PROGRAM EVALUATION AND QUALITY ASSURANCE
Program evaluation and quality assurance help organizations ensure that they are meeting the right needs of the right people in the best and most efficient way, through the systematic collection, analysis, and use of information. Good information leads to better decisions. Program evaluation can help to answer the questions of people who are using services, their loved ones, funders, staff, administration, and others. People involved in the program want to know if the program is meeting its goals, if the goals are appropriate to what the people who use the services want and need, are actions aligned with the values and mission of the program, what resources the program needs and how it is using them, if there are other alternatives to meet the goals and if there are any unintended consequences of the program. Program evaluation helps to develop systems to answer these questions and make use of the information. Program evaluation helps the program identify its strengths to share with stakeholders and identify areas in which changes might be beneficial.
Open Roads Inclusive Community Consulting will help your organization collect and analyze data for specific evaluation questions, develop comprehensive program evaluation and quality assurance plans, help with the development of person and value drive program objectives, analyze data and/or develop dissemination reports and presentations. Some of the specific elements of program evaluation Open Road may assist with include:
Needs Assessment: A needs assessment gathers data to identify the gap between what is and what should be. This helps organizations identify areas in which program development might be beneficial.
Logic Model/Theory of Change Development: A logic or theory of change model is a visual depiction of the thought process that drives a program. It depicts the connection between the need the program fills, the resources it uses to operate, the actions it takes, and its objectives and goals. Logic Models are often required by funders to clearly depict the nature of the program and provide a basis for evaluating its operation and impact.
Formative/Process Evaluation: A process evaluation helps the program clearly articulate what the program does, the feasibility and alignment of the objectives, what it needs to operate, and if it is delivering or operating the program as intended. It can help find out if workers and clients are satisfied and what matters most to them.
Summative/Outcome Evaluation: A summative or outcome evaluation helps to demonstrate what participants are getting out of the program and if the organization is achieving the stated goals. Outcome evaluations help to answer the question of, whether are people better off because of our program and if so, how.