Questions
Is it working? Is the program or activity operating as planned? What can be learned?
Focus areas
Feedback to support early course correction, and provide insight into the program or activity’s operations, implementation and service delivery.
Program characteristics
Program is forming and under refinement – improving, enhancing, standardising.
Type of evaluation/other terms
- process evaluation
- formative evaluation
- delivery evaluation
- implementation evaluation
- post‑implementation review
- developmental evaluation
- action‑research.
Commonwealth requirements
During the delivery of a program or activity, Commonwealth entities have an ongoing legislative requirement to measure, assess, and report on their performance under the Commonwealth Performance Framework.
At this stage of the policy cycle, effective, fit for purpose evaluation approaches can be used:
- to improve the design, delivery and operational processes of an activity or program
- to address data gaps not identified or properly considered during the initial program design stage – action to address these gaps should take place as early as possible in the implementation stage of a program or activity
- in situations where issues with the activity or program objectives, delivery or outcomes have been identified through monitoring, review or stakeholder feedback
- to support continuous improvement by complementing or enhancing the quality and robustness of an entity's performance information
- to support decision‑making.