An evaluation is only as good as its use. There is little value investing time in analysing your data and writing a report if no-one bothers to read it or if people are nodding off during your presentation. A well-presented evaluation is more likely to be read and subsequently used than a poorly-presented one. Remember […]
One option to collect metering data, as a complement or an alternative to collecting bills, is to get households to read their own meters. This could be for electricity, gas or water. You would have to get households to take readings before the intervention, and following the intervention. The timing of follow up readings should
Metering refers to the measuremtent of resource consumption, particularly for electricity, gas and water. Most residential dwellings have individual electricity and water meters, and where town-gas is available, a gas meter. The popularity of metering data stems from its ability to provide a quantitative measure, which conforms to the adage “that you can’t manage what
Summative evaluation looks at the impact of an intervention on the target group. This type of evaluation is arguably what is considered most often as ‘evaluation’ by project staff and funding bodies- that is, finding out what the project achieved. Summative evaluation can take place during the project implementation, but is most often undertaken at
The evaluation dartboard is a quick and simple method for participants to rate the delivery of a workshop, training session or similar activity. Participants, using sticky dots or a marking pen, make a mark on the dartboard based on a rating scale, for example from ‘highly satisfied’ to ‘highly dissatisfied’ or ‘exceeded expectations’ to ‘missed
A project diary is a written record of significant activities, events or processes that occur during the life of a project. It is highly recommended that project staff keep some sort of diary to record their insights and experiences during a project’s planning and implementation as these insights are important to collect and reflect upon
A focus group is where a group of people (from around 4 to 12) are asked questions about their experiences and opinions on particular topics. Focus groups use a facilitator and a semi-structured interview process to prompt discussion amongst a group of people. The group can be representative of the target group, or they may
A semi-structured interview is a qualitative method of inquiry that combines a pre-determined set of open questions (questions that prompt discussion) with the opportunity for the interviewer to explore particular themes or responses further. A semi-structured interview does not limit respondents to a set of pre-determined answers (unlike a structured questionnaire). Semi-structured interviews are used
A program logic (also known as outcome model, outcome logic, logic model, or outcome hierarchy) sets out what a project will do and how it will do it. In other words, it represents a project’s theory of change. The program logic does this by visually representing a linear sequence of steps that need to occur
A logframe matrix is a concise document that outlines the key features that lead to a project achieving its goal. A logframe consists of a 4 column by 4 or 5 row matrix. The first column represents the hierarchy of activities to outcomes that needs to occur for the project to succeed. The second column
