Project evaluation checklist

One of our most-read blogs is about the questions you should ask in a process evaluation. Such an evaluation is focused on the way you work and (have) worked together. Yet, at the start of the project, you also have questions, and in the interim and after the end of a project, you want to make the effects insightful: What is the initial situation? What assumptions have we made, and are they correct? Has the goal been achieved? To what extent has the target group been reached? What are the success factors of the project? And what are the points for improvement? During a project evaluation, you hold the result up against the light. With this information, you can improve the project and future projects. Questions you can ask during the various phases of the project:

At the start of the project

• What does the target group look like?

• • What are the needs?
  • What are current developments that you want to respond to?

• What are stakeholder priorities that you need to take into account?
• What is the starting situation?
• What is the desired situation, and what goals result from this?
• What are the lessons learned from previous projects?
• What problem do you want to solve with the project?
• What is the best way to do this?
• What are the opportunities, threats, strengths, and weaknesses? (SWOT)

Interim

•  What is your target reach compared to the initial situation? (examined at the start of the the regime).
• What effects has the project had so far?
• What adjustments do you need to make to better achieve your goals?
• What have you learned from the project thus far, and how can you apply it?

After the project is completed

•  What is your target coverage compared to the initial situation and halfway through the project?
• What are the effects of the project?
• What are the success factors of the project?
• What did you learn from the project (areas for improvement), and how can you apply that?

Answer these questions within the project team and involve other parties, such as the focus group, collaborative partners, and other stakeholders.