Designing Your Evaluation

Begin by clarifying your reasons for evaluating the AoP programme. These may include assessing participant outcomes, demonstrating value to decision makers, improving the ongoing implementation efforts, adjusting AoP activities, aligning with local policy strategies, or seeking future funding for the AoP programme. 

Consider:

• Existing knowledge: Review published research or evaluations on AoP programmes to identify potential impacts and to determine your objectives.
  
• Target group: Define who will use the evaluation findings—politicians, steering groups, or implementation teams.
• Local experience: Explore whether your or other local organisations – such as municipalities or regions – have conducted similar evaluations and if their methods and experiences can serve as inspiration for and inform the design of your evaluation.
• Expertise and resources: Assess whether your local team has the necessary evaluation competences or if external expertise is required, such evaluation specialists, researchers, or financial analysts.
• Budget: Allocate at least 10% of the programmes budget for evaluation to ensure adequate resources. 

Assemble a team with the required expertise. Depending on your evaluation needs, this may include: 

• Data Collection Specialists: These are team members who can help with creating and distributing surveys or conducting interviews. They ensure that data collection is systematic and aligned with your evaluation objectives. 
• Analysts: Analysts interpret the data collected, identifying patterns and extracting meaningful insights. For example, they might calculate average scores from surveys or group interview responses by common themes. 
•  Consultants: Consultants bring specialized expertise for tasks such as conducting cost-benefit analysis, which involves comparing program costs to the value of its outcomes, like improved mental well-being or reduced healthcare usage.

If resources are limited, focus on the most critical evaluation skills needed, such as data collection or analysis, and explore partnerships with local universities, research organisations, or non-profit agencies that may offer expertise or resources to support your evaluation efforts.