Get Team Ready for Developmental Evaluation: Overview
Getting Your Team Ready for Developmental Evaluation Requires Attention to Enhancing
Team Functioning, Engaging Stakeholders, and Securing Resources
Secure
Resources
Stakeholder
Enagement
Enhance
Team
Functioning
Figure 1
ENHANCING TEAM FUNCTIONING
Why a Team Approach for Developmental Evaluation?
Groups bring together differing perspectives, skills, and resources required to effectively implement
complex, social change initiatives. Social change work is a collaborative process.
What is the Team for the Project Funded by KPCF?
Stakeholders
The team is responsible for
implementing the project funded
by KPCF. Team members may be
participants in the KPCF Learning
Collaborative and stakeholders
associated with the project.
Project Team
Learning
Collaborative
Participants
Figure 2
Step 1: Get Your Team Ready Handout #4
Why Enhance Team Functioning?
We expect groups to work effectively so that their efforts are greater than the sum of the parts. Yet,
our experience with groups often leaves us feeling disappointed or frustrated. Ineffective groups tend
to produce less effective results. Groups can function more effectively by paying attention to group
contexts, structures, and processes. The Group Effectiveness Model provides a good roadmap.
Excerpted from the Roger Schwarz (2002) The Skilled Facilitator.
Step 1: Get Your Team Ready Handout #4
ENGAGING STAKEHOLDERS
Who are Stakeholders?
Stakeholders are individuals or who are involved with the project, care about its results, and/or benefit
from it. Although it may be helpful to brainstorm organizations as potential stakeholders, it's
important to remember that “People, not organizations, use evaluation information.” (Patton, 2008)
Typical stakeholders include program staff, agency executives, board of directors, funders,
collaborators, advocacy groups, policy makers, and those who directly benefit from the project.
Why Engage Stakeholders when Integrating Developmental Evaluation into a Project?
 Puts more ideas on the table
 Gains buy-in and support
 Leverages resources
 Fosters better appreciation and understanding of the project
 Helps avoid pitfalls
 Increases likelihood that information gathered will be used
 Improves credibility (and transparency) of the process
 Enhances cultural relevancy
 Fosters fairness and encourages power sharing
 Helps avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest
SECURING RESOURCES
Why are Resources Needed?
Simply put, little gets done without adequate resources. Most project resources are allocated to
implementing the project with few resources earmarked to evaluation.
What Resources are Needed to Integrate Developmental Evaluation into a Project?
 Financial (i.e., monies budgeted for evaluation)
 People power (i.e., number of full-time equivalent staff who assigned with evaluation activities)
 People expertise (i.e., knowledge and skills to carry out evaluation activities)
 Equipment (i.e., computers, software programs)
 Time (i.e., duration of time to plan; collect, analyze, and feedback information; engage in strategic
learning, and communicate to stakeholders).
Step 1: Get Your Team Ready Handout #4