Evaluation plays a critical role in assessing the value that a program/project has delivered. Here we will look at the various evaluations that are a part of a project evaluation.

Context

A context evaluation allows the evaluators to assess the needs and resources of the local community to determine a plan for effective action. Generally, this type of evaluation happens before the program is running. In addition, this type of evaluation also allows for the evaluation team to get a sense of the local political situation and support for the program. All of this knowledge helps the team to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the local context.

The tools involved in this assessment can include a full-on development of a needs assessment. This can include identifying local leaders in the community, gaps in service, and opportunities to support the community. Context assessments can also be used to look at the team running the program.

The primary goal of a context evaluation is to develop an understanding of the target population and the community within which the target population is found. You want to get into the community found who are the influencers and see how you project can fit into that situation positively.

Implementation

Implementation evaluation happens while a project is going. Among the many goals of this is to see if he goals of the program match with the needs of the target population. Sometimes the best intentions do not benefit the people we are trying to help. Another goal is to identify and minimize barriers to implementation.

Other goals of this evaluation include monitoring the experiences of stakeholders with a project. In other words, determines what the local community thinks of the program after it is implemented. Lastly, implementation evaluation looks at evidence for systemic change or the impact the program is having on the community as a whole.

Outcome

Outcome evaluation is used to determine the type of outcomes you want from a program. By outcomes, it means the influence your program has on the target population or the people who are actually in the program. How this is measured will depend on the project.

There are two types of outcomes and these are individual outcomes and program outcomes. Individual outcomes look at the influence a program has on an individual person. For example, this could include changes in a person’s quality of life, status, or situation. Program outcomes look at the impact of the general services of a program such as improving access, expanding services, etc. How this is measured varies but the focus is always either on the individual or the program. The results of an outcome evaluation help to determine if a program should continue and what is currently working or not working.

There are several questions to consider when attempting an outcome evaluation. Below is a list

• Who are you serving
•  what are the outcomes
•  How will you measure
•  What data are you collecting
•  Purpose of results
•  Performance targets

Most of the bullets above are standard to research and will not be discussed here. What may be new is the term performance target. A performance target are benchmark set that helps to establish the standard for what is considered good or bad performance. For example, a reading comprehension program might set a benchmark of 75% of the students reading at grade level by the end of the program. This sets a standard by which to assess the quality of the program.

Conclusion

Program evaluation is a critical component of the grant process. Once money has been spent, the evaluation helps to determine if the money was spent wisely helping people based on whatever the goals of the grant were.