Program design & evaluation

Most organizations, especially not-for-profits that undertake social intervention programs or companies that have undertaken social investments through a community partnership, now accept the increased need for good program design and evaluation. Evaluation can assist organizations in answering key questions relating to strategic and operational areas of planning and decision-making:

• Should a particular program or partnership be continued or discontinued?
• How can a program's policies and procedures be improved?
• Should similar programs be established elsewhere?
• How should resources be allocated among competing programs? 

Having a clear and transparent evaluation framework and process can also assist in:

• Validating program results to outside funding bodies and individuals
• Increasing accountability to funding agencies and donors
• Determining if a program is meeting its stated goal and objectives, and
• Measuring a program's effects and impact 

An important dimension of evaluation that is often ignored by many organizations is ensuring that the evaluation framework is established and designed at the very beginning of the program design process. Designing an evaluation framework at the start of the process is not only critical to ensuring that programs achieve their desired goals and outcomes, but enhancing and facilitating the final evaluation.

Orfeus Research can assist organizations in the development and design of programs so that all stakeholders accept a common evaluation and program management framework. The Orfeus Research Program Design and Evaluation Process© (ORPDEP) will also facilitate the subsequent evaluation of the program, whether conducted by Orfeus Research or other internal or external evaluators.    

Some of the benefits of the Orfeus Research Program Design and Evaluation Process© include:

• Encourages project staff to see their projects within the wider organizational context and mission
• Allows project staff to identify the interlocking activities of a project in a logical and systematic way
• Allows the project objectives and results to be identified clearly
• Helps to clearly articulate risks and constraints
• Provides a structured starting point for identifying activities, implementation details, costs and monitoring criteria
• Provides a summary of the project that can be used for communicating details to all stakeholders (e.g. government, sponsors, media, research collaborators)
• Makes evaluation a task performed by all involved
• Is consistent with an evidence-based approach to policy development 

For more information or a presentation on the Orfeus Research Program Design and Evaluation Process©, contact Gianni: gianniz@orfeusresearch.com.au