How to Evaluate - York Consulting

Oldham and Rochdale HMREvaluation Techniques “How to Evaluate”2.43 By focusing on the questions that need answering, the evaluation shouldmaintain an analytical perspective. This will avoid a situation where theevaluators are being led by the volume of information generated and have tospend considerable time sifting through lots of information to find the mostrelevant data.2.44 It is crucial to develop a set of questions which you want to answer with thedata you have gathered. Examples of these are given in Table 2.9. Some ofthese questions will develop from the project and overarching objectives,others will evolve throughout the evaluation.Table 2.9 Questions which might be asked as part of an evaluation have you met aims and objectives? should the programme continue? are the objectives measurable? is the programme cost-effective? where has there been impact from programme activity? is the targeting of the programme appropriate? is the scale of the programme appropriate? can improvements be made in management of the programme? is the programme effectively monitored? are partnership arrangements satisfactory? is there evidence of clear added-value? which activities (both evaluation and project) were the most successfulat generating impact?2.45 Seek to identify examples of Good Practice through the analysis process andfocus attention on them.2.46 Controlled and careful use of qualitative data can be very helpful inidentifying key issues and highlighting best practice. They can also be usedto back up quantitative findings and add depth to evaluation findings. Forexample the use of specific quotations which support identified findings willhelp to liven up a report and make it more interesting to read.Example:Using qualitative data30