Why is evaluation and evaluative thinking valuable?
Evaluation provides the methodology and tools (for example, theory of change or program logics) to balance and assess performance or change of activity/project/programs outcomes. It also provides an understanding of how and why changes are expected to happen, and then how they actually happen in a particular identified context, taking into account system assumptions and limitations.
Evaluation is typically designed to assess the effects and impacts of a project/program and its activity, to inform decisions about current and/or future project/program design changes to enhance the performance and beneficial impact of the activity delivered.
Evaluation findings provide stakeholders with useful evidence they can rely on to:
- help understand the need for a program, project and/or activity;
- improve the design and performance of a program, project and/or activity;
- identify best practice intervention design in responding to a problem;
- provide support to link the objectives/desired outcomes with approaches to measure success;
- define the expected benefits/value of a program, project or activity during the early planning stage;
- establish baseline information to monitor and and assess changes over time;
- determine and assess if effects/impacts are as expected and if the are benefits or not to what was intended;
- report on, and be accountable for, change (or lack of change) results by a particular program, project or activity; and
- provide evidence to inform decisions now and for future strategic work (for example, should a project be changed, continued, replicated or terminated).
Evaluation is typically designed to improve the performance of programs/projects/activities, to assess their effects and impacts, and inform decisions about future interventions to enhance performance and beneficial impact.
What benefits does evaluative thinking bring?
Evaluative thinking:
- promotes the setting of clear goals for programs/project/activity and how to best measure progress towards achieving your goals;
- promotes a culture of curiosity and identification of information related to performance and ensure the appropriate allocation of time to discuss the information (evaluative organisational culture);
- encourages self‐reflection to identify and implement better ways of doing things and value results and innovation;
- promotes continuous organisational improvement through the sharing of knowledge, learning from mistakes and learning from good practice;
- encourages individuals, teams and organisational ares to build upon existing learning information and evidence when designing new project/activity/programs; and
- demonstrates a tolerance for mistakes when learning and improvement are a focus.
Additional resources
The Treasury, Australian Government - What is evaluation
Education, New South Wales Government - Evaluation Resource Hub