How to Measure 'Effectiveness' of Programs?

Table of Contents

What is Effectiveness?

Simply, effectiveness means achieving the desired/targeted result.
Effectiveness is about doing the right things, completing activities and achieving goals.
Effectiveness is the ability to accomplish a purpose and produce an intended result.
Being effective means producing better and higher degree of success.

Effectiveness of programs relates to the level by which the activities of program produces the desired effect.
It is the magnitude of targeted result achieved from the program.

Ensuring effectiveness of the program means ensuring that the program is on the right track in a productive manner.
It also means measuring the extent to which targets are met.

1. Decentralized Decision-making

Decision-making should not be autonomous for the effectiveness of any program or organization.
Decentralized decision-making leads to sharing opinion on all levels of staff, which promotes teamwork and effort.

2. Empowerment of employees

Empowerment plays a great role in the effectiveness of the program because it allows employees to be innovative and think beyond their capacity in a decentralized structure.
It allows them to work towards common goals despite their differences.

3. Political stability

Political commitment by the leaders helps to obtain resources and support for effective action.

4. Communication

Timely information and accurate communication skills to the respective staff, decision makers increase the effectiveness of a program.

5. Performance management

Rigorous, real-time monitoring, evaluation, and program improvement increase effectiveness.

6. Partnership and collaboration with multiple sectors and stakeholders

7. Innovation in programs

There are different methods to measure/assess the effectiveness of any programs. They are:

1. Using certain evaluation questions to address ‘effectiveness’:

According to Peersman, 2014, there are certain set of questions which can be asked to address the effectiveness of programs.
These questions are either ‘meso level’ or ‘micro level’ questions.
The major questions to address effectiveness include:
- Was the intervention implemented according to the plan?
- Was timely corrective action taken where necessary?
- Were intended results achieved?

2. Program evaluation:

We can measure the effectiveness of any programs through different program evaluation methods. These program evaluation methods include:

a) Annual review

Annual review refers to the evaluation of any program’s effectiveness and annual performance of a year.
It is usually a systematic, objective and impartial evaluation of the effectiveness of any programs.
It provides the overall impact of the program in the given year and helps to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges.

b) Mid-term evaluation

Mid-term evaluation is conducted for an ongoing program or project.
A mid-term review is done halfway through the implementation of any program.
Mid-term evaluation can be useful when a number of activities are carried out.
It identifies any weakness in the implemented program and correction be made when there is still time to recover

c) Final evaluation

Final evaluation is done at the end or near to end of the program to ensure that the objectives and targets are achieved.
It determines the extent to which the planned objectives were achieved
It also identifies the factors responsible for the success or failure of any programs
It also assesses the sustainability of the program and the benefits
It provides evidence and information for future policy and program planners

d) Ex-post evaluation

Ex-post evaluation generally conducted until three years, after the project completion with the emphasis on the effectiveness and sustainability of the project.
This evaluation aims at deriving lessons learned and recommendations to improve the project as well as to help plan and implement more effective and efficient projects.