The Program Evaluation KnowledgeBase : Element 1 : Activity 3 : Task 3: Develop Evaluation Questions
Evaluation is a critical component throughout the life of a program or project. In planning the evaluation determining the questions to ask is an important step. As a program or project evolves through its life cycle, different questions might be asked at different life stages. Questions to address over the life of a program or project as suggested in the W. K. Kellogg Foundation's Evaluation Handbook include:
1. "What do you want your project to accomplish?
2. How will you know if you have accomplished your goals?
3. What activities will your project undertake to accomplish your goals?
4. What factors might help or hinder your ability to accomplish your goals?
5. What will you want to tell others who are interested in your project?"
Individual group members often have divergent viewpoints. Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats is an effective system that fosters collaboration, increases productivity, and increases creativity and innovation. The concept enables protagonists in a discussion to move from the traditional argumentative approach to a collaborative process and fosters a more productive dialog. The document provides an overview of the tool and additional resources to learn more about it.
The National Science Foundation's User Friendly Handbook for Mixed Method Evaluations offers guidance on developing evaluation questions. This section includes five worksheets that take an evaluation team or evaluator through a process for developing questions. The worksheets are provided in PDF form for easy printing and reproduction.
This handbook provides a model for program evaluation developed by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.
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