What is Evaluation?

Evaluation is the process of determining significance or worth, usually by careful appraisal and study. Evaluation is the analysis and comparison of actual progress vs. prior plans, oriented toward improving plans for future implementation. It is part of a continuing management process consisting of planning, implementation, and evaluation; ideally with each following the other in a continuous cycle until successful completion of the activity. Evaluation is the process of determining the worth or value of something. This involves assigning values to the thing or person being evaluated.
Evaluation is obviously important, to project managers and agency administrators, and to funders as well. Evaluation serves as a roadmap for a particular philosophic or programmatic journey, and evaluation helps determine “how well the trip went.”
A qualitative evaluation answers questions such as “how well did we do” while a quantitative evaluation asks—and hopefully answers—questions about “how much did we do.” Within the framework of these two main approaches to evaluation there are several other types of evaluation. Among them are:

• Internal evaluation
• External evaluation
• Preliminary evaluation
• Formative evaluation
• Summative evaluation

Over the past twenty years, ISED has conducted many different evaluations on behalf of single agencies, departments, divisions, and agencies of city, county, state and federal government, and for private foundations. Each of these entities possesses, as a result of ISED’s evaluation services, a renewed sense of direction, a clearer purpose, and a greater commitment to quality.
Please contact us to discuss how evaluation can achieve these results for you, and for your funders.