Evaluation

Monitoring and evaluation needs to begin when you first start to formulate your project plan and should be ongoing throughout a project, at least to some degree.  Formulating an evaluation methodology helps to focus the mind on what you are trying to achieve and how you are going to measure it.  The earlier you start, the easier the process and the more useful the information gathered.  Evaluation is a necessary part of any engagement activity, and most funders require it.  Don't be put off! There are lots of toolkits and evaluation guides available.  Here we offer a selection of practical guides.  Many of the toolkits listed in the other sections also have useful chapters on evaluation.

General Guidance

Jargon Buster

Useful, plain English guide to the terms used (and misused) in the process of planning and evaluating projects.  Although written for VCOs, this is a handy reference guide for all.

First steps in monitoring and evaluation

The Charities Evaluation Services (CES), which provides training, advice and support on monitoring and evaluation to voluntary organisations, has produced a series of guidelines on all aspects of evaluation practice. Clearly written, these guides will prove useful to anyone with little or no experience of monitoring or evaluation, whether from the voluntary sector or elsewhere. 
First steps in monitoring and evaluation breaks the process down into five easy steps, with checklists.
For those wishing to commission an external evaluation from a consultant, these informative guidance papers advise you on How to cost an evaluation, What to include in an evaluation brief and Key Terms and Definitions.
Your project and its outcomes offers a simple, step-by-step approach to identifying and assessing your project's outcomes.  A useful "before and after" guide to describing the changes/learning that could occur, and making the best use of this information for funding reports and PR.
A good monitoring and evaluation system can be a useful tool for improving an organisation's quality or performance.  The CES guide First steps in quality describes the benefits and offers a step-by-step approach to setting up a quality assurance system.

Questionnaire Recipe Book - guidelines for evaluation

Evaluation consultant Ben Gammon draws on his experience as Head of Visitor Research at the Science Museum to present an engaging overview of questionnaire design.  Examples are used throughout to illustrate good and bad practice and the common pitfalls, both in terms of the content of questions and in the way they are asked and scored.  Although written for those developing visitor questionnaires, many of the issues discussed in this 11-step guide are widely applicable.

Explaining the difference your project makes - A BIG guide to using an outcomes approach  

This guide sets out some of the main steps needed to plan and manage a project using an outcomes approach.  Outcomes are the results of what you do, rather than the activities or services provided.  Although useful for a range of applicants, this guide is primarily for those wanting to find out more about the outcomes approach.  Further information about the issues raised, examples and sources of further support are available on the Evaluation & Research section of the BIG website.