Glossary

The specific activities, services, products etc that you deliver as part of your project.

Data collected before a project begins. Gives you the starting point for your outcome measures.

A point of reference against which you can compare.

The degree to which one thing is understood to have caused another. Separate to correlation, which suggests a relationship between two things but does not imply cause-and-effect.

A group of people (or settings) that are similar to those within your project, in which you track the same measures and compare the difference as part of a Control Trial. If the groups are otherwise equivalent, then any change can be attributed to your project. Randomising whether people are allocated to the control group or project group increases the strength of your findings, and is known as a Randomised Control Trial or RCT.

In evaluation, the counterfactual represents ‘what would have happened anyway’. Using a control or comparison group is one way to establish this.

Data relating to the profile and characteristics of a given population or target group.

The extent to which a project meets its intended outputs, outcomes or objectives.

The extent to which a project achieves the desired effect with the lowest possible use of inputs.

Data collected after your intervention has finished. Compare this to your baseline to identify any change. Endline is a type of follow-up data.

Using measurement and other evidence to understand the progress, results or value of a project.

Any other data collection points occurring after your baseline. Usually compared to baseline to identify short, medium or longer-term change in outcomes.

In general terms Impact refers to the effect or results of your project. It can also refer to the broad or longer-term effect of your project, over and above any intended outcomes – for example, to culture, society or the environment.

Specific, defined and quantifiable measures that you track to show progress or change. Also sometimes called Key Performance Indicators or KPIs.

Giving participants in a study or evaluation sufficient information that they can make an informed decision on whether to take part.

What you need to deliver your project, including money, people, facilities, equipment, knowledge and expertise.

A way of articulating how a project’s inputs, activities, outputs and outcomes logically connect with and contribute to each other; and of testing underpinning evidence and assumptions. A logic model is one way of displaying a theory of change.

The routine, systematic collection of specific information that helps you track the progress and success of a project. Also known as monitoring.

How you will gather data or conduct an evaluation – including the tools you will use, when and how you will use them, and who will be involved.

Evaluation that uses a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods.

A broad statement(s) of what you are trying to achieve, be it through a project or an evaluation.

Evaluation about whether a project has successfully achieved its intended outcomes.

The specific changes or effects you hope to achieve through delivering a project. Can be short, medium, or long-term. Best articulated using words such as increase, improve, reduce etc.

The direct and immediate results of a project’s activities, such as the number of sessions delivered or the number of people who took part.

Within a piece of research or evaluation, population refers to the defined group of people from which your sample is drawn.

Evaluation about how well a project has been carried out, and how it could be improved.

Used interchangeably to mean the defined piece of work you are delivering and evaluating.

Evaluation that collects descriptive (i.e. not numerical) evidence, such as people’s feelings and experiences. Works best for answering ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions, and adding depth to your findings.

Evaluation that collects evidence that can be expressed as numbers. Works best for answering ‘what’ and ‘how much’ questions, and for generalising findings.

The justification for your project or course of action; an explanation of why it is needed.

Within a piece of research or evaluation, the sample is the group of people you collect data from.

A type of evaluation that measures and values the social, environmental and economic benefits of a project. SROIs look beyond traditional financial values, and involve a careful consideration of how and why change is taking place.

The likelihood that something will continue. In this context, it might refer to a project continuing after the funding has ended, or to outcomes enduring after the project is completed.

The people you want to take part in your project, often based on specific characteristics or demographics.

A Theory of Change is a description and illustration of how and why a desired change is expected to happen. It maps out what a project does, and how that’s expected to lead to desired goals being achieved.