time to answer questions about the method.
The Keeping on Track manual is a good backup resource
to have available.
This discussion provides an opportunity to identify the
principles that are most important to the group. It sets
guidelines to which evaluators will be held accountable.
|
2.4 Handout: Principles of a participatory
approach to evaluation
Participatory evaluation encourages a positive experience with the evaluation
of health promotion activities. The key principles of this approach are
outlined below. They have been adapted from Keeping on Track, An Evaluation
Guide for Community Groups, produced by the Women's Research Centre
in Vancouver.
- Participatory evaluation focuses on learning, success and
action.
An important question to ask in evaluation is what we learned about what
worked and what did not work. Then we need to ask how can we use these
learning's to move to action. The people and groups most directly involved
decide what determines success.
- The evaluation is useful to the people who are doing the work
that is being evaluated.
The project's goals and objectives - what the project intends to accomplish
- must be the standards against which the project work is measured. Evaluators
must pay special attention to the project's specific needs and available
resources.
- The evaluation process is ongoing and includes ways to let all
participants use the information from the evaluation throughout
the project, not just at the end.
The material produced for the evaluation must be given back to the participants
on an ongoing basis in a format that is useful and clearly written in
plain language.
- Recognition of the progression of change - in knowledge, attitudes,
skills and behaviour - is built into the evaluation.
To measure people's success in changing knowledge, attitudes, skills and
behaviour, think in advance about the kinds of changes the project strategies
and activities can produce. It is important to describe how these changes
can be recognized and measured in a way that is possible and practical
within the timeframe and resources available to the project.
- The project sponsors are responsible for defining the specific
project evaluation questions, the indicators of success and realistic
timeframes.
Community sponsors of projects must participate in decisions about what
questions will be asked and what information will be collected to measure
the difference, the work made in a given period.
- Participatory evaluation makes it possible to recognize shared
interests among those doing the work, the people the work is
designed to reach, the project funders and other stakeholders.
The evaluation must include information and input from the people doing
the work, the people who the work is designed to help or reach and the
project funders.
3 A FRAMEWORK FOR PROJECT EVALUATION
Project evaluation is challenging work because of the great diversity in
the types of projects funded. To be effective, an evaluation framework must
respect and respond to this diversity. Itmust also provide a consistent
and common process that applies across projects, ensures accountability
and produces evidence-based results that promote learning about what contributes
to better health practices for Canadians.
The evaluation framework presented in this guide meets this challenge.
It is composed of two parts:
- five key evaluation questions
- five evaluation process steps
The five evaluation questions form the core of the framework and can be
applied to all types of project activities. The five process evaluation
steps outline a systematic approach to the tasks that projects need to complete
to answer the evaluation questions. Groups work through the steps to plan
and implement the evaluation.
The following two sections discuss the evaluation questions and the process
steps. An overview of the evaluation framework is on page 14.
3.1 The five key evaluation questions
The process of developing the answers to the evaluation questions will
vary, as each project varies, but the five fundamental questions remain
the same.
5 key evaluation questions
What?1 |
1. |
Did we do what we said we would do? |
Why? |
2. |
What did we learn about what worked and what didn't
work? |
So what? |
3. |
What difference did it make that we did this work? |
Now what? |
4. |
What could we do differently? |
Then what? |
5. |
How do we plan to use evaluation findings for continuous learning? |
|
1 This approach is based on work done by Ron Labonte and Joan
Feather of the Prairie Region Health Promotion Research Centre.
1. Did we do what we said we would do? "What?"
(Description of activities)
The responses to this question describe the work done in the project
and the relevance of this work in meeting the project goals and objectives.
The project success indicators provide the criteria against which success
is measured. They assist the project sponsor to collect the information
needed to answer this and subsequent evaluation questions. (Chapter 5
discusses how to develop project success indicators.)
Some of the more specific questions that may need to be answered to describe
the project work include the following
- What activities were undertaken and how did they link to meeting
the project goals and objectives?
Examples:
- Describe
the resources that were developed to increase awareness.
- Describe
the training workshops that were conducted for skill development.
- Describe
the new partnerships that were formed to work on accessibility issues.
- What were the major achievements of the project and what resources
did they require?
- If the objectives changed during the course of the project, how and
why did they change?
2. What did we learn about what worked and what
didn't work? "Why?" (Reasons for success)
Participatory evaluation focuses on success, learning and action. Finding
out what worked well in a project and what didn't work well practices
this principle. Here are some of the questions that could be included
in this discussion:
- What strategies worked well for involving the target population in
the project. Why?
- What strategies didn't work well for involving the target population
in the project. Why?
- What strategies worked best for broadening the base of community
support for the project. Why?
- What strategies didn't work well for broadening the base of community
support for the project. Why?
- Which activities and strategies did we change. Why?
- What was learned about the relative cost-effectiveness and efficiency
of various project strategies and activities?
- How realistic and relevant were the project goals and objectives?
- In what ways did the project planning process work most effectively?
- What did we learn about working together as a group?
3. What difference did it make that we did this
work? "So what?" (Impact)
The answers to this question measure a project's success in changing
knowledge, attitudes, skills and behaviour. The project success indicators
represent the group's assumptions about what changes should be expected
from the project work and provide the criteria against which to measure
change both during and at the end of the project. (Chapter 5 discusses
how to develop success indicators.)
There are two main ways project sponsors can assess impact: by using
summarized data related to the success indicators and by asking specific
impact questions of people who were involved in the project and who were
the target of the project's work.
The following types of questions may be helpful in discussions about
this part of the project evaluation:
- What changed as a result of the project?
- knowledge
- attitudes
- skills
- behaviour
- What changed as a result of the project for
- members of the target population?
- community groups?
- service providers?
- caregivers?
- project sponsors and staff
- Were there any unexpected changes resulting from the project work?
Describe them.
- In what ways did this project contribute to increased public participation?
- In what ways did this project help to strengthen community groups?
- To what extent did the project reduce barriers to health?
- What evidence is there to attribute any of the above changes to the
project? What other factors outside the project might have contributed
to the changes?
- Were other initiatives started, alternative services proposed or
new funding resources acquired as a result of this project?
- In what ways did this project contribute to better health practices?
- What new partnerships developed from this project? What was the nature
of the partnerships and what was their contribution?
- Is the model or approach continuing beyond the initial funding?
- To what extent is this model or approach transferable to other communities?
4. What could we do differently?
"Now what?" (Future of this and other projects)
Evaluation is for learning and often the best learning comes from examining
the challenges that projects present. Here are some of the questions that
could be included in this discussion:
- What more effective methods for achieving the objectives emerged
from the work?
- What additional knowledge development is required to do the work
more effectively?
- What additional support from the funders and community sponsoring
agencies would have been useful to the project in meeting its goals
and objectives?
- Are there more cost-effective ways to achieve the project's objectives?
- Who else could have been involved in the work?
- What could we do to expand the network of people involved in working
on this issue?
- Were all the project's needs met?
- Is there a better way of developing realistic project goals and objectives
in the initial planning stage?
- How did management and administrative systems change through the
project to become more effective?
5. How do we plan to use evaluation findings
for continuous learning? "Then what" (Use of evaluation results)
Participatory evaluation includes ways to use the evaluation results
throughout the project as well as at the end. Some questions to consider
in developing the evaluation are as follows:
- How were evaluation findings used on an ongoing basis to contribute
to the planning and implementation of the project strategies and activities?
- How will project findings be used for future knowledge development?
- How will the final evaluation learnings be documented and distributed?
- Are there alternative ways to present the evaluation results so that
more people can make use of the learnings?
- How will the evaluation results be used for new project planning?
- How will the evaluation results be used to influence policy and research
priorities?
Seeking answers to the five key evaluation questions will guide the evaluation
process throughout a project. The learnings from answering the questions
can then be used to shape current and future work.
3.2 The five evaluation process steps
The steps to developing answers for the five key evaluation questions
are briefly outlined below, and then are further developed in the next
five chapters of the guide.
1. Define the project work.
To evaluate a project there must be clear, measurable project goals and
objectives that outline what the project plans to accomplish. While this
may seem self-evident, many evaluations have gone off the track because
this initial work has not been done.
Chapter 4, Defining Project Work, provides ideas on how to strengthen
the development of clear project goals and objectives.
2. Develop success indicators and their measures.
The process of defining what constitutes success for a project is another
important step in developing evaluations. Project sponsors need to define
the success indicators for their projects. The success indicators allow
project sponsors to evaluate whether they accomplished what they set out
to do and what the impact of their project has been.
Chapter 5, Developing Success Indicators, discusses this process
in more detail, gives some examples of specific indicators and describes
an activity that could be used to help identify success indicators for
projects.
3. Collect the evaluation data.
After the first two steps have been completed, it is necessary to decide
- what information the project needs to collect
- who has the information
- how the information will be collected.
Chapter 6, Collecting Evaluation Data, gives a brief overview of
types of evaluation instruments and ideas on how to develop evaluation tools
that are appropriate for projects. It also outlines some of the tips and
cautions for using these tools.
4. Analyse and interpret the data.
As the evaluation data is collected, it should be summarized and analysed
and key learnings should be identified. This ongoing process will help
projects prepare their final evaluation reports.
Chapter 7, Analysing and Interpreting Data, provides some ideas
to help with this process.
5. Use the evaluation results.
Evaluation findings can be used throughout the project to improve the
planning and implementing of project activities. By sharing project results
with others, each project adds to the body of knowledge about health promotion.
Chapter 8, Using Evaluation Results, provides ideas on how to
use evaluation findings during and after the project.
Working through these five steps will provide project sponsors with the
information and tools they need to answer the five key evaluation questions.
For small projects with limited resources, the process will be simple
and straightforward. For large projects with greater resources, the work
involved in each step will vary to reflect the complexity of project goals
and objectives.
For all projects, project sponsors should:
- set realistic limits on the number of project-specific evaluation
questions and on the amount of evaluation information to be collected,
as determined by the evaluation resources available to the group
- remember that the quality of information collected, not the quantity,
is the most important factor in evaluation.
Remember, the most successful evaluations are
clear and easy to understand. |
3.3 Tools for using the evaluation framework
To help in applying the evaluation framework, several different tools
have been developed for this guide. Examples provided reflect the most
common Health Canada project activity types, which are
- needs assessments
- education and awareness
- resource development
- skills development
- developing innovative models
- reducing barriers to health.
- One-page overview of the Framework for Project Evaluation (see
Section 3.4)
- Framework Worksheet for the Five Key Evaluation Questions and
Examples of Developing the Questions by Project Activity Type (see
Appendix 3)
- The blank worksheet can be used by projects to develop the five
evaluation questions. The examples show how the questions can be further
developed to reflect the specific evaluation needs of projects.
- Framework Worksheet for Success Indicators and Examples of Developing
Indicators by Project Activity Type (see Appendix 4)
- The blank worksheet can be used by projects to develop their own
project specific success indicators and their measures. The examples
provide ideas for developing success indicators and measures that
projects may find useful.
3.4 A framework for project evaluation
An overview of the framework for project evaluation is presented on the
next page. This overview is a useful tool that can be used for
- introducing the framework
- reviewing the evaluation work
A Framework for Project Evaluation
5 key evaluation questions
What? |
1. |
Did we do what we said we would do? |
Why? |
2. |
What did we learn about what worked and what didn't
work? |
So what? |
3. |
What difference did it make that we did this work? |
Now what? |
4. |
What could we do differently? |
Then what? |
5. |
How do we plan to use evaluation findings for continuous learning? |
|
Steps
in the project evaluation process
1. Define the
project work |
- clear, measurable project goals and objectives
Project activity types:
- needs assessments
- education and awareness
- resource development
- skills development
- developing innovative models
- reducing barriers to health
|
2. Develop success indicators and their measures |
- process for identifying indicators
- ideas for success indicators linked to process and impact
|
3. Collect the evaluation data |
- written questionnaire
- telephone survey
- reaction sheet
- interview - face to-face or phone
- focus group
- participant - observation
- project diary
- program records
- before and after questionnaires
- non-traditional methods of documentation
|
4. Analyse and interpret the data |
- data analysis
- identification of learnings, recommendations, actions
|
5. Use the results |
- sharing of the results on an ongoing basis
- use of leanings to inform future planning
|
4 DEFINING PROJECT WORK
Evaluation isn't something that happens at the end of a project. It is a
process that begins when the project begins with the development of goals
and objectives, and it continues throughout the life of the project. It
is through the evaluation process that we learn whether projects are meeting
their goals and having an impact on the attitudes and health practices of
Canadians.
4.1 Developing project goals and objectives
The project goals and objectives describe what the project wants to accomplish
and provide the context in which the five evaluation questions are answered.
If the project goals and objectives are not clear, it will be very difficult
to answer the first evaluation question, "Did we do what we said we would
do?"
Goals are general statements of what a project is trying to do.
Objectives are specific, measurable statements of the desired
change(s) that a project intends to accomplish by a given time.
4.2 Writing Project Objectives
Clear project objectives are essential to project work and effective
evaluation. Good project objectives set the groundwork for demonstrating
the impact of the project. Writing project objectives, however, can be
challenging for many groups.
Many people confuse objectives with activities. For example, a project
may state that their objective is to create a video explaining how HIV/AIDS
is transmitted. Creating a video is an activity. The objective
the activity wishes to achieve is an increase in knowledge on how HIV/AIDS
is transmitted.
There are two helpful guidelines to use in writing good project objectives:
(1) identify the specific changes the project is designed to accomplish,
and (2) ensure that these changes are measurable.
To help identify the specific project objectives, it is useful to ask
the question:
What are we trying to change?
Projects generally focus on change in the following key areas: €
knowledge (increasing knowledge on a particular issue or subject)
€ attitudes (creating an attitude that favours,
a desired behaviour)
€ skills (developing the individual capacity
to adopt a given behaviour)
€ behaviour (maintaining or adopting a healthy
behaviour) These key areas may be seen as a kind of continuum of change.
A change in knowledge can lead to new attitudes. Developing skills can
enable people to make positive changes in their behaviour.
Once the areas of change have been identified, it is important to ensure
that they are measurable. There are five important elements to consider
when creating project objectives that are specific and measurable. These
elements are listed below in random order: € the
date by which the change will occur
€ the specific change desired (use action verb)
€ a measure (number or percentage)
€ the target group
€ the location Although their use may vary from
one project to another, a good rule of thumb is to write project objectives
that include these five elements.
For example, a project with the goal of increasing awareness of factors
related to HIV/AIDS transmission among high school students might create
a project objective that reads:
By August 1, 1996 (date)/the knowledge of the factors involved in
HIV/AIDS transmission (specific change)/will increase by 30% (measure)/among
high school students(target)/in Montréal(location).
The following page contains an activity that can help in practicing how
to write good project objectives.
4.3 Activity: Writing Effective Project Objectives
Topic: |
Writing project objectives |
Purpose: |
To give project sponsors a chance to write effective project objectives
for their project. |
Time: |
1-2 hours |
Materials: |
- flipchart
- project proposal
- Guide to Project Evaluation, Chapter 4
|
Activity: |
- Have participants refer to the project proposal for their project.
- Working in small groups, have participants review the project
objectives. Do the project objectives provide enough information
to answer the question "What are we trying to change?"
- Have participants examine the project objectives to see if
they contain the five key elements (refer to Chapter 4 of the
Guide):
- date
- specific change desired
- measure of change
- target group
- location
- If the objectives contain the five key elements, have participants
break down the objectives into the five elements. If the objectives
do not contain the five key elements, have participants rewrite
the objectives to include these elements.
- Bring all participants together to share their results and
to discuss their ideas on which objectives are most useful and
on how to keep the number of project objectives manageable given
the scope and resources of the project.
|
4.4 Role of the outside evaluator
In small projects with limited resources, the evaluation can usually
be done by the project sponsors. Larger projects, having correspondingly
larger evaluation requirements, often hire an outside evaluator.
If an outside evaluator is being used, it is essential that project sponsors
clarify the evaluator's roles and responsibilities.
Questions to consider when hiring an outside evaluator:
What will be the relationship between the project sponsor and the outside
evaluator?
What work will the evaluator be responsible for? A detailed workplan
should be agreed upon in advance.
What credentials and experience will be required of the evaluator?
How will the evaluator be informed of and held accountable to the evaluation
framework and the principles on which it is based?
How does the project sponsor plan to handle any disputes with outside
evaluators?
To assist in the effective use of outside evaluators, it is helpful
to have the following information available:
- a list of possible evaluators, including their profiles: what their
strengths and weaknesses are, projects they have worked on, any experience
working with them previously
- ideas on different roles for outside evaluators, e.g. working with
project sponsors to develop the evaluation plan, developing some or
all of the data collection tools, analysing the data, writing the summary
reports
- sample contracts with outside evaluators
- guidelines on when to use outside evaluators for projects.
4.5 Points to Remember
Three tasks which need to be done at the start
of an evaluation: Develop realistic and clear project goals. Develop
specific, measurable project objectives and success indicators. Define
the roles and responsibilities of the people involved in the evaluation. |
5 DEVELOPING SUCCESS INDICATORS
Identifying what success will look like during the developmental phase
of a project may seem a little like putting the cart before the horse.
Many project sponsors spend a lot of time developing goals and objectives,
planning activities and thinking about budgets. The real challenge is
to think to the end of the project and name the identifiable changes that
they expect to occur as a result of doing the work. These identifiable
changes, the success indicators, should be developed as soon as clear
project goals and objectives have been established. Therefore, identifying
success indicators is the second step in the process of planning high
quality project evaluation plans. Project sponsors should identify the
success indicators that are most appropriate and best reflect the reality
of their own projects.
5.1 Purpose of success indicators and their
measures
Success indicators are a group's assumptions about what changes should
be expected from doing the project work. These indicators are quantified
by specific measures for example, a number, a percentage or a level of
satisfaction.
Success indicators and their measures need to link directly to project
goals and objectives since they provide the objective and measurable criteria
by which groups judge the degree of success they have had in reaching
their goals and objectives.
Through their project activities, project sponsors attempt to change
the knowledge, attitudes, behaviour or skills of a selected group of people
- sometimes referred to as the target group. To measure or evaluate the
amount of change, it is useful to know the status of the target group's
knowledge, attitudes, behaviour and skills at the beginning of the project.
Determining this initial status or starting point is called setting a
benchmark. This initial benchmark helps the project determine the amount
of change it is trying for in the project. The example below may help
to illustrate this process. Other examples of success indicators can be
found in Appendix 4 (Examples of Developing Indicators by Project Activity
Type) and in Appendix 5 (Success Indicators of Increased Public Participation
and Strengthened Community Groups).
Example: Breast Cancer Network Project
- One of the project goals is to promote the development of survivor/directed,
self-help groups for women with breast cancer
- A project objective linked to this goal is to raise the awareness
of the need for and success of such groups among health care professionals
and cancer societies.
- The target group for the project is 200 health care professionals
in the project's urban area
The project benchmark was established using the questionnaire completed
for the initial needs assessment for the project. The results of the questionnaire
indicated that 15% of the 200 health care professionals in the community
knew about the advantages of self-help groups and referred breast cancer
patients to them.
- The project success indicator is to have 60% of the 200 target group
health care professionals know about and refer to self-help groups for
breast cancer patients.
Project sponsors can use the success indicators to identify some of the
specific questions they will ask throughout the project. The information
that is collected and summarized in relation to these success indicators
can be used by the groups to help answer the first three questions in the
evaluation framework: Did we do what we said we would do? What did we learn
about what worked and didn't work? What difference did it make that we did
this work?
5.2 The process of developing success indicators
and their measures
Choosing which indicators are the "best" is not an exact science. The
process that project sponsors go through to identify their success indicators
is as important as the final list of indicators created. Done well, this
process can contribute to the building of commitment and excitement for
doing an evaluation. It also helps groups develop reasonable expectations
of what can be achieved.
Some guidelines for developing success indicators
Success indicators should:
1. Be results-focused i.e. refer to results or
outcomes of the funded activity and not the activity itself
2. Be challenging but feasible.
3. Involve a meaningful comparison - a comparison
over time, a comparison with other similar activities or (preferably)
a comparison against a reasonable
standard.
4. Be measurable, using quantitative or qualitative
measures. In developing indicators, consideration should be given to data
availability and data collection, given
the resources available.
5. Refer to a result or outcome that can be reasonably
attributed to the project activity.
6. Be as valid (directly related to the work
done and not attributable to other factors) and reliable (able to be replicated)
as possible.
7. Meet the criteria of
- selectivity
i.e. the number of indicators are limited to and focused on the key areas
of concern.
- balance
i.e. the indicators refer to a range of project activities and results
that together will provide a balanced assessment of project success.
- usefulness
i.e. the potential use of the evaluation information should be taken into
account when developing indicators to ensure that they capture the
relevant information.
Benefits of developing good success indicators:
- clarification of project goals and objectives to make them
measurable
- identification of innovative success indicators that reflect
unique community characteristics and needs
- strengthened strategies and workplans to address some of the
identified barriers to success
- increased commitment to assess impact questions
|
The activity on the next page has been used with a number of community
groups to help them identify success indicators for their projects. Some
of the most useful indicators of success have been developed when members
of the target population and project sponsors have undertaken this activity
together.
5.3 Activity: Defining success indicators
Topic: |
Defining project success indicators |
Purpose: |
To give project sponsors a chance to define the indicators of success
for their project. |
Time: |
2-3 hours |
Materials: |
- flipchart
- handout: an outline of the project objectives and a list of
the activities or strategies that are to be undertaken to achieve
the objective
- handout: Success Indicators of Increased Public Participation
and Strengthened Community Groups (Appendix 5)
Note: Appendix 5 is for use as an example only. The project
sponsors need to develop their own success indicators that are
relevant to their project. |
Activity: |
- Divide the participants into pairs or groups and assign one
of the project objectives and the activities associated with that
objective to each group. Ask the groups to list five things for
each activity that would indicate that the activities were successful.
Examples of possible activities: media campaign, organization
of a mother's group, development of brochures, needle exchange
program, creation of a 1-800 line.
- Encourage participants to use all their senses in developing
indicators: e.g., What changes do they expect to see? hear? feel?
Put quantities on criteria when possible. The participants must
be realistic about what they hope can be accomplished. Remind
them that useful indicators are measurable, specific, easy to
collect information on and ultimately can provide useful information
to the group.
- Discuss the success indicators with the total group and add
new ones. You may want to review the list of indicators for increased
public participation and strengthened community groups to see
if any of them are appropriate for the project.
- With the total group, review the indicators and order them
by priority so that only the ones that are most useful and important
are selected. The task is to keep the number of success indicators
manageable for the project resources.
- Once there is agreement on the indicators, the group could
begin to look at the kind of information that needs to be collected
to document the degree of success.
|
5.4 Success indicators for project activity
types
Although there are many different types of projects funded under Health
Canada programs, certain project activity types appear more frequently
than others. They have been identified as
- needs assessments
- educational and awareness
- resource development
- skills development
- developing innovative models
- reducing barriers to health
Appendix 4 provides examples of individual projects by activity types and
their possible indicators and measures of success. Remember, these are only
guidelines.
Appendix 5 provides examples of indicators of success for two health
promotion program/project impacts - increased public participation and
strengthened community groups.
These examples have been included to stimulate thinking and to start
the process of developing project-specific success indicators.
6 COLLECTING EVALUATION DATA
Participatory evaluation relies on a systematic and rigorous collection
of information from project staff and stakeholders. It draws on both quantitative
and qualitative data to measure success and to clarify and make decisions
about project characteristics, activities and effects.
6.1 Determining information collection needs
Three questions to ask in
determining evaluation information needs:
1. What information is needed?
2. Who has the information?
3. How will the information be collected? |
1. What information is needed?
Projects need to collect evaluation information that will provide answers
to the five key evaluation questions. The specific type of information
to be collected is determined by the work done at the beginning of each
project to define the project goals, objectives and success indicators.
2. Who has the information?
Depending on the nature of the project, the people with information useful
to the project evaluation will vary widely. People from whom it may be
important to collect information include - project sponsors,
staff and volunteers
- program consultants
- target population
- consumers of the service
- general public
- advisory committee members
- other service providers
- partners associated with the project.3.
How will the information be collected?
Project sponsors decide how best to collect evaluation information based
on their project's needs and resources. Designing the information collection
tools should be done in collaboration with the people who will be using
them. Most community projects don't have the time or the resources to
put into extensive recording of data and statistics. The goal is to find
ways of collecting information that do not put too much of a burden on
the people doing the project work but that still provide the information
required to answer the evaluation questions.
Characteristics of a good information collection process:
- useful
- practical
- collaborative
- systematic
- ongoing
- accurate
- ethical
|
6.2 Information collection tools
There is a wide variety of information collection tools that can be used
depending on the project's evaluation needs. Examples of tools that have
been used in other projects are listed below.
Written survey questionnaire
- structured questionnaires used to reach large numbers of people
- provides quantitative data (numbers) that can be statistically analysed
and qualitative information that can be summarized
- used to survey target population in terms of knowledge, attitudes,
beliefs and behaviour.
Tips and cautions:
- When developing the questions for the questionnaire, ensure
that they are not worded in ways that lead to biased or misleading
responses.
- While mass mailing of survey questionnaires has the advantage of reaching
large numbers of people, there is no guarantee that people
will fill out and return it, so the actual response rate
may be low.
- Limiting the number of questions may increase the response rate.
- Using smaller but targeted mailings, followed up by a phone call, may
increase the response rate.
- Paying attention to respondents' literacy level, language and visual
capacity may increase the response rate.
- All survey questionnaires need to be pilot tested to ensure that the
questions succeed in getting the information that is required.
Telephone survey
- can ask for the same types of information as the written survey questionnaire
- has the advantage of increasing accessibility and allowing immediate
clarification of questions if the respondent is experiencing any difficulties.
Tips and cautions:
- Telephone interviewers may face resistance from people who are
tired of answering this type of call or who are
suspicious because of their experiences with telephone soliciting.
- Ensuring that the respondent is provided with clear information on the
credibility of the group doing the survey, the
purpose of the survey and how the collected information will
be used may increase the response rate.
- Finding a convenient time for the respondent to answer the survey questions
may increase the response rate.
Reaction sheet
- simple kind of questionnaire that asks questions about people's satisfaction
with a particular activity
- easy and fast to administer and summarize
- useful tool for getting an immediate response to new resource materials,
workshop models and public education events.
Tips and cautions:
- Avoid using leading questions that prompt positive responses.
Instead of asking, "Did you enjoy the workshop?" ask,
"Did the workshop provide you with enough information to answer
your questions about health promotion?"
- Limit the number of questions to increase the response rate.
- Include open-ended questions to obtain qualitative data. Shape these
questions carefully to control the amount of
material received. Examples: "Give three words to describe your
reaction to this workshop." "What were the two key learnings for
you from this workshop?" Face-to-face interview
- individual interviews structured around a set of open-ended questions
that are developed to guide the interview and to provide consistency
in the information collected
- useful method for getting in-depth information on project activities
- provides an opportunity to clarify responses and probe for further
information
Tips and cautions:
- This tool can be used with a specific group of people (e.g.,
project staff to gather their opinions about the strengths and weaknesses
of the project) or with key informants who are knowledgeable about
the project (e.g., frontline service providers about how best to
conduct outreach within their community).
- It is a good method to use with respondents who have low literacy levels
and might be uncomfortable with written data collection
tools.
- The interviewer needs to be trained not to bias the responses through
the use of leading questions.
Telephone interview
- similar process and function as face-to-face interview but conducted
by phone
- less expensive to administer than face-to-face interviews.
Tips and cautions:
- Sending the respondent a copy of the interview guide in advance
may promote a more thoughtful discussion.
- Interviews, both in person and by phone, are an alternative to focus
groups when you want to avoid group influences
on the responses people give.
Focus group
- group discussion in which 10 to 12 people are brought together in
a single session of approximately an hour to generate ideas and suggest
strategies
- facilitated using a specific agenda of structured questions, similar
to the interview guide, that focuses the discussion in the meeting
- used to obtain in-depth understanding of attitudes, behaviour, impressions
and insights (qualitative data) on a variety of issues from a group
of people, e.g., project staff or a project advisory committee.
Tips and cautions:
- The facilitator must remain neutral and non-judgmental and have
the skills to keep the discussion moving and on track.
- This is a particularly useful method for reflecting on evaluation findings
and identifying key learnings. It may also be useful for
developing preliminary ideas for new programs or for testing
messages that will be used in educational and media packages.
- It is not a useful method for developing consensus or making final decisions.
Participant - observation
- involves actual observation rather than asking questions
- used to better understand behaviours, the social context in which
they arise and the meanings that individuals attach to them
- observers compile field notes describing what they observe; the analysis
focuses on what happened and why.
Tips and cautions:
- This may be the most feasible way to collect data from some
hard-to-reach populations (e.g., individuals who frequent public sex
environments or drug shooting galleries).
- As with all qualitative techniques, the results may not be fully generalizable
to the entire study population.
Project diary
- project managers, staff or participants are asked to keep a record
of their experiences while working on the project
- provides qualitative evaluation data.
Tips and cautions:
- It is important to provide the participants with clear guidelines
on keeping a log book: the type of information you are looking for,
how it will be used, confidentiality, etc.
- This is a useful method for identifying unintended consequences of a
project.
- Some people are very uncomfortable with this method because of the unstructured
nature of the writing required.
Program documentation
- analysis of written records (minutes of meetings, telephone logs,
intake forms, policy directives, financial records, attendance records)
- can provide information on people's interests, preferences and patterns
of usage of services and service locations
- can often, through systematic review, provide important evaluation
information, both quantitative and qualitative
- inexpensive source of information.
Tips and cautions:
- This tool is limited in that records document only existing
alternatives, they don't show other needs, wants or preferences.
- It is important to identify evaluation information needs at the beginning
of a project to ensure that the necessary records are kept
throughout the project.
Non-traditional methods of documentation
- non-verbal or non-written evaluation tools used to respect diversity
and accessibility issues
- examples include cartooning, drawing, poster making, photography,
videotaping, audio taping, scrapbooks.
Tips and cautions:
- Qualitative data collected may be difficult to analyse and generalize.
- This is a useful method for getting responses from respondents who are
uncomfortable with written tools.
No single evaluation tool can provide all the evaluation information
required. A combination of different tools that suit the project needs
and available resources has to be developed. Regardless of which tools
are selected, they should reflect the following tips to be effective.
Tips for designing effective evaluation tools
- Keep them short and simple.
- Use plain language with no jargon.
- For tools requiring written responses
- use large print
- avoid clutter
- leave lots of white space
- provide ample room for responses.
- Ask for key works and key learnings.
- Develop evaluation tools in collaboration with the people who
will use them.
- Ask only for information that will be used.
|
6.3 Sample evaluation tools
Sample evaluation tools are provided in the appendices at the end of
this guide. They were developed for use in community-based projects and
are included here to give project sponsors some ideas, which they can
adapt and build on to develop their own project-specific tools. The questions
in each of the sample forms have been shaped specifically to provide data
to answer the five key evaluation questions.
Sample evaluation forms provided:
Appendix 6. |
Reaction sheet for evaluation workshop |
Appendix 7. |
Guided telephone interview - Community Resource Handbook for
Women with Breast Cancer |
Appendix 8. |
Focus group interview guide - Child Safety Awareness Program |
Appendix 9. |
Guidelines for keeping a project diary - Child Safety Awareness
Program |
Appendix 10. |
Mail-out questionnaire -Advisory Committee, Health and Disabled
Women's Project |
Appendix 11. |
Mail-out questionnaire - Health Care Providers, Health and Disabled
Women's Project |
7 ANALYSING AND INTERPRETING DATA
Most evaluation projects have no problem with collecting large amounts of
evaluation information. What they sometimes do have difficulty with is effectively
analysing, summarizing and using the results.
The emphasis throughout this guide is on evaluation for learning and
action. This section focuses on practical ways that people at the national,
regional and community levels can turn evaluation information into usable,
accessible summaries and reports that add to the body of knowledge about
project success and promote change in attitudes, skills and behaviour.
Committing adequate resources at all levels to do the evaluation work
is essential if everyone is to benefit from the valuable learnings that
can be gained from evaluating health promotion projects.
7.1 Analysing project evaluation information
Analysing evaluation information begins with a review of all the collected
data to find the emerging themes or patterns. The five key evaluation
questions provide useful categories around which to group information
and develop the themes. Look for and record the information that is in
the data about how well the project is doing, what is working, what should
be done differently and what difference it is making.
Project sponsors may want to record notes on the data on file cards or
sheets of paper - one for each question, issue or topic. This makes it
possible to see the emerging patterns more easily. Include exact quotations
from the interviews and questionnaires. It is essential to stay with what
people have said and let the data guide the analysis. Too much detail
is better at this stage than not enough. It is always easier to cut down
than to add information later.
Once the material has been grouped into themes, it can be analysed to
see how the results compare to the changes that were expected as identified
by the success indicators. Take the time to reflect on what the analysis
reveals. What was learned to answer the "what", "why", "so what", "now
what" and "then what" evaluation questions? People who have been involved
in the project should be involved in the interpretation of the findings.
Project sponsors or the project evaluator should prepare short summaries
of the key learnings from the analysis on a regular basis - for example,
every three months or after each project activity. The importance of
preparing these brief summaries, which highlight two or three key
learnings, cannot be overemphasized. The summaries provide an excellent
means of letting the key players in the project know about and begin to
use the evaluation findings throughout the project - one of the basic
principles of participatory evaluation. By completing summaries of key
learnings at regular intervals, the work at the end of the project will
be greatly reduced.
Summary - Analysing evaluation information
- Review the collected evaluation material for emerging themes
and patterns.
- Use the key evaluation questions to group the material into
themes.
- Analyse the material by themes, comparing the results to the
changes that were expected as identified by the success indicators.
- Reflect on what the analysis means. Ask other key project players
for their interpretations.
- Prepare short summaries of key learnings under each theme.
- Prepare summaries of key learnings on an ongoing basis.
- Submit the summaries to the participants for their feedback
and verification of the findings.
- Develop the final analysis.
|
Analysis of quantitative data
Quantitative data looks at the incidence and quantity of events. Data
gathered through quantitative methods (surveys, questionnaires, administrative
records) is numerical and may be analysed by calculating averages, ranges,
percentages and proportions. Descriptive statistics simply account for
what is happening in numerical terms. For example, when evaluating the
use of a needle exchange system, an estimate may be made of the average
number of people using the facility each week or the percentage of users
returning needles. Bar charts, pie charts, graphs and tables can be effective
ways to present the statistical analysis in a clear and concise manner.
Analysis of qualitative data
Qualitative data is information that is primarily expressed in terms
of themes, ideas, events, personalities, histories, etc. Data is gathered
through methods of observation, interviewing and document analysis. These
results cannot be measured exactly, but must be interpreted and organized
into themes or categories. The primary purpose of qualitative data is
to provide information to the people involved in the project. This standard
of usefulness is an important one to keep in mind when analysing qualitative
data.
Note: Neither the quantitative nor the qualitative approach to
the collection and analysis of data is inherently superior. Each has advantages
and disadvantages. For both, it is important to know the context within
which they have been used in order to understand the analysis. Whenever
possible, project evaluations should include several types of information
collection tools. The analysis and summaries of key learnings should draw
on information collected from all of them.
7.2 Preparing useful evaluation reports
Once the evaluation information has been analysed, the next challenge
is to present the learnings in ways that are both informative and interesting.
The brief summaries of key leamings, described in the preceding section,
are often all that is needed to provide information on an interim basis.
However, the final project report requires more data. The next section
provides some ideas that might be useful for clarifying the expectations
about the final report with project sponsors.
Evaluation report outline
Having an outline at the beginning of a project about how the final report
will be developed is extremely useful. It helps shape the thinking about
what information is needed and how it will be collected, analysed and
used.
There are two questions to consider when planning evaluation reports.
- Who is writing the report?
Small projects with very limited resources should have different expectations
placed on them than larger projects or projects with funding for an external
evaluator.
- Who is the report for?
While every evaluation report should be written in an interesting and clear
style, the structure and emphasis of the report may vary depending on who
it is for. For example, is it intended primarily for the funder or for the
project participants? The former might focus more heavily on learnings about
cost-effectiveness strategies; the latter might be more interested in leamings
about how to implement a specific health promotion activity.
The following sections form the basic structure - the bare bones - of
an evaluation report. Personal stories and quotations from the project
participants put a human face on the evaluation results and can make the
report much more interesting and user-friendly. Groups can adapt and build
on the following guidelines to develop evaluation reports that reflect
the unique nature of specific projects.
Example of an outline for a project evaluation report
Section 1: |
Executive Summary This section is for people
who are too busy to read the whole report. - One page is best -
never more than three.
- It comes first but is the last piece written.
- It usually looks at what was evaluated and why and lists the major
conclusions and recommendations. |
Section 2: |
Background Information - Getting started This
section provides background leading up to the evaluation: - how
the project was conceived
- why it was needed
- the project goals and objectives
- who was involved in the work
- the project organizational structures. |
Section 3: |
Description of the Evaluation - How we learned This section
describes - the evaluation approach and how it was chosen
- evaluation goals and objectives
- how the evaluator was selected and managed
- how the data collection tools were designed and used
- how well the data collection tools worked
- any limitations of the methodology
- how people were selected to be interviewed, or to receive questionnaires,
etc.
- who did the interviewing, the number of people interviewed and
their situation
- how questionnaires were distributed and returned. |
Section 4: |
Evaluation Results - What we learned One way to organize
this section is around the first four evaluation questions:
- Did we do what we said we would do?
- Outline goals and objectives of the project.
- Record what happened as a result of the project - e.g., resources
developed, training sessions completed, etc.
- Describe the changes that occurred in relation to the success
indicators.
- What did we learn about what worked and what didn't work?
- Outline key learnings from the project about making things work.
Examples: producing effective resource materials, structuring
productive advisory committees, conducting needs assessments in
rural and isolated communities, building community
ownership of health promotion projects, etc.
- Identify learnings about what strategies didn't work and why.
- What difference did it make that we did this work? (outcomes)
- Outline results from the evaluation that show how the project
made a difference to consumers, project sponsors and
the wider community.
- Identify any changes - of attitudes, knowledge, skills or behaviour
- that occurred from the project work, e.g., how health
practices have improved.
- If appropriate, show how the project contributed to increased
public participation and strengthened community groups.
- Include personal statements and anecdotal material from project
evaluations which illustrate the impact an activity
has had on project participants. Example: "One thing
I plan to use right away in my work which I got from the
training is..."
- What could we do differently?
- List leanings from the projects about different ways to do the
work. Examples: improving the cost-effectiveness of
projects, adapting the project model to make it more responsive
to volunteers, changing the reporting role for
outside evaluators to improve accountability, etc.
- Reflect on cautions and challenges about doing the project work. |
Section 5: |
Conclusions and Recommendations Final thoughts on what we would
like others to know - Conclude with a summary of the work
done and how well the goals and objectives were reached.
- Include recommendations for further work.
- Include recommendations on how the evaluation results can be used. |
Section 6: |
Appendices - These may include copies of questionnaires
or interview schedules, statistical information, program documents
or other reference material important to the evaluation but not important
enough to go into the text.
- It is useful to include a bibliography - list of the sources used
to compile the evaluation results, other research studies and
articles. A list of who was interviewed or organizations contacted
may also be included. |
7.3 Activity: Analysing and Interpreting Data
Topic: |
Analysing and interpreting data from project evaluations. |
Purpose: |
To give project sponsors practice in completing the
analysis and interpretation of project evaluation results for inclusion
in the project evaluation report. |
Time: |
1-2 hours |
Materials: |
- flipchart raw
- project evaluation data
- Guide to Project Evaluation, Chapter 7
|
Activity: |
- Have participants review the raw project data
|
8 USING EVALUATION RESULTS
The fifth and final key evaluation question in the framework is, "How
do we plan to use evaluation findings for continuous learning?" This is
a question that needs to be considered at the very beginning of a project
and not only at the end, as is often the case. Having ideas at the start
of a project about uses for the evaluation findings helps ensure that
the evaluation is conducted and the results reported in a way that meets
people's needs. If key stakeholders are involved from the beginning, it
increases their support for the process and their likelihood of using
the results as they become available.
There are several major ways in which project evaluations can be used
to maximize their benefit, A few ideas are listed below.
8.1 Using evaluation results
- Bring together all project staff on a quarterly basis to discuss
the evaluation results and look at ways the results can be used to increase
performance, improve project administration, enhance planning activities,
etc.
- Present the report orally to staff, funders and community members.
- Develop a news release outlining the main leanings from the evaluation
and some of its more important conclusions. Send the news releases to
key community contacts and evaluation participants.
- Involve project participants in developing ways to present the project
findings. Build on their stories and personal experiences to give a
human face and to create interest in the evaluation results.
- Make a presentation on the evaluation results to the local health
council or social planning group, highlighting the accomplishments and
describing how the results can be used to promote better planning.
- Use the evaluation results to shape requests for new or continued
funding or for suggesting alternative health practice models.
- At the start of each new project proposal process, review evaluations
from past projects to discover what learnings are transferable.
- Send a letter thanking all project participants for their work on
the project and include a summary copy of the key evaluation results.
- Develop a short video of project participants discussing what they
learned from the project. Use it to promote the project with community
groups and with funders.
- Build the evaluation results into presentations to local service
clubs to show how their funding support could be effectively used.
- Commit 15 minutes of time at meetings to information sharing about
key leanings from project evaluations.
- Extract highlights of project evaluation reports and distribute them
regularly.
- Develop a workshop to present the project evaluation results at a
regional or national conference of health promotion professionals.
- Identify other projects that are doing related work and share evaluation
reports with them.
- Organize a brainstorming session involving staff to come up with
creative ideas to document and promote project successes.
- Develop a user-friendly yearly summary of key evaluation results
from across projects. Include ideas for using the results to strengthen
planning and distribute the summary to key stakeholders.
- Make presentations to other health care practitioners, using project
evaluation results to show how they can benefit from involvement in
health promotion work.
- Systematically review and summarize all project evaluation results
on a twice-yearly basis. Use the evidence-based outcomes to develop
and improve health practice models.
9 PUTTING IT TOGETHER
This section provides a checklist to use throughout the project evaluation
process.
Developing the project evaluation
€ Have you used the principles of participatory evaluation?
€ Have you reviewed the evaluation framework and example
worksheet?
€ Have you identified the evaluation resources required to
plan and carry out the evaluation?
€ Have you discussed the roles and responsibilities of those
involved in the evaluation?
Reviewing the project evaluation plan
€ Are the project goals clear and realistic? Are the project
objectives specific and measurable?
€ Are the project goals consistent with the overall goals
of the funding program?
€ Is an evaluation framework prepared and included in the
plan?
€ Does the evaluation proposal demonstrate a process that
will provide information to answer the five key evaluation questions?
€ Does the evaluation proposal demonstrate a participatory
process that includes others, eg., target group members?
€ Are the success indicators for the project identified in
clear, measurable terms?
€ Is there a practical outline of how evaluation information
will be collected and from whom?
€ Does the proposal give ideas on how the evaluation results
will be used both throughout the project and at the end?
Assisting and monitoring project evaluation work
€ Is the project sponsor regularly informed of evaluation
findings?
€ Have the roles and responsibilities for reporting purposes
been negotiated for the project sponsor and the outside evaluator?
€ Does the final evaluation report address all five evaluation
questions?
Using project evaluation results
€ Is there a plan in place for identifying different ways
to share evaluation information?
€ Are project evaluation results being used to contribute
to future project planning?
Common Evaluation Terms and What They Mean
- evaluation - a way of measuring if a project is doing
what it says it will do.
- goals - general statements of what an organization is trying
to do.
- objectives - specific, measurable statements of what an organization
wants to accomplish by a given point in time.
- objective approach - an approach which values the perspective,
views and opinions of those outside of or distanced from the situation,
event, organization, project, etc., as the primary basis for making
an assessment or judgment.
- informant - in research and evaluation terminology, the person
you inter-view or question is called the "informant".
- impact or outcome evaluation -gathers information related
to the anticipated results, or changes in participants, to determine
if these did indeed occur. It may also be used to test the effectiveness
of a new program relative to the results of an existing form of service.
An impact evaluation will tell you about the effects of a project.
- process or formative evaluation -an ongoing dynamic
process where information is added continuously (typically using a qualitative
approach), organized systematically and analysed periodically during
the evaluation period. A process evaluation will tell you how the project
is operating.
- quantitative approach - an approach that tries to determine
cause and effect relationships in a program. A quantitative approach
will use measurements, numbers and statistics to compare program results.
The information that is found is considered "hard" data.
qualitative approach - an approach that examines the qualities
of a program using a number of methods. This approach uses non-numerical
information - words, thoughts and phrases from program participants, staff
and people in the community - to try and understand the meaning of a program
and its outcome. The information that is found is considered "soft" data.
Annotated Bibliography
This section contains a list of selected resources which you may find
useful in your work with participatory evaluations.
This document contains 10 insightful articles that help evaluators
understand the cultural ,factors involved when working in diverse
ethnic communities.
Available in English from:
Division of Community Prevention and Training, Office for Substance
Abuse Prevention,
Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration, Public Health
Service,
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockwall
11,
Rockville, Maryland 20857 U.S.A.
- Doing it Right: A Needs Assessment Workbook
Edmonton Social Planning Council (1988)
Comprised mainly of activity checklists and work sheets, this workbook
should be useful to agencies conducting needs assessments to
develop new programs or to evaluate current ones.
Available in English from:
Edmonton Social Planning Council,
#41, 9912 106 St.,
Edmonton, Alta. T5K 1C5
- Making a Difference: Program Evaluation for Health Promotion
Tammy Home (1995)
The purpose of this guide is to present basic principles and processes
of program evaluation in the context of health promotion. Cost
is $21.95 plus shipping and handling.
How to Choose a Research Consultant
BC Health Research Foundation (BCHRF)
Evaluating HIV/AIDS Prevention Programs in Community-Based Organizations
National Community AIDS Partnership (1993)
This guide serves community-based service providers, government funders
and managers of prevention programs. Its focus is on the selection
of the appropriate Methodology for the typeof program being evaluated
and on the needs and resources of the organization conductingthe evaluation.
Available in English from:
National Community AIDS Partnership,
1140 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 901,
Washington, D.C. 20036-4001
Tel.: (202) 429-2820
Evaluation in the Voluntary Sector
Mog Ball (1988)
A useful guide based on work in the British voluntary sector illustrating
a variety of evaluation methods. It gives practical examples of good
practice techniques and of lessons learned.
A Guide to Program Evaluation for Accountability in Non-Profit Organizations
David Lewis and Toni MacEachern (1994) A practical
guide to the uses and benefits of program evaluation. The guide takes the
reader through the steps of deciding to perform a program evaluation,
preparing for it, creating the evaluation tools and analyzing and
writing the results.
A Hands-On Guide to Planning and Evaluation: How to Plan and Evaluate
Programs in Community-Based Organizations
Durhane Wong-Rieger and Lindee David (undated)
A comprehensive guide to planning and evaluating education and prevention
programs forcommunity-based AIDS groups. The purpose of the book is to
demystify structured planningand evaluation processes. It provides a step-by-step
guide to planning and evaluation with sample work sheets and models.
Available in English and French from:
National AIDS Clearinghouse,
1565 Carling Ave., Suite 400,
Ottawa, Ont. K1Z 8R1
Tel.: (613) 725-3769, Fax (613) 725-9826
How About ... Evaluation: A Handbook about Project Evaluation for
First Nations and Inuit Communities
Jacqueline D. Holt (1993) A clearly written, concise
handbook, complete with straightforward work sheets for use by First
Nations and Inuit communities who will be operating child development and
mentalhealth programs and projects in their communities.
Available in English and French from:
Mental Health Advisory Services,
Medical Services Branch,
Health Canada,
Jeanne Mance Building, 11 th Floor,
Tunney's Pasture,
Ottawa, Ont. K1A 0L3
Keeping on Track: An Evaluation Guide for Community Groups.
Diana Ellis, Gayla Reid and Jan Barnsley (I 990) Developed
especially for community groups, this guide describes how to prepare for
participant-focused evaluation, develop the evaluation design, and analyze
and use the results. It is well written in plain language and grounded
in the realities of community-basedgroups.
Research for Change: Participatory Action Research for Community
Groups.
Jan Barnsley and Diana Ellis (1992)
A step-by-step outline of a research method developed especially, for
community groups.Written in clear language, it has lots of examples and
how-to information.
Study of Participatory Research in Health Promotion: Review and
Recommendations for the Development of Participatory Research
in Health Promotion in Canada
Institute of Health Promotion Research, University of British Columbia,
and the B.C. Consortium for Health Promotion Research (1994)
The report contains useful sections on applications of participatory
research, and guidance tofunding agencies reviewing health promotion research
grant applications.
Available in English and French from:
The Royal Society of Canada
225 Metcalfe Street
Suite 308
Ottawa, Ontario K2P 1P9
Tel. (613) 991-6990
Fax. (613) 991-6996
Framework Worksheet for the Five Key Evaluation Questions
Developing the Questions by Project Activity Type
Activity Type:
Objective:
Did we do what we said
we would do? |
What did we learn about
what worked and what didn't work? |
What difference did
it make that we did this work? |
What could we do differently?
|
How do we plan to use
evaluation findings for continuous learning? |
"What" |
"Why" |
"So what?" |
"Now what?" |
"Then what?" |
|
Framework Worksheet for the Five Key Evaluation Questions
Developing the Questions by Project Activity Type
Activity Type: Needs Assessments
Objective: to identify barriers to
health and potential strategies to reduce the barriers
Did we do what we said we would
do? "What" |
What did we learn about what
worked and what didn't work? "Why" |
What difference did it make that
we did this work? "So what?" |
What could we do differently?
"Now what?" |
How do we plan to use evaluation
findings for continuous learning? "Then what?" |
- Describe:
- how the needs assessment
was done
- where it happened
- who was involved - how they were involved.
- Describe the relevance of the needs assessment to reducing
barriers to health
|
- What strategies worked well to involve members of the
target population in the needs assessment? Why did they
work? What strategies didn't work and why?
- What were the key learnings from the needs assessment?
- What did we learn about building partnerships with specific
populations through the development and implementation of
the needs assessment?
- How appropriate were the project goals and objectives
for the task of carrying out the needs assessment?
|
- How were the findings of the needs assessment used?
By whom?
- What were some of the unexpected impacts of the project
work?
- what factors in the project might account for the above
changes?
- what other factors in the community might account for the
changes? |
- What more effective methods for carrying out needs assessments
were identified through the project work?
- What barriers to health that emerged through the needs
assessment require future attention?
|
- How were the evaluation results of the needs assessment
used? By whom?
- How will the results of the needs assessment continue
to be used to influence program and policy development?
|
|
Framework Worksheet for the Five Key Evaluation Questions
Developing the Questions by Project Activity Type
Activity Type: Education and Awareness
Objective: to raise awareness, increase
knowledge and promote attitudes and practices that contribute to impoved
health
Did we do what we said we would
do? "What" |
What did we learn about what
worked and what didn't work? "Why" |
What difference did it make that
we did this work? "So what?" |
What could we do differently?
"Now what?" |
How do we plan to use evaluation
findings for continuous learning? "Then what?" |
- Describe the activities carried out to meet the project
goals and objectives.
- Describe who was involved in project work and their roles:
# of target population involved and their roles? # of community
members involved and their roles?
# of community agencies involved and their roles?
- Describe how the project activities link to the goals
and objectives of education and awareness.
- Describe any changes in project goals and objectives
during the project and explain why the changes were made.
|
- What strategies worked well to involve members of the
target population in the project? Why did they work? What
strategies didn't work and why?
- What did we learn about conducting participatory education
and awareness programs?
- What project structures, relationships and skills worked
well to enhance the project work of educating and raising
people's awareness about the conditions that affect their
health? Why did they work well? Which ones did not work
well and why?
- What did we learn about building partnerships with specific
populations to do education and awareness work?
- What did we learn about costs and savings associated
with different strategies for increasing education and awareness?
- How appropriate were the project goals and objectives
for the task of increasing knowledge and raising awareness
of the conditions that affect people's health, both individually
and collectively?
|
- What changes of attitudes/ skills/behaviour were identified
by:
- target population?
- project staff and volunteers?
- community groups?
- healthcare providers?
Examples of changes:
- increased interest in promoting health issues
- increased involvement of target group in accessing services
- increased requests for additional information on health
issues
- increased number of participants involved in prevention
work
- What were some of the unexpected impacts of the project
work?
- What factors in the project might account for the above
changes? - What other factors in the community might account
for the changes? |
- What strategies for conducting effective education and
awareness activities do we recommend for future groups?
- What new skills and resources are required to more effectively
conduct education and awareness activities? What barriers
to conducting education and awareness activities require
future attention?
- What did we learn that can be applied to future work
to conduct education and awareness activities
|
- Describe the process followed throughout the project
to use the evaluation findings to make adjustments and strengthen
project work.
- How can learnings from the project be used to strengthen
future education and awareness activities?
- What did this project learn about doing evaluation that
contributes to continuous learning about raising awareness
and increasing knowledge?
|
|
Framework Worksheet for the Five Key Evaluation Questions
Developing the Questions by Project Activity Type
Activity Type: Resource Development
Objective: to create resources and
tools to use for increasing knowledge and developing skills
Did we do what we said we would
do? "What" |
What did we learn about what
worked and what didn't work? "Why" |
What difference did it make that
we did this work? "So what?" |
What could we do differently?
"Now what?" |
How do we plan to use evaluation
findings for continuous learning? "Then what?" |
- Describe the resources and tools developed in the project:
- type of resources
- how resources were used
- who used them.
- Describe the process followed for developing the
resources.
- Describe the distribution plan for the resources.
- Describe who was involved and the process used to develop,
review and use the resources.
- Describe how the resources developed can contribute to
better health practices.
- Describe any changes in project goals and objectives
during the project and explain why the changes were made.
|
- What strategies worked well to involve members of the
target population in the development of resources? Why did
they work? What strategies didn't work and why?
- What did we learn about making resources more accessible
to specific populations?
- What did we learn about the costs and savings associated
with the development of resources?
- What skills and activities were required to ensure optimum
use of the new resources? e.g.
- training on how to use resource
- development of speaker's guide to introduce new resources.
- What did we learn about building partnerships with specific
populations to develop resources?
|
- How do the resources contribute to better health practices?
e.g., by increasing knowledge, skills and /or by changing
behaviour, policy.
- Which groups in your community benefited from the development
of the resources and how?
- What other communities and groups benefited from the
development of the resources and how?
- What were some of the unexpected impacts of the project
work?
- What factors in the project might account for the above
changes?
- What other factors in the community might account for the
changes? |
- As a result of creating these resources, what gaps were
identified that need to be a addressed in the future?
- What would we do differently if we were developing new
resources in the future?
- What new skills and resources are required to more effectively
develop resources?
|
- How can learnings from the project be used to strengthen
the development of effective resources?
|
|
Framework Worksheet for the Five Key Evaluation Questions
Developing the Questions by Project Activity Type
Activity Type: Skills Development
Objective: to build the capacity of
individuals, groups and communities to reduce the barriers to health
Did we do what we said we would
do? "What" |
What did we learn about what
worked and what didn't work? "Why" |
What difference did it make that
we did this work? "So what?" |
What could we do differently?
"Now what?" |
How do we plan to use evaluation
findings for continuous learning? "Then what?" |
- Describe the activity out to meet the project goals and
objectives.
- Describe who was involved in project work and their roles:
# of target population involved and their roles,
# of community members involved and their roles,
# of community agencies involved and their roles?
- Describe what skills were learned, by whom and how they
were used to improve health practices.
- Describe the factors that contributed to the development
of new skills.
- Describe how the new skills link to improved health practices.
- Describe any changes in project goals and objectives
during the project and explain why the changes were made.
|
- What strategies worked well to involve members of the
target population in the skills development process? Why
did they work? What strategies didn't work and why?
- What did we learn about developing effective skills for
improving health practices?
- What project structures/ relationships worked well to
enhance the project work and why? Which ones did not work
well and why?
- What did we learn about building partnerships with specific
populations to develop skills?
- What did we learn about costs and savings of enhancing
individual, group and community skills capacity to reduce
barriers to health?
|
- What skills were learned, by whom, and how were they
used to reduce health barriers?
- What were some of the unexpected impacts of the project
work?
- What factors in the project might account for the above
changes?
- What other factors in the community might account for the
changes? |
- What other skills and resources are required to carry
out skills development among the target group?
- What barriers to health emerged in this project that
require future skills development?
- What did we learn that can be used to increase the effectiveness
of future skills development strategies?
|
- Describe how ongoing evaluation data was used to improve
the effectiveness of the skills development process.
- How can learnings from the project be used to strengthen
future skills development work?
|
|
Framework Worksheet for the Five Key Evaluation Questions
Developing the Questions by Project Activity Type
Activity Type: Developing Innovative Models
Objective: to contribute to the development
of knowledge about alternative health action initiatives that lead
to a
more flexible, responsive and cost-effective health system
Did we do what we said we would
do? "What" |
What did we learn about what
worked and what didn't work? "Why" |
What difference did it make that
we did this work? "So what?" |
What could we do differently?
"Now what?" |
How do we plan to use evaluation
findings for continuous learning? "Then what?" |
- Describe the activities carried out to meet the project
goals and objectives
- Describe who was involved in project work and their roles:
# of target population involved and their roles? # of community
members involved and their roles?
# of community agencies involved and their roles?
- Describe how the model contributed to reducing barriers
to health for specific populations.
- Describe any changes in project goals and objectives
during the project and explain why the changes were made.
|
- What were the key learnings from this project model about
improving health practices with specific populations?
- What did we learn about costs and savings associated
with this model?
- What did we learn from this model about building partnerships
with specific populations?
- How appropriate were the project goals and objectives
for developing and testing the model?
|
- What changes of attitudes, skills, behaviour and policy
resulted from the new model? Who identified them:
- target population?
- project staff and volunteers? - community groups?
- health care providers?
- What evidence is there to attribute these changes to
this model?
- What were some of the unexpected impacts of the project
work?
- What factors in the project might account for the above
changes? - What other factors in the community might account
for the changes? |
- What recommendations for reducing health barriers can
we make from the results of this project?
- What barriers to health were identified from this project
model that require future attention?
|
- Who received the project findings and how did they use
them?
|
|
Framework Worksheet for the Five Key Evaluation Questions
Developing the Questions by Project Activity Type
Activity Type: Reducing Barriers to Health
Objective: To empower individuals,
groups and communities to reduce or overcome barriers to health through:
- broadening access to health information, practices and
care for specific populations.
- developing and enhancing coalitions and partnership.
- promoting healthy public policy.
Did we do what we said we would
do? "What" |
What did we learn about what
worked and what didn't work? "Why" |
What difference did it make that
we did this work? "So what?" |
What could we do differently?
"Now what?" |
How do we plan to use evaluation
findings for continuous learning? "Then what?" |
- Describe the activities carried out to meet the project
goals and objectives
- Describe who was involved in project work and their roles:
# of target population involved and their roles? # of community
members involved and their roles?
# of community agencies involved and their roles?
- Describe how the project activities link to reducing
barriers to health for specific population groups.
- Describe any changes in project goals and objectives
during the project and explain why the changes were made.
|
- What strategies worked well to involve members of the
target population in the project? Why did they work? What
strategies didn't work and why?
- What did we learn about making health services more accessible
to specific populations?
- What project structures/ relationships/skills worked
well to enhance the project work of reducing barriers to
health and why? Which ones did not work well and why?
- What did we learn about building partnerships with specific
populations to reduce barriers to health?
- What did we learn about costs and savings associated
with different strategies for reducing health barriers?
- How appropriate were the project goals and objectives
for the task of reducing health barriers for specific population
groups?
|
- What changes of attitudes, skills, behaviour and policy
related to reducing health barriers were identified by:
- target population?
- project staff and volunteers?
- community groups?
- healthcare practitioners?
- Examples of changes:
- new groups formed
- increased interest in promoting health
- community services more accessible
- issue on the agenda of local health council
- What were some of the unexpected impacts of the project
work?
- What factors in the project might account for the above
changes?
- What other factors in the community might account for the
changes?
- What strategies to reduce health barriers do we recommend
for future groups?
|
- What new skills and resources are required to more effectively
address the barriers to health?
- What barriers to health emerged in this project that
require future attention?
- What did we learn that can be applied to future work
to address health barriers?
- Describe the process followed throughout the project
to use the evaluation findings to make adjustments and strengthen
project work.
|
- How can learnings from the project be used to strengthen
future work in reducing health barriers?
- What did this project learn about doing evaluation that
contributes to continuous learning about reducing barriers
to health?
- How will the firidings be used for future knowledge development?
|
|
Framework Worksheet for Success Indicators
Developing Indicators by Project Activity Type Activity
Type: Objective :
Project Activity |
Indicators of Sucess and their
Measures |
Evaluation Tools |
Who Has the Information |
|
|
|
|
|
Framework Worksheet for Success Indicators
Developing Indicators by Project Activity Type Activity
Type:Needs Assessment
Objective : to identify barriers to health and potential strategies
to reduce the barriers
Project Activity |
Indicators of Success and their
Measures |
Evaluation Tools |
Who Has the Information |
For example, a project consists of conducting
a needs assessment of 100 needle users to determine the factors
which contribute to their commitment to reduce risk factors
and to increase the awareness of the needle exchange program
by needle users. |
1. Knowledgeable and other researchers agree that the
factors identified are credible |
1.1 At least two knowledgeable observers or researchers
agree that the identified factors are reasonable and credible |
2. The needs assessment findings are used as a basis
for developing intervention programming |
2.1 At least one major project or program adopts the
needs assessment findings and implements appropriate programming |
3. Awareness of the needle exchange program is increased
among needle users interviewed for the needs assessment
investigation. |
3.1 At least 30% of new users of the needle exchange
program report that they became aware of the exchange
program because of the needs assessment process |
|
face-to-face interviews
project documentation
project records (intake forms)
|
expert collaborators
staff
staff |
|
Framework Worksheet for Success Indicators
Developing Indicators by Project Activity Type Activity
Type:Eduction and Awareness Objective : to raise awareness,
increase knowledge and promote attitudes and practices that contribute
to improved health
Project Activity |
Indicators of Success and their
Measures |
Evaluation
Tools |
Who Has the Information |
For example, local youth develop a series
of 3 "skits" on HIV/AIDS prevention and present them to 5 local
intermediate schools |
1. Student audience has gained awareness and knowledge
of HIV/AIDS issues |
1.1 Average student audience score on a basic facts,
multiple choice HIV/ AIDS knowledge test increases by
at least 15 % after viewing the skits |
|
1.2 At least 30% of the student audience report an increased
awareness of HIV/AIDS issues on a self assessment evaluation
form |
2. Increased visibility of HIV/AIDS issues
in the community through press coverage of the project
activity |
2.1 At least one article in the local press about the
presentation |
|
|
3. On-going program activities are established as a
result of project activities |
3.1 At least 2 of the schools develop and implement
a curriculum module to address HIV/AIDS issues and those
responsible agree that these modules have been developed
as a direct result of the project activities
3.2 Community groups and other organizations provide financial
and other support to ensure that the skits will continue
on an annual basis after project funding ends |
|
pre/post questionnaire presentation questionnaire
project diary
survey questionnaire
project records (financial records)
|
target group target group
staff
school contact people
project sponsors/staff
|
|
Framework Worksheet for Success Indicators
Developing Indicators by Project Activity Type Activity
Type: Resource Development Objective : to create resources
and tools to use for increasing knowledge and developing skills
Project Activity |
Indicators of Success and their
Measures |
Evaluation Tools |
Who Has the Information |
For example, a resource package is developed
to help health agencies and institutions become more accessible
to persons with disabilities (but the actual distribution of
the package is not included in this resource development project) |
1. The need for this package has been wellestablished |
1.1 A survey of targeted institutions and agencies shows
that over 30% of agencies and institutions agree that
such a package was needed
OR |
|
1.2 A preliminary Needs Assessment Study for the development
of this package was carried out and a credible and independent
reviewer of this study agrees that the study was well
conducted and that the study has established the need
for such a package |
2. The package consists of relevant, accurate,useful
and credible information and recommendations |
2.1 At least one independent "expert", such as a senior
member of an organization representing persons with disabilities,
who is knowledgeable about the issues associated with
each area of disability, has reviewed the package and
agrees that the information and recommendations are relevant,
accurate, useful, and credible |
|
2.2 Over 75% of surveyed agencies and institutions agree
that the information and recommendations in the package
are relevant and useful to these agencies and institutions |
3. A distributor or distribution mechanism has been
identified to distribute the package to targeted agencies
and institutions |
3.1 At least one credible distributor organization or
distribution mechanism has been identified that will distribute
the package to at least 80% of targeted agencies and institutions |
|
survey questionnaire
project documentation (external review report)
project documentation (external review report)
survey questionnaire
project records |
community
agencies staff
staff
community agencies
staff |
|
Framework Worksheet
for Success Indicators Developing Indicators by Project
Activity Type Activity Type: Skills Development
Objective : to build the capacity of individuals, groups and
communities to reduce the barriers to health
Project Activity |
Indicators of Success and their
Measures |
Evaluation Tools |
Who Has the Information |
For example, a project will train volunteers
to answer a 1-800 Breast Cancer Line |
1. Participating volunteers report that the training
has been effective |
1.1 At the end of the training session at least 80%
of participants give an overall assessment of the training
as "effective" or "very effective" |
2. The telephone answering skills
of volunteers have improved |
2.1 At least 75% of participants
show an improvement in relevant answering skills after
completion of the training |
3. Recently trained volunteers perform well |
3.1 Supervisors responsible for
recently trained participants rate 85% of trained volunteers
as performing at a "good"or "excellent" level in actual
answering situations during the 2 month period immediately
following the training |
|
post-training questionnaire
pre/post test using test situation scenarios
project records (answering skills performance assessment sheet) |
target group
participants target group participants
staff (supervisors)
|
|
Framework Worksheet for Success Indicators
Developing Indicators by Project Activity Type Activity
Type: Developing Innovative Models Objective :
to contribute to the development of knowledge about alternative
health action
initiatives that lead to a more flexible, responsive and cost-effective
health system
Project Activity |
Indicators of Success and their
Measures |
Evaluation Tools |
Who Has the Information |
For example, a project consists of an
outreach program linking through computer communications youth
aged 1 I- 14 in 5 remote fishing villages in Newfoundland |
1. Targeted youth regularly communicate
using this technology |
1.1 At least 3 contacts of at least 15 minutes a week
are made for each participating youth during the project
period. |
2. Targeted youth increase their use of other communications
technologies to communicate with other participants |
2.1 Participants report an increased
use of other communications technologies |
3 . Participants feel less isolated |
3.1 Participants report reduced
feelings of isolation and alienation |
4. High youth interest and participation
in the use of this technology |
4.1 At least 5 0% of the youth
aged 11- 14 in these communities make use of this technology
to communicate with youth outside their own communities |
|
project records (weekly
time sheets)
guided telephone interviews
guided telephone interviews
project records (participant log books) |
target group
target group
target group
target group |
|
Framework Worksheet for Success Indicators
Developing Indicators by Project Activity Type Activity
Type: Reducing Barriers to Health Objective : to empower
individuals, groups and communities to reduce or overcome barriers
to health through:
- broadening access to health information, practices and care for
specific populations
- developing and enhancing coalitions and partnerships
- promoting healthy public policy.
Project Activity |
Indicators of Success and their
Measures |
Evaluation Tools |
Who Has the Information |
For example, a project consists of conducting
homophobia training for health and social service professionals
who work with HIV + gay men, their friends and families |
1 . Workshop participants have increased their knowledge
and awareness of issues facing HIV+ gay men, their friends
and families and have developed more positive attitudes
towards the HIV+ gay population |
1.1 Average participants' score on a true/ false knowledge
and gay stereotypes test increases by at least 15% after
workshop participation |
|
1.2 At least 50% of participants
report an increased awareness and sensitivity towards
the gay population and HIV/AIDS issues |
2. Less homophobic behaviour and attitudes are experienced
by gay men at institutions where workers received training |
2.1 A majority of HIV + gay clients
report a reduced level of homophobic behaviour and attitudes
among workers who received training |
3. More HIV+ gay men use institutional
facilities because of reduced homophobic attitudes and
and behaviour |
3.1 An increase of at least 10%
in usage by HIV+ gay men at institutions where workers
received training |
|
3.2 A majority of new HIV+ gay users state that they
have increased their use of facilities because of the
reduced level of homophobic behaviour and attitudes |
|
pre/post questionnaire self assessment reaction
sheet
face to face interviews
program records
survey questionnaire
|
target group (health and social service professionals)
target group
HIV and gay clients
staff
new HIV + gay |
|
Success Indicators of Increased Public Participation and Strengthened
Community Groups
Listed below are additional examples of indicators of success for
two health promotion program/project impacts: increased public
participation and strengthened community groups.For each impact, sample
indicators of success are given. Below the indicators are the types of
questions project staff can ask themselves in order to determine these
indicators of success.
Remember, setting indicators of success presumes that first you have
determined your benchmarks. As described in Chapter 5, section
5. 1, benchmarks are the status of your targetgroup's knowledge, attitudes,
behaviour or skills before project work begins.
Indicators of increased public participation:
- The people who experience the health or social issue the project
addresses are involved in making decisions about the project.
- The project reaches the consumers it wants to reach.
- Skills and knowledge are transferred from individuals to the community.
(e.g., increased sensitivity, interpersonal skills)
- Social support networks are expanded.
- Consumers are involved in every aspect of the project, from planning
to evaluation.
Those involved with the project gain knowledge and skills through their
involvement (e.g., increased self-confidence, organizational skills)
Increased collective action.
Those involved with the project form a foundation for ongoing social
change.
Examples of evaluation questions for project
staff:
Who was reached by the project?
How were they reached?
How many were reached?
How did we involve consumers in the planning, implementation
and evaluation of the project? List the roles assumed by consumers. How
did the involvement change throughout the project?
What barriers existed to involving consumers in the project?
What steps did we take to encourage consumers to get involved?
What changes in skills and knowledge did consumers experience as a
result of their involvement in the project? What opportunities will consumers
have to use them after the project?
What did we learn from consumers about: specific health needs? Factors
that affect their health? How to improve conditions that affect their
health? How has this learning been used after the project.
Indicators of Strengthened Community Groups:
Positive visibility, recognition and acceptance in their communities.
Increased knowledge, skills and understanding by the group's members.
Building of coalitions and the formation of partnerships.
Creation of a foundation to support future activities.
A greater sense of group identity and purpose.
Ability to influence and/or participate in decision making that affects
the community.
The exchange of knowledge, skills and understanding (e.g., sharing
of knowledge of health needs of the community with other groups).
Cooperation with other groups and networks.
Ability to sustain the participation of the community.
A sense of the group's collective power.
Examples of evaluation questions for project
staff:
In what ways is our group stronger than at the beginning of the project?
(e.g., stronger sense of identity, incorporated, money raised from diverse
sources, media coverage, larger number of volunteers, new skills)
- What different groups in our community did we work with? What new
groups did we work with? What did we do together?
- In what ways will the work started during the project be continued
after the project ends?
- To what extent and in what ways did the image of our group change
in the community?
- What experiences did our group have in affecting community
decisions to improve the conditions that affect the health of our community?
How will our ability to influence decision making be continued?
Sample Reaction Sheet for an Evaluation Workshop
1. How useful was this training for you?
not useful |
so-so |
useful |
very use |
Comments:
2. What 3 words would you use to describe
the training?
3. How did this training contribute to your understanding
of evaluation?
4. What suggestions do you have to make the
training more useful?
5. What comments would you like to
make about the trainers?
6. What is one thing that you got from the training that you could
use right away in your work?
Sample Questions for Guided Telephone Interview
Community Handbook on Resources for Women with Breast Cancer
- How did you hear about the Community Handbook on Resources
for Women withBreast Cancer ? (health professional, friend, advertising
poster, other.)
- Which sections of the handbook were most helpful to you?
- How were they helpful?
What is missing from the book that you would like to see included?
What suggestions do you have for making the handbook more useful?
Do you plan to start using any of the resources in the community
because of ideas you received from the handbook? If so, which resources?
Sample Focus Group Interview Guide
Children's Safety Awareness Project
- What contributed to the success of the child
safety awareness activities in your community?
- What are the barriers you experienced when you implemented
child safety awareness programs in your community?
- timing
- money
- human resources
- attitudes
- culture
- politics
What happened in your community as a result of being chosen
as a pilot site for the child safety awareness project?
- activities directly related to project
- ripple effect of being involved
- unexpected consequences
What ideas do you have about different ways to set up national
child safety awareness programs?
What advice do you have for other communities who are
planning to set up child safety awareness programs?
Sample Guidelines For Keeping a Project Diary
Children's Safety Awareness Project
We are asking a few people in each of the five pilot communities to keep
a project diary during this next year. The diary is your own record of
your experience of using the resource materials to do child safety awareness
work in your community. There is no right or wrong kind of information
to collect. You may decide to note thoughts that you have, ideas that
come to you about what you think would work better, anecdotes that actually
describe what you did and how you felt about what happened. All of this
information will help us put the human side and your unique community
experience into the evaluation. Everything we learn from the collective
!earnings will be identified and shared with you. Anonymity of individuals
will be preserved.
To help us put some structure to the analysis of the material and provide
some consistency across all of the communities, we will be using the information
in your project diary to answer the following questions:
1. What difference did each of the following
elements of the project make to your community's experience of carrying
out child safety awareness activities?
(a) money (b) project sponsor's
presence in the community (c) resource materials (d) program consultant.
2. What are the major challenges to getting awareness
activities going and to keeping them going in your community?
3. Were there any ways in which the information
in the resource material provided help to individuals, coordinating and
planning groups and agencies in the
communities to address the
challenges? Describe.
4. What are you learning about planning and implementing
child safety awareness aimed at changing beliefs, attitudes and behaviours?
5. What suggestions do you have about making
the resource materials more accessible and useful?
6. How do community projects keep volunteers
interested, committed and actively involved in child safety awareness
work? Who gets involved?
Remember - you just jot down experiences and thoughts you have through
the year that relate to your involvement with the child safety awareness
project. You do not have to directly answer the above questions. Building
collective answers to these questions is our job. Keeping the diary should
be enjoyable, not onerous, so do what works for you. Thanks.
Have Fun!
Sample Mail Out Questionnaire
Advisory Committee, Health and Disabled Women's Project
The terms of reference for the advisory committee are to:
- hold two meetings a year in Toronto
- participate in conference calls
- provide input on project issues as they develop
- assist in the development of health brochures and other literature
- assist in creating a workplan and strategy to establish working groups
in communities outside Toronto who will organize local workshops and
will form the framework for DAWN Ontario.
1. How successful was the advisory committee
in carrying out its terms ofreference as listed above?
2. Which task(s) did the advisory committee
do well? Why?
3. What helped you personally to contribute to the
work of the committee?
4. What got in the way of your contributing
to the work of the committee?
5. What impact did being on the committee
have on a) your personal life (time, money, stress)
b) your attitudes and approaches to health issues of women with disabilities
c) how you address issues of accessibility in your own work
d) your own confidence and commitment to work on health issues of women
with disabilities? 6. What was the key
learning for you as a member of the advisory committee?
7. What suggestions can you give DAWN Ontario
for structuring future advisory committees?
8. What recommendations do you have for making
advisory committees in the health care system more accessible to women
with disabilities?
Thank you
Sample Mail Out Questionnaire
Health Care Providers, Health and Disabled Women's Project
1. How familiar are you with the Health and
Disabled Women's Project?
Not familiar
|
So-so
|
Very familiar
|
2. Please identify the type(s) of contact
you had with the Health Project.
a. |
attended a workshop in which Health Project staff participated |
|
b. |
reviewed education material developed during the
project |
|
c. |
attended the symposium at Geneva Park in 1992 |
|
d. |
requested and received information |
|
e. |
responded to the initial questionnaire on accessibility and services
in 1991 |
|
3. As a result of your contact with
the DAWN Health Project did you:
|
|
No |
Yes |
a. |
increase your own awareness of health issues as experienced by women
with disabilities (WWD)? |
|
|
b. |
change any of your own assumptions or practices with WWD? |
|
|
c. |
increase your own interest in providing appropriate care to
WWD? |
|
|
d. |
become involved in increasing the accessibility of your services
or facilities to better accommodate WWD |
|
|
4. How would you rate the following education tools developed through
the project?
|
Not useful |
So-So |
Very Useful |
a. The Education Brochures
- WWD talk about sexuality
- You and your doctor
- Mothering and WWD
- Guide for Health Care Professionals
|
|
|
|
b. The Access checklist |
|
|
|
c. Les actes du Colloque |
|
|
|
5. What kinds of activities would you consider doing in the future
to address health care issues of WWD? For example, would you:
|
|
No |
Yes |
Maybe |
a. |
facilitate a workshop with a disabled woman? |
|
|
|
b. |
talk to other professionals about the health care needs of WWD? |
|
|
|
c. |
distribute the education materials mentioned above? |
|
|
|
d. |
advocate for an accessibility audit to be done on your facility
by a barrier-free consultant? |
|
|
|
e. |
refer a WWD to DAWN Ontario for support and information? |
|
|
|
6. Based on your experience with the Health Care Project, what advice
would you give other health care providers about addressing the
needs of women with disabilities?
7. DAWN Ontario wants to be a more active partner in the process of
defining andaddressing health concerns of disabled women. What suggestions
do you have for makingthis happen in your agency/program?
8. What is your title? Briefly describe the kind of work you do.
THANK YOU
We Value Your Feedback
Thank you for using this evaluation guide! Your comments and suggestions
can help us make sure the guide is kept current and useful. If you have
a moment, please answer and return the following questionnaire. Respondents
are eligible to receive future updates to the guide - please complete
Question 5. If you are interested in receiving future updates.
(1
= not very useful)
(5 = extremely useful)
1 2 3 4 5 1
. Is the guide useful to you? a) Which part of the
guide did you findmost helpful?
b) How do you use the guide?
(1 = not very useful)
(5 = extremely useful)
1 2 3 4 5 2.
Is the guide easy to use you? a) How could it be made easier to use
3. Are there additional resources that should
be added to the Annotated Bibliography? If so, please provide:
4. Do you have any other comments or suggestions
to Improve the guide?
5. Are you interested in receiving future
updates of the guide?
Yes ___ No
___
If so, please answer Question
6.
6. The following information is optional (unless
you answered "yes" to Question 5.). These details will help us identify
the types of organizations that most
commonly use the guide and
what their specific needs are. This information will be used for
our statistics only.
Name of your organization: |
|
Complete mailing address: |
|
Please return this questionnaire by mail or fax to:
National Program Consultant
Evaluation and Coordination
Health Canada
Population Health Directorate
st Floor, Finance Building
Address Locator 0201C
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1B4
Fax: (613) 957-1565
|