Evaluations can build program support when the questions and concerns of stakeholders have been clearly defined and the questions these audiences care about guide the evaluation. First, it is important for leaders to help people understand that even the best ideas do not always work in practice. When plans go awry, activities produce unexpected results, and changes need to be made. A leader assures people that this is not failure, but an opportunity to learn. Leaders can use evaluation to make changes as the work unfolds and demonstrate a willingness and openness to be flexible about even the most beloved plan.
Plans can change.
In fact, if plans do not change over the course of a multi-year program, it may be a signal that learning and assessment are not taking place. Further, evaluation helps not only to identify strengths, weaknesses, and barriers, but also what's missing. Leaders create opportunities for learning by setting aside time for evaluation findings to be discussed and analyzed by project staff, board members, and program participants. When the program staff is buried in the details of executing and implementing a program, evaluation can provide much-needed moments for reflection, of stepping back and taking stock of what is happening and why. Leaders need to be diligent about collecting good and useful data and turning it into knowledge.