Program Evaluation: a Plain English Guide

This 11-step guide defines program evaluation, what it is used for, the different types and when they should be used. Also covered is how to plan a program evaluation, monitor performance, communicate findings, deliver bad news, and put improvements into practice.

This resource and the following information was contributed to BetterEvaluation by Dana Cross, Grosvenor Management Consulting.

Authors and their affiliation

Dana Cross, Grosvenor Management Consulting

Year of publication

Type of resource

Key features of the resource (summarise the purpose/focus of the resource or its key content/messages)

Who is this resource useful for?

How have you used or intend on using this resource? (In what ways have you used the resource? What was particularly helpful about it?)

Program evaluation can be daunting for program managers approaching it for the first time.

Program evaluators and managers have found this a particularly useful resource to share with peers and stakeholders who are new to evaluation; it provides a good introduction to what program evaluation might involve as part of the management and assessment of program performance.

Why would you recommend it to other people?

This nuts-and-bolts guidance on the key components of program evaluation avoids jargon and provides a very practical way forward for implementation of the evaluation.

Contents

Sources

Cross, D. (2015) Program Evaluation: a Plain English Guide. Grosvenor Management Consulting

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