Program evaluation is a central concern to virtually all administrative policy makers, most political executives, legislators, and the public. Program evaluation is the systematic examination of government actions, policies, or programs to determine their success or failure. It is used to gain knowledge of program impacts, establish accountability, and influence continuation or termination of government activities.
Most agency managers fail to take full advantage of these possibilities, however, by beginning their evaluation programs too late or assigning evaluation responsibilities to staff members who lack the requisite skills. Understanding the mechanics of conducting evaluations is not enough—managers must be aware of the potential pitfalls and take steps to avoid them. Evaluation requires certain preconditions and a series of steps. The most important preconditions are an understanding of the problem the program is meant to address and clarity of goals that the program or policy was designed to achieve.
Steps to be taken in an evaluation include at least the following. First, there must be specification of what is to be evaluated, regardless of how narrow and precise or broad and diffuse the object of evaluation is. The second step is measurement of the object of evaluation by collecting data that demonstrate the performance and effect of the program or policy. There are several possibilities, ranging from highly systematic, empirical data and methods to casual, on-the-scene observations by untrained observers.
The third step is analysis, which can vary in the rigor with which it is carried out. How each of these steps is defined and executed affects the final evaluation product. In order to make a rational evaluation of program or policy effectiveness, a clear cause-and-effect relationship has to be established between agency actions and demonstrated impacts on a societal problem.
