Informed Decisions

Evaluation activities support decision-making that can lead to proactive management of programs. Program evaluation can provide essential information for performance planning and performance assessment and inform revisions to strategic goals, resource allocation decisions, and program modification and redesign decisions. Even if there were no internal or external requirements for evaluative information, evaluation is a good idea. There are a number of reasons evaluation is good management practice.

Communicate Strategy and Value

Use to verify that you're doing what you think you're doing.
Use to describe the impact of products or services on customers or clients.
Use verified results for public relations and promoting services in the community.

Informed Resource Allocation Decisions

Decide how to fund and allocate, or reallocate program resources to best achieve program research, or serve key markets and intended customers.
Eliminate activities that have proven ineffective and drop delivery components determined to not be cost-effective.
Decide on whether to continue program elements or the program and at what level of effort, including replicating program components found to be most cost-effective.

Revise Program Goals and Strategy

Adjust program goals or objectives; Revise objectives to make them more realistic.
Target new or different markets, customers, or business organizations and allies.

Modify, Redesign Decisions

Whether to modify or make timely adjustments to the program design or implementation to improve the rate, or quality, of program achievement relative to the resources committed.
Decide how best to improve program operations (e.g., increase efficiency of operations via streamlining, refining, or redesigning).
Decide whether new technologies or efficiency practices should be added to the program.

Don't let myths prevent you from performing the evaluations necessary to obtain the kind of information needed to inform decisions about your program. Many times program managers have misconceptions about program evaluation, or have had an experience that was not positive. Here are common "myths" about evaluation along with what can be done to prevent the myths from becoming reality.

Many people believe evaluation is a useless activity that generates lots of boring data with useless conclusions. However, evaluation can be focused on utility, relevance and practicality at least as much as scientific validity. (see Michael Patton's development of utilization-focused evaluation).
Many people believe that evaluation is about proving the success or failure of a program. Since there is no "perfect program" success is better defined as remaining open to continuing feedback from evaluation and adjusting the program accordingly.
Many believe that evaluation is a highly unique and complex process that occurs at a certain time in a certain way, and almost always includes the use of outside experts. Even when that is the case, program managers don't have to completely understand evaluation techniques and methods; their part is to be clear about what information they need in order to make current decisions about program issues or needs.