Defining the Benefits, Outputs, and Knowledge Elements of Program Evaluation

The Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) has undertaken a project to explore the benefits that can be attributed to program evaluation, the outputs necessary to achieve those benefits, and the knowledge and skills needed to produce the outputs. Benefits, outputs, and knowledge elements were articulated and confirmed through a number of consultations with CES members and the international evaluation community. The consultation process was also successful in encouraging dialogue about the nature of evaluation and in raising considerations about the definition and promotion of program evaluation. The findings of the project can be used by the CES, and indeed by other evaluation organizations, to support their advocacy and professional development initiatives, and by individual evaluators to guide their own professional development and evaluation practice.