WELCOME

New Resource
PBRF Evaluation Plan
An example of a comprehensive evaluation & monitoring plan we developed for a national academic research assessment system.

.New Resource
Outcomes Blog
Dr Paul Duignan blogging  on all issues related to outcomes measurement, evaluation and strategy.

New Resources
Outcomes Models Site
Lists free-to-use outcomes models drawn according to the outcomes models standards.

New Resource
Easy Outcomes Site
User friendly application of Systematic Outcomes Analysis using DoView outcomes software for strategy, evaluation and monitoring.

New Resource
DoView
New software for drawing outcomes models (program logics) and organizing evaluation and monitoring plans.

New Resource
Outcomes Model Standards
Helping you draw robust  intervention and programme logics for your outcomes models

New Resource
Systematic Outcomes Analysis website - new resources and information available www.systematicoutcomes analysis.org.
Systematic Outcomes Analysis is a practical implementation of outcomes theory, providing the building blocks of sound outcomes, evaluation and monitoring systems

Interesting Papers:

New IMF Evaluation Paper
Methodology for evaluation of International Monetary Fund (IMF)  surveillance of international and national economies

The Use of Formative Evaluation by Government Agencies

Linking Research and Evaluation Plans to an Organisation's Statement of Intent (SOI)

New Outcomes papers coming soon...

Information on Strategic Evaluation.

    What is Strategic Evaluation?

    What is Outcomes Theory?


The Strategic Evaluation site has been designed to provide information and resources about  the Strategic Evaluation Approach.

For more up-to-date information on this approach see OutcomesCentral.org and OutcomesTheory.org

What is Strategic Evaluation ?

Strategic Evaluation is an evaluation approach which emphasises a shift in evaluation thinking.  Evaluation is currently attempting to respond to a variety of societal, governmental, political and conceptual trends.  The Strategic Evaluation Approach is being advanced as a way of conceptualising evaluation’s response to these demands.  Consistent with contemporary evaluation thinking it claims the following as the key current priorities for evaluation.  These points are advanced as the basis for ongoing discussion:

  • Evaluation should be reconceptualised as being about meeting the evaluation knowledge needs of a sector not about individual programme evaluations, through:
    • developing frameworks, methods and tools which support the reconceptualisation of evaluation as meeting sector knowledge needs.
  • Priority sector evaluation knowledge needs should be identified through:
  • developing an effective infrastructure for a rich informed dialogue between stakeholders about evaluation priorities
  • quality knowledge management systems to enable aggregation of current evaluation findings, combining these with sector intelligence and making this information available in a usable form to assist stakeholders to undertake such dialogue
  • developing stakeholder understanding of what is feasible and affordable in evaluation and the relationship between evaluation and accountability systems.
  • Vertical and horizontal programme integration (Joined-up Government and Joined-up Outcomes) should be addressed through:
  • high-level integrated strategic evaluation planning across programmes
  • developing and disseminating Outcomes Theory (see below) which theorises how outcome sets / hierarchies / intervention logics / programme theories relate to each other in terms of structure, measurement, attributability and accountability
  • developing a new role of the evaluation / performance management / monitoring architect who has input into high-level evaluation and performance management systems design
  • developing evaluation models that can accommodate the centralist versus local autonomy tension in outcome and strategy selection.
  • The evaluation knowledge / policy development / programme implementation interface should be tightened through:
  • a theory of evidence-informed practice which accepts the need for results aggregation but confronts the fact that intervention types differ in the ease with which they can be evaluated
  • institutionalising effective formative evaluation approaches at the policy making as well as programme level
  • developing appropriate evaluation capability at all levels.
  • Sector evaluation knowledge management should be improved through:
  • establishing effective strategies for the flow of evaluation findings within and between institutions and stakeholders
  • developing "ontologies" categorising intervention types and contexts
  • using novel data collection and data visualisation methods to provide real time cross-sector data flows for evaluation purposes.
Top of page

What is Outcomes Theory?

Outcomes Theory attempts to describe the theory underpinning outcomes / performance management systems.  Such theory is currently underdeveloped in comparison to a related discipline such as Accountancy which has theory, conventions and professionally trained and certified practitioners.  Outcomes Theory is seeking to:

  • develop a set of formal definitions for the elements (e.g. outcomes, outputs, indicators) used within outcomes / performance management systems
  • identify a set of theoretical principles underlying outcomes systems
  • classify outcomes systems formal structure in terms of the way in which their elements are defined
  • identify the advantages and disadvantages of different  types of outcomes systems on the basis of their formal structure
  • identify conventions for building sound outcomes / performance management systems.
Work on Outcomes Theory is currently being advanced by Dr Paul Duignan.  It was progressed as the topic of his New Zealand 2005 Fulbright Senior Scholar Award.  Further information on this work is being prepared and will be posted on this site soon.

Top of page







Posted 2001 Updated 20 November 2007