Question

What are the key components of an evaluation plan and why is evaluation considered such an important component of program/project work?

Answer 1

An evaluation plan is basically a written document that elaborates on the monitoring and evaluation of the project and also describes the use of conclusions drawn from the evaluation.

Below are the key components of an evaluation plan

• Purpose and key stakeholders

This focuses on defining the purpose of the project and the requirement of the evaluation technique is defined and the stakeholders will be identified and the intended output of the evaluation plan will be mentioned in brief.

• Project description

This part mentions the key details regarding the project and the project plan and various stages of the project and the activities associated with each stage.

• Scope of evaluation

The scope of the evaluation will focus on the key parameters that will be prioritized and will be considered for evaluation. This helps in focussing on the key parameters that affect the project and hence these should be evaluated thoroughly.

• Methods of evaluation

This part enlists the methods that will be used for evaluation. These basically includes key indicators and a defined technique to get the data for evaluation

Example - ROI (return on investment), Plan vs Actual, ROCE (return on capital employed), etc.

• Drawing conclusion

How the conclusion will be drawn from the methods of evaluation and how the interpretation of the conclusion will be carried out will be mentioned.

• Broadcasting & use of the information

This part focuses on how the information drawn from the conclusion will be shared and how it will be utilized for further use for the improvement of the project.

Evaluation is considered an important component of program/project work because

1. It fosters a standardized method of working.
2. Stakeholders have their roles clear cut defined and hence there is no ambiguity.
3. The written evaluation plan takes in buy-in from stakeholders and therefore there is very little friction in coordinating during project evaluation.
4. In case of resource changes this document helps in smooth transition.
5. Transparency in the system is increased.
6. It helps in further improvement of the project and also aids in learning from mistakes.

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