In this article, we describe what assumptions are in evaluation, explain why you should document assumptions, and describe how to reflect on your assumptions when collecting and analyzing evaluation results. We also provide some practical examples of how to include assumptions in your own evaluations!

This article supports evaluators who are new to qualitative data analysis. We start by defining thematic analysis, then give you a 5-step process to complete your own analysis. We end the article by highlighting some common challenges with thematic analysis.

A book review of Michael Quinn Patton’s Developmental Evaluation: Applying Complexity Concepts to Enhance Innovation and Use (2011).

So you've successfully gathered the data you need to evaluate your program. But how do you engage stakeholders and partners to ensure a thorough understanding of the results? A data party could be part of the answer!

The Likert scale is one of the more commonly used rating scales in surveys. As evaluators, we should know a thing or two about it, and how to navigate some of the decisions involved in using a Likert scale.

If you work with data in Excel, whether frequently or infrequently, learning the basics of PivotTables will improve your ability to quickly explore and analyze raw data.

Every evaluation is different, but there are a few topics that should be covered in every kick-off meeting.

Recognizing that equitable evaluation is an emerging area of work, this article aims to add to the growing discussion. While it does not include an exhaustive list of issues and strategies, it will help you introduce some changes to your evaluation practice.

The end goal of collecting data is to eventually draw meaningful insights from said data. However, the transition from raw data to meaningful insights is not always a linear path. Data are prone to human-error and this guide will help you correct those errors, as well as provide tips on how to minimize these errors in the future.

As evaluators, we are rarely organizational decision-makers; it is our job to provide those decision-makers with actionable insights. In this article we highlight how you can translate data into meaningful findings, or insights, so you can support decision-makers to drive action within their organizations.

What is the scope of an evaluator’s role: should an evaluator make recommendations? Do we tell programs how to improve? Or do we simply share the data with them and let them draw their own conclusions?

A few years ago, we completed an evaluation for a breast cancer clinic. In honour of Breast Cancer Awareness month, we thought we would highlight some excerpts from that report to help inspire your next evaluation report!

Is consent always needed? How do I obtain consent? In this article, we discuss the principles and considerations involved in obtaining consent for evaluation data collection.

Ideally, our evaluation projects would proceed as planned. But as all project managers know, sometimes things change. Actually, most of the time, things change! In some situations, our evaluation approach can be modified to adapt to the changing context, but in others, we have to say no to scope creep.

As an evaluator, a big part of our role is to collect data. Sometimes that data comes from administrative databases that require data sharing agreements, but sometimes it comes from people, who need to consent to sharing their information (or data) with you. So let’s talk about what consent is (and isn’t).

It is ideal to have a data dictionary whenever you have quantitative data that will be used and shared by multiple people or groups. Without precise definitions, it is very easy to arrive at different results while using the same dataset. In this article, we focus on how evaluators can (and should) clarify details about the data being used for evaluation. In other words, how and why build an evaluation-specific data dictionary.

When I hear “we need a dashboard,” what I hear is “we need relatively current information that we can quickly understand and trust, and we want it on one page.” But a dashboard may or may not be the best way to fulfill that need. Here, I’ll clarify what a dashboard is, and what it isn’t, then provide a checklist you can use to decide if your program or organization needs one.

Congratulations, evaluator, you’ve landed a client! Or maybe your organization has selected an evaluator to complete an exciting project. Either way, your next step is a contract for evaluation services. In this post, we list some components you should include, or at least consider, in your evaluation contract.

One of the most common things I see when I work data in excel that others have compiled or analyzed is the under-use of Excel’s computational powers. In part, this has to do with setting up your data correctly to all Excel to do the work.

Don’t get us wrong, surveys are useful tools and we’re a fan of any survey platform that makes it easier to use the results. But what about when you want to scratch beneath the surface or present a legible graph that will convince the program director or funder that action needs to be taken? This is where the canned survey tools start to falter.