Step 6: Ensure Use and Share Lessons Learned

photo of a doctor weighing a man on a scale The final step in program evaluation is to ensure the evaluation is used and to share lessons learned. Here you can prepare the tangible products of evaluation (recommendations and reports), share them with stakeholders and other appropriate audiences and follow up to promote their use.

If you performed a process evaluation, make sure you use the results to improve the program as it is implemented, and the next time it is offered. If you received positive outcome evaluation results, share your successes widely.

If you didn't receive such positive results, look at your data to see if you can figure out why. You may need to conduct further qualitative research to help understand the results. Don't shy away from sharing those results with your planning committee. They can provide important information you'll need to improve the program, or help you see that you may need to stop the program altogether. Either way, the information can contribute to the literature and evidence base.

Tip

It's very important to learn from your evaluation results, even if they aren't as positive as you hope. Use the results and future research to determine what went wrong, and what might need to be changed or adapted. Or, you may find that the program simply isn't working, even with adjustments. It may be necessary to revisit the entire strategy, or let go of a program that isn't successful.