The questions we ask most often determine the content and quality of the answers. Evaluation is inseparable from project development. Program planning, implementation and evaluation are all parts of a whole and must be driven by an institution's vision. At the very beginning of any project development, both needs assessments and evaluation methodology must be integral to planning. A project must be built around a clear understanding of what the museum wants to achieve and how it will determine success.
Evaluation is an essential management tool.
Many museum leaders wrestle with core questions about their institution's programmatic direction. Clearly museums need data and evaluation to guide such sensitive internal decision making. Boards, administrators and staff all should demand evidence of success if resources are to be diverted to new uses. Realigning staff and reallocating financial resources are far more palatable when supported by evidence that investments in the community are making a noticeable difference. Evaluation is central to the series of questions that dominate today's evolving museum.