Programmatic Evaluations
Programmatic evaluations measure the effectiveness and success of programs, policies, services, or organizations, and identify areas of potential improvement. A programmatic evaluation can be used to measure what is working and what is not. Some of the questions, among many others, that a programmatic evaluation can answer include the following:
- What are the positive and negative outcomes of the program, service, or organization?
- What factors (historical, environmental, organizational, political, financial, etc.) are associated with the success or failure of the program, service, or organization to date?
- To what extent are the needs of all members of the stakeholder community effectively served?
- How can implementation be improved?
- How, if at all, should the goals and objectives of the program, service, or organization be revised?
- Relative to cost, how valuable are the results of the program?
- Will the contributions of the program be sustained?
The key to a good programmatic evaluation is to evaluate the program, service, or organization from all angles. Programmatic evaluations make use of a variety of methods—including literature reviews, case studies, site visits, focus groups, personal interviews, economic analyses, and quantitative surveys—to ensure a thorough external and internal review of the program, service, or organization. Programmatic evaluations can include any or all of these methods, depending on the scope and focus of the study.