Step 4.5.4

Evaluation

A good evaluation will help you determine whether you have been successful. Details about the project evaluation may be highlighted within the methodology section noted above, or it may be explained in its own section. Either way, it should show the overall purpose of the evaluation as well as how it will be carried out, and why those procedures were selected.

• Overall purpose: An oft-overlooked step, an evaluation process should begin by considering who the evaluation is intended to serve, and how the results will assist them.
• How: Objectives, previously outlined, will form the basis of the evaluation plan. The type of evaluation that will be used to show progress toward all outcome objectives should be noted, as well as whether data collection strategies will be qualitative, quantitative, or a combination. Evaluation tool use or development should also be explained.
• Why: The type of evaluation, data collection methods and choice of evaluation tools should be justified with information about previous evaluations, literature, and experience, as well as the needs of the people the evaluation is intended to influence or assist.