Evaluation plans create road maps for evaluations. Good evaluation plans outline the when, where, who, and how of the evaluation. Without an evaluation plan, the evaluation will not be optimally organized, and as a result might miss valuable components. Creating an evaluation plan provides an excellent opportunity to engage key stakeholders early in the evaluative process. These stakeholders might include program participants, staff, managers, and funders.

An evaluation plan includes several important components.  The first component identifies which indicators will be used to measure the stated outcomes in the objectives (such as crime statistics or school attendance figures).  The next component of an evaluation plan specifies how, when, by whom, and how often data will be collected. The final component of an evaluation plan outlines how data will be analyzed, presented, and used.

PHASE 3: DEVELOP >>