However, there is a dark side to using this argument as the reason for resisting evaluation and not adjusting a thoughtful approach to the work of museums. If museums fail to be proactive as evaluators, there is a good chance that outside forces may step in. Funders and others might find ways to impose strictly quantitative measures that fail to capture the more elusive and abstact impacts of museum programming. Such outside expectations may clearly not measure what we believe to be important. 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.