Program Evaluation: Importance, Methods & Advantages

What is Program Evaluation?

• Program evaluation is a systematic assessment of the processes and outcomes of a program with the aim of determining its worth, merit and significance.
• Program evaluation helps the evaluation and program managers to makers make informed decisions based on the evidence generated.
• Program evaluation is a procedure that critically scrutinizes a program. It includes gathering and examining information about a program’s activities, features, and conclusions.
• The purpose of program evaluation is to make verdicts about a program, to expand its effectiveness, and/or to inform programming resolutions
• A program evaluation is related to a roadmap. It explains the steps needed to assess the methods and outcomes of a program. An effective evaluation plan is further than a column of displays added to the program’s work plan.
• A dynamic tool (i.e., a living document”) that must be reorganized constantly to reflect program modifications and main concern over time.
• An evaluation plan works as a bridge between evaluation and program planning by emphasizing program goals, clarifying measurable program objectives, and connecting program activities with projected outcomes.

Why is Program Evaluation Necessary?

• Program evaluation helps to improve the effectiveness of program.
• It will simplify how we can answer the “What,” the “How,” and the “Why It Matters” for our program.
• The “What” reflects the picture of our program and how its actions are associated with the intentional effects.
• It helps to clarify the program’s resolution and predicted outcomes.
• Program evaluation helps to ensure accountability.
• It also supports in informed decision making and enhances learning.
• It assesses whether the short term and long-term objectives of the program is met or not.
• The “How” addresses the procedure for executing a program and be responsible for information about whether the program is functioning with reliability to the program’s design
• Program evaluation helps to improve the scheme and implementation plan of the upcoming programs.
• It is important to intermittently assess and familiarize your activities to confirm they are as effective as they can be. Evaluation can help to detect areas for enhancement and ultimately helps to realize our objectives efficiently.
• Evaluation empowers to show our program’s accomplishment or improvement.
• The information we collect during program evaluation allows us to communicate our program’s impression to others, which is critical for public affairs, staff assurance, and attracting and holding support from present and potential funders.

Steps of Program Evaluation

• Engaging Stakeholders
• Describing the program
• Focusing on evaluation design
• Gathering credible evidences
• Analysis and interpretation of the collected data
• Sharing findings
• Taking action and making future plans

Types of Program Evaluation

1. Formative evaluation: evaluation done during the program development of early implementation. It includes need assessment, pilot testing and feasibility studies.

2. Process evaluation: Evaluation of the process of implementation.

3. Summative evaluation: Evaluation carried out at the end of the program.

4. Impact evaluation: Evaluates the impact/long term effect of the program

5. Cost effectiveness evaluation: evaluates effectiveness of the program on the basis of its cost.

6. Cost benefit evaluation: evaluates program on the basis of the cost spent on the

What are the Different Standards of Evaluation?

• Utility standards make certain that an evaluation will assist the information needs of projected users.
• Feasibility standards guarantee that an evaluation will be genuine, practical, diplomatic and economic
• Propriety standards ensure that an evaluation will be conducted validly, morally and with due regard for the wellbeing of those tangled in the evaluation, in addition to those affected by its outcomes.
• Accuracy standards ensure that an evaluation will disclose and convey officially sufficient information about the sorts that define value or virtue of the program being evaluated.

Steps for Conducting Evaluation of Program

Step 1: Define Stakeholders

• Stakeholders are cohorts, implementers, recipients, and decision-makers related to your program.
• Getting them involved promptly will help to get diverse viewpoints on the program and establish common prospects.
• This helps to simplify the aims and objectives of the program that will be valued, so everyone recognizes its purpose.

Step 2: Describe the program

• Taking the time to articulate what the program ensures and what we want to achieve is vital for launching the evaluation plan.
• The descriptions should response queries like: What is the goal of our program? Which actions will we track to reach our goal? How will we do it? What are our means? How many people do we assume to serve?
• Expressing the answers to those questions will not only aid with answerability and quality enhancement, but it will also beneficial to uphold the program to its beneficiaries.

Step 3: Focus the design of your evaluation

• Evaluations can focus on procedure, means, resources, actions, and productions.
• They can focus on results or how well you accomplished your goal. You may well also pick to assess both method and results.
• As we begin conveying our evaluation, think about the precise tenacity of the evaluation. How will the data be used? What information-gathering approaches are matched for gathering what our organization needs to know?

Step 4: Gather evidence

• Qualitative and quantitative data are the two key forms of data we may collect.
• Qualitative data deals with descriptive information that might capture understanding, conduct, view, value, feeling, awareness, sensory reaction, or observable occurrences.
• Three usually used methods used for collecting qualitative evaluation data are key informant interviews, focus groups, and participant observation.
• Quantitative methods talk about information that may be determined by numbers or counts. Methods for collecting quantitative data contain counting systems, surveys, and questionnaires.

Step 5: Draw conclusions

• This is the step where we answer the bottom-line question: Are we getting healthier, getting inferior, or staying the same?
• Data comparisons display tendencies, gaps, strong point, and faults. We can compare evaluation data with objectives set for the program, against principles established by the stakeholders or funders, or make evaluations with other programs.

Step 6: Present findings and ensure the use

• All the work we put into program evaluation must get used for quality enhancement.
• When we present our outcomes and references, it is significant to know the values, principles, and insights of our group; build on the group’s experience and build on common ground; and state the fundamental purpose for our recommendations before we get to the fine points.

Data Collection Methods 

• Surveys and questionnaires
• Interviews
• Focused Group Discussion
• Document review
• Focused Group
• Observation

Challenges in Program Evaluation

• Limited resources
• Limited data 
• Difficult context and geographical barriers
• Limited staffs and staffs resistance