Download the full Evaluation Guide as a pdf documentDoing the evaluation
How to do itThere are some basic steps that most evaluation processes will go through, as follows:
Scoping the evaluation
- purpose / objectives of evaluation;
- limits / boundaries (e.g. timescale, budget, boundaries, subjects to be covered or not);
- approach (audit or learning approach);
- level of engagement in evaluation (e.g. getting data from participants, testing results, setting up an advisory group, involvement in deciding key themes for the evaluation, control over findings e.g. what said and how reported etc);
- confidentiality of results (e.g. is the process to be open to full public scrutiny?);
- main themes and questions to be covered by the evaluation (what will it look at: see 'what should it cover' section above).
Objectives of evaluations
Evaluation of the Your Health, Your Care Your Say
for the Department of Health
Primary objective:
To determine the success of the listening exercise at meeting the objectives
specified at its outset.
The evaluation was required not only to consider whether the specified criteria
were met, but also:
- how success has been achieved (whether specific components were particularly important)
- whether any failures were intrinsic to the approach adopted or contingent on the manner of its implementation, and
- whether any opportunities were missed.
Aim:
To assess whether the dialogue model, and the implementation of that model through the processes used in this programme, was effective in meeting the objectives of the programme overall. It also aimed to come to conclusions about the effectiveness of the dialogue model, in theory and practice (through this programme), in tackling the specific issues around sustainable waste management.
Objectives:
- Contribute to the development of sustainable waste management, by evaluating the role of the stakeholder engagement processes.
- Contribute to the body of knowledge about dialogue processes by producing a complete description of the dialogue processes used in this case, and the achievements and problems of those processes, and by conducting a rigorous and objective evaluation and disseminating the evidence gathered in appropriate forms and forums.
- Contribute to the development of the evaluation of participatory processes.
- Involve stakeholders, both in order to access their knowledge and understanding of how the processes worked and what they achieved, and to enable them to share in the benefits of the evaluation processes in terms of learning and development.
- Contribute to the development of TEC as a learning organisation, both in terms of internal practice (including through building research capacity in TEC, especially around evaluation), and of external reputation.
- Communicate the results and lessons effectively, bearing in mind the context at the time of publication.