Before you can begin developing an evaluation plan, it is important to understand performance measurement and program evaluation and how their results can be used to meet your needs. This section provides an overview of performance measurement and program evaluation, the relationship between them, their advantages, and how to use them to meet your program goals. Definitions are provided, as are the types and benefits of each.
Definitions
Performance measurement and program evaluation share similarities but serve different purposes. Performance measurement provides the data you will use to measure your program’s results; program evaluation is the process of obtaining, analyzing, interpreting, and reporting on this data to describe how your program is working.
Performance measurement is the ongoing monitoring and reporting of program accomplishments and progress toward preestablished goals. For many programs, requirements can be met through performance measurement, which includes collecting data on the level and type of activities (inputs) and the direct products and services delivered by the program (outputs).
Program evaluation is a systematic process of obtaining information to be used to assess and improve a program. In general, organizations use program evaluations to distinguish successful program efforts from ineffective program activities and services and to revise existing programs to achieve successful results. Conducting evaluations is an integral part of operating and managing a program because it helps to determine whether you are meeting the needs of your client base. The type and application of program evaluation methods depend on the mission and goals of the program.
Both mechanisms support resource allocation and policy decisions aimed at improving service delivery and program effectiveness. While performance measures can tell you only what is occurring in your program, program evaluation provides you with an overall assessment of whether your program is working and can help identify adjustments that may improve your program results. Performance measurement data can be used to detect problems early in the process so that you can correct them before it is too late. Program evaluation data are often used when results or outcomes are not readily observable and performance measures are not sufficient to demonstrate a program’s results.
Program evaluation and performance measurement complement each other in—
- Developing or improving measures of program performance.
- Helping to understand the relationship between activities and results.
- Generating data on program results not regularly collected or available through other means.
- Ensuring the quality of regularly collected performance data.
Types and Benefits
Performance Measurement
Performance measurement assesses a program’s progress toward its stated goals. The data collected measure specific outputs and outcomes a program is designed to achieve. Outputs are the result of the activities (inputs) that go into a program, while outcomes are the final results of or changes resulting from an activity. Exhibit 1 reviews inputs, outputs, and outcomes/impacts.
| Input | Resources used to produce outputs and outcomes. |
| Output | The direct, immediate result of an activity. Products and services that result from an activity. |
| Outcome/ Impact | The intended initial, intermediate, and final result of an activity. The desired change in behavior, attitude, knowledge, skills, and conditions at the individual, agency, system, or community level. |
Collecting data on your program’s inputs, outputs, and outcomes/impacts will help you answer a few key questions:
- What are we doing with our resources (inputs)?
- What services are we providing? Are we reaching our target audience (outputs)?
- Are program activities achieving the desired objectives (outcomes)?
- What long-term effects are these efforts having in achieving our goals (impacts)?
Moreover, the results of your program evaluation will justify continued funding from your funding sources. Specific performance measures may include the following:
- Number and type of services provided to victims.
- Number and type of service providers available to victims.
- Number of service professionals who received training.
- Changes in policy and practice in the community response to victims.
- Increase in the number of collaborative partners in the designated region.
Program Evaluation
Although various types of program evaluations exist, the type of evaluation you conduct depends on the questions you want to answer. Process, outcome, and impact evaluations are three types of evaluations you may be required to conduct:
- Process evaluations assess the extent to which the program is functioning as planned.
- Outcome evaluations examine overall program effects. This type of evaluation focuses on objectives and provides useful information about program results.
- Impact evaluations focus on long-term program goals and issues of causality.
Each type of evaluation has specific benefits that will assist you in successfully meeting your program goals and objectives along a continuum. Overall, evaluations help—
- Improve program management.
- Inform program planning and implementation.
- Allocate resources strategically.
- Win program support by demonstrating results.
- Improve accountability to stakeholders.
- Improve program effectiveness by focusing on results.
- Demonstrate that program activities contribute to achieving agency or governmentwide goals.