In this final installment on Principles Focused Evaluation, we look at how to connect our data with our designs. If I have principles and don’t follow them, do I have them at all? This question is something that Principles Focused Evaluation can help us to answer. It’s at the core of our work. The vehicle …
Design thinking for evaluation is about expanding possibilities for both design and evaluation together. Design thinking and evaluation are intimately connected, yet rarely discussed together. When most professional evaluators think of the word ‘design’ they typically think of program design. Design thinking focuses our thoughts on how things are made and that includes evaluations themselves. …
Innovation definitions can sometimes create more confusion than clarity. Looking at what it is and does can change that. Innovation might be one of the most confusing, mis-characterized words in business, government, and social enterprises. It doesn’t have to be. If we leave aside all the buzzwords, models, and hype, innovation can be described in …
Innovation involves bringing something new into the world and that often means a lot of uncertainty with respect to outcomes. Learning is the one outcome that any innovation initiative can promise if the right conditions are put into place. Innovation — the act of doing something new to produce value — in human systems is …
Value is literally at the root of the word evaluation yet is scarcely mentioned in the conversation about innovation and evaluation. It’s time to consider what value really means for innovation and how evaluation provides answers. Design can be thought of as the discipline — the theory, science, and practice — of innovation. Thus, understanding …
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