Evaluation Purpose and Scope Limited resources in terms of time and money require that evaluation projects be clearly targeted in terms of the purpose and scope (or boundary) of what is most needed and will be used. Michael Quinn Patton (2013), in his book, Utilization Focused Evaluation , says that evaluations should "be judged by their utility and actual use" (p. 37). Patton defines use as "how real people in the real world apply evaluation findings and experience and learn from the evaluation process" (p. 1). A UFE checklist developed by Patton provides the details on how to plan and carry out a useful evaluation.
Guidelines for Establishing Purpose and Scope Step-by-step guidance on how to determine your evaluation purpose or "frame the boundaries for an evaluation" is explained by BetterEvaluation in this two-page document. This resource walks through the following four question categories: 1. Who are the primary intended users of this evaluation? 2. What are the primary purposes and intended uses of the evaluation? 3. What are the high-level questions the evaluation will seek to answer? How can these be developed? 4. What should be the criteria and standards for judging performance? Whose criteria and standards matter? What process should be used to develop agreement about these? The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) checklist for focusing an evaluation is based on the four evaluation standards: 1. Utility: Who needs the information from this evaluation and how will they use it 2. Feasability: How much money, time, skill, and effort can be devoted to this evaluation? 3. Propriety: Who needs to be involved in the evaluation to be ethical? 4. Accuracy: What design will lead to accurate information?
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