I recently came across McKinsey and Company's Learning Driven Assessment Workbook that is based on a great framework for focusing evaluation to meet the needs of different types of programs at different times. The workbook is a simple on-line tool that is geared to the needs of foundations and investors, and results in an Assessment Plan for measuring social impact.
In my experience, I strongly believe that asking the right questions from the start is key to assessment and learning. What and how you evaluate must differ according to the nature of the program. What really resonates with me in this tool is that they have great lists of generic questions that can be tailored to the huge range of work that foundations and Social Finance investors may be supporting. In working through the tool, you will be offered sets of questions based on:
The type of program:
- Knowledge development
- Service / product development and delivery
- Capacity enhancement and skills development
- Behaviour-change programs
- Enabling systems and infrastructure development
- Policy development and implementation
The stage of the program:
- Frame the problem
- Develop and approach
- Demonstrate and refine the solution
- Scale and sustain
Once you tailor your questions, you then can add in your own metrics and a subsequent stage will prioritize what you should monitor in an assessment plan.
It is available free if you register at:
http://lda.mckinseyonsociety.com/