What is Utilization-Focused Evaluation?
Colleagues plan out a project by placing multi-colored post-its on a wall
In our last feature, we talked about participatory evaluation and how it influences our practice at Improved Insights. This time, we’ll continue our discussion of evaluation approaches and talk about utilization-focused evaluation.
Utilization-focused evaluation considers that evaluation work should have practical applications and should be developed in a way that encourages the use of its findings and/or the process itself to inform decisions and improve programs (BetterEvaluation, 2021). Developed by Michael Quinn Patton, a leader in the field of evaluation, key points of utilization-focused evaluation include:
Building an understanding of how the evaluation findings will be used at the beginning of the project
Identify who will be the users of the evaluation/its findings, at the beginning of the project
Develop buy-in with the project team to encourage the use of the findings
Ensuring decisions made along the evaluation align with the intended uses
A similar element to participatory evaluation (which we detailed in an earlier post) is that utilization-focused evaluation also seeks to engage various users in its development and implementation, as well as in the interpretation of findings and decisions made based on the findings. Core to both approaches is that we want the evaluation to be used. Too often, evaluations serve as point-in-time reflections of programs, but are not used to improve programs or inform decisions. This is where you hear the trope of the evaluation report “just sitting on the bookshelf” (or nowadays, perhaps, sitting in the Google Drive). The process of evaluation serves as a tool for continuous learning. Applying those learnings is essential to making sure the whole thing was worthwhile.
In our practice, we adopt many of the tenets of utilization-focused evaluation, from how we develop our understanding of clients’ needs in early conversations to working with clients to determine the most useful ways of reporting results. We also make sure to hold meaning-making sessions with clients at the end of projects to review findings together, make sense of them, and determine what comes next - essentially workshopping, “How will these be put into practice?” Typically, this process involves developing clear recommendations for future iterations of the program. These recommendations are always co-developed with clients to ensure that they are actionable, practical, and possible. After all, you’re the expert on your own programs!
References:
BetterEvaluation. (2021, November 6). Utilisation-focused evaluation. https://www.betterevaluation.org/methods-approaches/approaches/utilisation-focused-evaluation
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