Simple, practical,
step-by-step guides

These guides focus on process rather than perfection,
and show how to get started without overcomplicating things.

For support in navigating these steps, see what I can do for you.

Planning a simple
‘Impact Evaluation’

A good evaluation starts with thinking, not data.
Here are some key steps and stages for you to consider along the way.

  • Evaluation term: research questions
    Best as: planning conversation

    Ask:

    • What do we want to understand?

    • What decisions will this inform?

    • What key part of our work we need to investigate?

    The first step is know what your evaluation is for, and what it is trying to find out.

    Are you looking to evaluate a) the main aim of your work, b) individual changes or specific outcomes of your work, or c) how, when and/or where your work is most effective?

    These become your primary / secondary / exploratory evaluation or research questions.

    Clear questions prevent wasted effort, and will dictate the size, scope, and direction of your evaluation.

    {External support is often valuable here to sharpen questions and keep them focused. This is something I can help you with!]

  • Evaluation term: outcomes, theory of change
    Best as: desk work with discussion

    Before going ahead, how to your research or evaluation questions link to your project plan and theory of change?

    Ask:

    • Which outcomes matter most right now?

    • What part of the Theory of Change are we testing or learning about?

    By connecting your research questions to your theory, you are clearer about what you are measuring, and are likely to have a better idea of how to measure it.

  • Evaluation term: outcome measures
    Best as: guided planning

    Ask:

    • What would success look like?

    • How would we know if change has happened?

    This might involve:

    • Short surveys

    • Conversations or interviews

    • Observations

    • Existing records or data

    My advice here is: avoid defaulting to surveys. Choose methods that fit the outcome. But at this stage, think of all the ways you could do this.

  • Evaluation term: methodologies and data sources
    Best as: practical decision-making

    Here, you are encouraged to think about proportionate evaluation. This means that the method should match the scale and purpose of the work.

    It is really easy to come up with lots of great evaluation methods and measures, but you could easily end up doing too much.

    Keep it simple.

    Ask:

    • Is this realistic?

    • Do we have the skills and time?

    • Will this answer our question?

    This is the point where you think of all the ways you should do this.

  • Evaluation term: data collection plan
    Best as: simple planning exercise

    Now you know broadly what you’re doing, it’s time to think about the details.

    Be specific:

    • Who collects what?

    • When?

    • How often?

    • How will this be analysed?

    This is where many evaluations fail. Not because of design, but because of capacity.

  • Evaluation term: analysis and reporting
    Best as: scheduled team conversations

    Before you collect anything, you need to know what you’ll do with the data, how you’ll analyse it, and how you’ll share your findings.

    Ask:

    • What do we expect to see?

    • What happens if the results don’t go the way we think?

    • What would we change as a result?

    • Who needs to know?

    Learning is the purpose, not just reporting. You need to know how to share this.

    Share findings is most impactful in plain language. Feed learning back into programme design and your Theory of Change.

Creating a Theory of Change

A Theory of Change is not something you write alone at your desk. At its best, it’s a shared thinking process that brings people together to agree what they’re trying to change, and how.

Below is a practical way to do this, based on good practice across the HE widening participation sector, but designed to work just as well in schools, FE, and community organisations.

  • Best as: a group conversation or short workshop

    Organisations linked to education, community, social issues, healthcare, and in many other areas, don’t have an ultimate aim of making a profit.

    They are trying to tackle a problem or issue. But what exactly is that issue?

    Start by asking:

    • What issue are we trying to address?

    • Who does it affect?

    • Why does it matter now?

    • What is the evidence that this problem exists?

    This is sometimes called a problem statement. Keep it grounded and real. Different views are normal, the aim is shared understanding, not perfect wording.

    {External support is often valuable here to sharpen questions and keep them focused. This is something I can help you with!]

  • Best as: facilitated discussion

    Ask:

    • If this work is successful, what will be different?

    • What does “better” look like?

    • What will society or target group look like if the problem didn’t exist?

    This is your goal or impact. It should be realistic and linked to your role not everything needs to change at once.

    But it is the thing that you and your team are aiming for together.

  • Best as: short team exercise

    You need to tackle the problem. But before you get into how, you need to understand your ability, and the capability of your team.

    Ask:

    • What do we actually do?

    • What activities or support do we provide?

    This keeps the Theory of Change rooted in reality and avoids jumping straight to impact without considering delivery.

  • Best as: structured group exercise

    So you’ve defined the problem, and you think you have the ability to address it. But change happens in steps. You need changes in the short term, for change to happen in the long term. These are your outcomes.

    Outcomes are changes for people not activities.

    Ask:

    • What changes because someone takes part?

    • What do they know, feel, or do differently?

    • What needs to be in place for the impact to happen.

    This is the stuff that happens in weeks and months, rather than years and years. Again, don’t worry about perfect wording yet.

    {Many teams find it helpful to have guided support at this stage to avoid confusing outcomes with outputs.}

  • Best as: group sorting exercise, then going and researching!

    Not all your outcomes happen at once. Some change happens immediately, while some things take time. Sometimes, a change in a person is needed for more changes to happen.

    For example, people don’t just start running a 5k from nothing. You might need to run to the end of the street first. You need to build a habit. You need to train.

    Now you introduce time:

    • What changes happen quickly?

    • What takes longer?

    This helps you think about outcome sequencing, which is crucial for evaluation later.

  • Best as: collaborative mapping session, then going and researching!

    Now you’ve added time, let’s start linking up the outcomes with arrows. What leads specifically to what?

    Ask:

    • Which outcomes need to happen before others?

    • How does one change lead to another?

    • What evidence exists that one outcome leads to another?

    You’re now building causal pathways, making your thinking explicit, not proving it.

    Remember: the research and evidence you subsequently find, may lead to you changing your map. That’s normal, and to be expected!

  • Best as: reflective discussion

    A key step that is sometimes missed. But is absolutely crucial.

    Now you have an outline of your plan, you need to really reflect on it. Specifically, this is about assumptions, risks, and mitigations

    Ask:

    • What needs to be true for this to work?

    • What could get in the way?

    • What can I do to ensure success?

    • What external factors impact this plan?

    This strengthens your Theory of Change and prepares you for evaluation.

  • Best as: ongoing review

    Now you have a draft, you need to use it. Keep it somewhere that you’ll access it, and bring it to meetings and reflective sessions going forward.

    Try to explain it and present it to others. Share it, and get others to buy in to your theory.

    If it’s too complex to explain, it’s too complex to use. Simplify again.

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