Project Impact Evaluation

Project Impact evaluation determines if the changes in outcomes which can be attributed to a specific intervention based on cause-and-effect analysis and whether these effects are intended or unintended.

An impact evaluation can be undertaken to improve or reorient an intervention or to inform decisions about whether to continue, discontinue, replicate or scale up an intervention.

An impact evaluation should be planned formally and managed as a discrete project, with decision-making processes and management arrangements clearly described from the beginning of the process.

  • Describing what needs to be evaluated and developing the evaluation brief
  • Identifying and mobilizing resources
  • Deciding who will conduct the evaluation and engaging the evaluator(s)
  • Deciding and managing the process for developing the evaluation methodology
  • Managing development of the evaluation work plan
  • Managing implementation of the work plan including development of reports
  • Disseminating the report(s) and supporting use

Impact evaluation helps to demonstrate project success or failure, and provide accountability to all stakeholders, including donors and beneficiaries. It helps to determine if, and how well, an intervention worked to create a change in a particular community of interest or in the lives of our target populations, while demonstrating the extent of the impact and how it came about.