Evaluating The Program

By: Scott M. Cutlip, et al.

“When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it. But when you cannot measure it , when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind” 

(Lord Kelvin)

“In an organizational environment characterized by downsizing and zero-based budgeting, public relations no longer can convincingly argue that the function is justified without evidence of measureable results” 

(Linda Childers Hon)

Public Relations, like other staff and line functions, is being evaluated by how much it contributes to advancing the organization’s mission and achieving organizational goals.

The process of evaluating program planning, implementation, and impact is called “evaluation research.” Rossi and Freeman use the terms “evaluation research” and “evaluation” interchangeably to represent the “systematic application of social research procedures for assessing the conceptualization , design, implementation, and utility of social intervention programs.” They outline the basic questions in evaluation as follows:

1.      Program Conceptualization and design

What is the extent and distribution of the target problem and, or, population?

Is the program designed in conformity with intended goals; is there a coherent rationale underlying it; and have chances of successful delivery been maximized?

What are project or existing costs and what is their relation to benefits and effectiveness?

2.      Monitoring and accountability of program implementation

Is the program reaching the specified target population or target area?

Are the intervention efforts being conducted as specified in the program design?

3.      Assessment of program utility: impact and efficiency

Is the program effective in achieving its intended goals?

Can the results of the program be explained by some alternative process that doesn’t include the program?

Is the program having some effects that were not intended?

What are the costs to deliver services and benefits to program participants?

Is the program an efficient use of resources, compared with alternative uses of the resources?

Evaluation research is used to learn what happened and why, not to prove or do something.