4 Steps to an Evaluation Plan
Writing a proposal? Evaluation planning starts right when you start thinking about doing a project. We recommend working through the NEO's Booklets, but here are some of the basic steps and worksheets if you want to jump right in.
Do a Community Assessment
A community assessment helps you determine the health information needs of the community, the community resources that would support your project, and information to guide you in your choice and design of outreach strategies.
- Get organized
- Network and identify a team of advisors
- Conduct a literature review
- Take an inventory of what you already know and what you don't know (SWOT Analysis)
- Develop community assessment questions
- Collect data about the community
- Secondary sources (some suggestions)
- Primary sources (interviews, focus groups, questionnaires, observations, site visits, online discussions)
- Interpret findings and make project decisions
Assessing a Military Community
Make a Logic Model
A logic model is a planning tool to clarify and graphically display how your activities are logically linked to the impact you hope to make with your project.
- How to do it (work from right to left, starting with outcomes)
- Outcomes are the results or benefits of your project - Why you are doing the project
- short-term outcomes such as changes in knowledge
- intermediate outcomes such as changes in behavior
- long-term outcomes such as changes in individuals' health or medical access, social conditions or population health
- Blank Logic Model Template Book 2 Worksheet: Logic Models
- Sample Logic Model
Logic Model for a Birthday Party; Steering by Outcomes: Begin with the End in Mind
Develop Measurable Objectives for Your Outcomes
Outcomes are the results you are pursuing with your project. Measurable objectives communicate the evidence you will collect to show results and your criteria for determining success.
- For your outcomes (mostly short-term and intermediate), identify
- Indicators (observable signs of the outcome)
- Target criteria (level that must be attained to determine success)
- Time frame (the point in time when the threshold for success will be achieved)
- How to do it
- Write your measurable objectives
- Outcome Objective Blank Worksheet (the top section) Book 2 Worksheet: Outcome Objectives
- Sample Outcome Objective using Success Criteria
- Sample Outcome Objective using Change over Time
Developing Program Outcomes Using the Kirkpatrick Model - With Vampires; Setting a Meaningful Participation Target
- Process Evaluation: Are you doing what you said you'd do?
- Process Evaluation Blank Worksheet Book 2 Worksheet: Process Evaluation
- Sample Process Evaluation Questions and Evaluation Methods
- Outcome Evaluation: Are you accomplishing the WHY of what you wanted to do?
- Outcome Objective Blank Worksheet (the bottom section): Book 2 Worksheet: Outcome Objectives
- Data Source: Examples of Data Sources
- Evaluation Method: Examples of Evaluation Methods
- Data Collection Timing: When you collect the data (i.e., immediately after training, at the end of the project, etc.)
- Outcome Objective Blank Worksheet (the bottom section): Book 2 Worksheet: Outcome Objectives