What is an evaluation plan

An evaluation plan brings together much of the work that has been completed in the service design and planning already. It places the evaluation questions in context and sets out the expected output of the evaluation with timings, as well as requirements in terms of data to achieve that.

An evaluation plan serves as an agreement between stakeholders about what will be done as an evaluation. It sets expectations for all involved about what is possible and how it is done. It includes review processes to check on progress, and allocates responsibility for certain elements required to achieve the evaluation. This is useful to all evaluation processes, but essential if an external evaluator is involved.

Why write an evaluation plan?

As with all aspects of evaluation, planning early and thoroughly increases the chances of evaluation being possible and useful. While much of the content of an evaluation plan may appear in other things, bringing it together in one place makes it easier for those with responsibility for elements of the evaluation process to identify them and understand how they link together and in what order certain sections should be completed.

The plan also contributes to and significantly eases the reporting and communication of any findings from an evaluation by setting out the structure and timeline, allowing planning for workflows and a guide for writing up.

How to produce an evaluation plan

We have provided an example evaluation plan which you can use to guide development of your own evaluation plan.