Program Development and Evaluation

This article discusses the importance of evaluation in program development and how to develop effective evaluation questions. It also provides sample evaluation questions and methods for measurement. The article is relevant to public health interventions and program management courses.

Running head: program development and evaluation 1
Program Development and Evaluation
Student’s Name:
Institution’s Name:

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION 2
Introduction.
The evaluation process is an important stage to any program. Evaluation enables the
project managers to see whether the project will have successful outcomes or failures. The ability
to identify the effective key components of a project leads to improving and sustaining
successful public health interventions. Evaluation stage is critical because it is what determines
whether the project will achieve the set goals and objectives within the set budget and whether
the benefits will be more than the cost. Evaluation also makes it possible to ensure that planed
implementations are appropriately done in all the key areas that should be covered. The
evaluation process is a tasking process but bears the best results in the sense that it is through the
evaluation of the project that the project team is able to analyses and even explain what strategy
contributed to the success of the project.
Evaluation questions communicate the important issues that the assessment will delve
into. Evaluation questions are usually developed after the goals and objectives of the program
have been set and also and the strategies to be undertaken to achieve the determined goals and
objectives have been defined. Evaluation questions play a significant role in the sense that they
give the evaluation process a structure and also focus the evaluation efforts to achieving the
goals of the evaluation process. Evaluation questions also steer the evaluation planning process
and the activities to be undertaken at the particular stage. The questions also give details on how
the results from the process will be fused back into the important stages of the project to ensure
the achievement of the desired outcome.

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION 3
Question A: All important questions to the process evaluation.
The important questions to be asked in this stage are the ones focusing on the first six months
of the project. The questions include:
1. Has the standard policy and procedures to guide the use of the national diagnostic vs
treatment vs support guideline for patients with disability due to back injuries been
developed and tested within the two months?
2. Did the policy clearly identify and illustrate the diagnostic, treatment and and support
procedures for the patients?
3. Has the training and mentoring to the Quality Manager, Managing Director, Nursing
Director and team leaders within the department in leading and monitoring the
implementation of the ‘Policy and Procedure in the application of / following the
‘National Guidelines' amongst practitioners and other clinical staff been done?
4. Did the capacity training of practitioners and the clinical staff on the implementation of
the newly developed policy and procedures when providing diagnostic, treatment and
support services to the patients, aid in providing the patients with relevant treatment and
support services?
5. Are the patients receiving quality care and support due to the use of Policy and
Procedures Manual?
6. Did the coaching services provided to the clinical staff and practitioners on the use of the
National Policy and Procedures Manual lead to improved diagnosis, treatment and the
support of patients?

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION 4
Question B: Process evaluation.
Evaluation question Number 2. (Did the policy categorically state the
diagnostics, treatment and support procedures to be
given to the patients?)
Indicators of achievements/success
indicators
1. Inputs, activities and outputs involved in the
process.
2. Effectiveness of training materials.
3. Awareness of the policy among the clinical
staff and medical practitioners.
4. Compliance with core policy components.
Methods for measurement
including brief details of data
collection
The data to be utilized is the qualitative and process
evaluation data. This is because they both provide the
useful information on why the activities were done
they why they were in the process. Data will be
collected through observation and interviews as well
as issuing of questionnaires to be filled by the clinical
staff and the medical practitioners.
When will data be collected? Data will be collected during the training sessions to

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION 5
answer the question why the consultant chose to do
what they did and the methods they decided to train
the personnel with.
It will also be collected after the two months to
examine whether the training on the management of
the hospital was bearing fruits and translating to how
things were done in the organisation.
Conclusion.
The Evaluation process is an important process in the sense that it helps the team to
refocus and to even make appropriate changes that will change the outcome of the project and
even lead to the achievement of desired goals.