TYPES OF PROGRAM EVALUATIONS DEMONSTRATE WHETHER A PROGRAM IS FEASIBLE AND OPERATING ACCORDING TO PLAN, HOW IT WORKS, AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS. IN ADDITION, AN INFORMATION PROCESSING CAPACITY CAN PROVIDE THE DATA ON COST EFFECTIVENESS NEEDED TO RETAIN PUBLIC FUNDS. MONITORING THE DAILY INTERNAL OPERATIONS OF A DRUG PROGRAM IS ALSO ESSENTIAL TO PATIENT CARE IMPROVEMENT, AS KNOWLEDGE OF CLIENT DIFFERENCES PERMITS THE BEST PROGRAM- OR SERVICE-CLIENT MATCH. SELF-MONITORING ALSO AIDS STAFF EDUCATION, PERMITS BETTER STAFFING WORKLOADS, AND ENCOURAGES BETTER TEAMWORK BETWEEN CLINICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL. EVALUATION SYSTEMS CAN BE IMPLEMENTED BY OUTSIDE PROFESSIONALS, SPECIALLY TRAINED HOUSE STAFF, OR BY OUTSIDERS WORKING WITH HOUSE STAFF. OUTSIDERS ARE GENERALLY MORE EFFICIENT IN DEVELOPING AND OPERATING SYSTEMS, BUT MAY NOT BE KNOWLEDGEABLE ENOUGH TO TAILOR A SYSTEM TO A SPECIFIC PROGRAM'S NEEDS. WHILE TRAINING HOUSE STAFF TO OPERATE SYSTEMS THROUGH MANUALS PROVIDES THEM WITH USEFUL INFORMATION, IT CANNOT MOTIVATE THEM TO USE A SYSTEM WELL AND GENERALLY IS NOT SUFFICIENTLY EXTENSIVE. COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING OF INSIDERS BY OUTSIDE PROFESSIONALS TO SET UP AND OPERATE THEIR OWN EVALUATION SYSTEM IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE, BUT MORE EXPENSIVE APPROACH. GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING AND MAINTAINING THESE DATA SYSTEMS ARE PRESENTED FOR MANAGERS, AND QUALITIES NEEDED IN DATA PROCESSING PERSONEL ARE DISCUSSED. A CASE STUDY DEMONSTRATES THAT A DRUG ABUSE TREATMENT STAFF IN A THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY CAN FIND SELF-EVALUATION DATA PROCESSING USEFUL. (PAP)