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IMPROVING THE INTERFACE BETWEEN AGENCY NEEDS AND EVALUATION - WORKING PANEL 1 (FROM USE OF EVALUATION BY FEDERAL AGENCIES - PROCEEDINGS OF A SYMPOSIUM, 1977, BY ELEANOR CHELIMSKY - SEE NCJ-49572)

NCJ Number
49587
Author(s)
C W GRAVES
Date Published
1977
Length
14 pages
Annotation
THE DELIBERATIONS OF AN EVALUATION SYMPOSIUM WORKING PANEL ON WAYS OF IMPROVING THE INTERFACE BETWEEN FEDERAL DECISIONMAKERS AND EVALUATORS ARE SUMMARIZED.
Abstract
APPROACHING ITS TASK AS A MARKET RESEARCH PROBLEM, THE PANEL ADDRESSED THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN A SEARCH FOR AN APPROPRIATE MARKETING STRATEGY FOR EVALUATION; (1) WHO ARE THE DECISIONMAKERS, WHERE DO THEY COME FROM, AND WHAT IS THERE DECISIONMAKING ENVIRONMENT LIKE; (2) WHAT DISTINGUISHES EVALUATION INFORMATION FROM OTHER KINDS OF INFORMATION NEEDED AND/OR USED BY DECISIONMAKERS; (3) DOES THE FACT THAT DECISIONMAKERS DO NOT FULLY COMPREHEND EVALUATION'S POTENTIAL MEAN THAT EVALUATION'S PRODUCTS ARE BADLY DESIGNED, BADLY PACKAGED, DIRECTED AT THE WRONG SEGMENT OF THE MARKET, POORLY ADVERTISED, OR OTHERWISE DEFICIENT: (4) WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA FOR MEASURING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EVALUATION PRODUCTS (TECHNICAL QUALITY, TIMELINESS, ACCEPTANCE OF RECOMMENDATIONS, STATE-OF-THE-ART ADVANCEMENT, ETC.); AND (5) WHAT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE EVALUATOR, THE EVALUATION MANAGER, THE RESEARCH COMMUNITY, AND THE DECISIONMAKER IN DEVELOPING AN ACCEPTABLE EVALUATION PRODUCT. THE PANEL'S MOST IMPORTANT CONCLUSION WAS THAT EACH EVALUATION MUST BE TAILORED TO FIT THE AGENCY OR DECISION SYSTEM IN WHICH IT IS BEING CONDUCTED. THE PANEL ALSO CONCLUDED THAT, BECAUSE THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP TOWARD IMPROVING THE DECISIONMAKER-EVALUATOR INTERFACE IS TO UNDERSTAND IT, ANALYSIS OF THE DECISIONMAKING ENVIRONMENT AND OF THE POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF EVALUATION IS CRITICAL. PANELISTS AGREED THAT IS IS IMPORTANT FOR EVALUATION TO BE SEEN AS PART OF A CONTINUING LOOP OF PROGRAM OPERATIONS, NOT AS A SEPARATE ENTITY. (LKM)

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