Steps
- Establish an evaluation advisory group that includes stakeholder representatives to guide and inform the evaluation process.
- Develop a program logic model# to explain the causal pathways linking program activities, outputs and outcomes (short, medium and long-term)
- Develop an evaluation plan that includes:
- Overview of the program
- Purpose of the evaluation
- Audience for the evaluation
- Evaluation questions
- Evaluation design and data sources
- Potential risks
- Resources and roles, including budget and timeline
- Governance
- Reporting
- Engage an independent evaluator:
- Prepare a Request for Proposal
- Issue an invitation to provide a proposal
- Engage an evaluator and agree on a contract
- Project manage the development and implementation of the evaluation workplan and achievement of the contract milestones
- Disseminate the evaluation findings to support the incorporation of results into program decision making
Good practice principles
- Timeliness
- Appropriateness
- Stakeholder involvement
- Effective governance
- Methodological rigour
- Consideration of specific populations
- Ethical conduct
** Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence. Planning and Managing Program Evaluations: A Guide. Evidence and Evaluation Guidance Series, Population and Public Health Division. Sydney: NSW Ministry of Health; 2023.
# Ideally a program logic model should be developed in the program planning phase.