Content covered in the Book Webinar delivered by abdi on 08/05/2014

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2. Chapter 1:
But even these massive figures do not include indirect costs, the greatest of which are
the cost to organisations of the time that their people spend in initiatives such as change
teams, training, away days, conferences, coaching etc. This omission results in true costs
being typically understated by a factor of rarely less than three, and sometimes as much
as ten.
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3. From Chapter 1:
Can we explain why so few organisations – governments, public sector bodies, large
companies, not‐for‐profits, small firms and local organisations – have developed
coherent ways of showing links between the resource they spend on their people and the
impact outcomes they achieve? ………… Does it mean that they do not really see their
expenditure on these people and their development as an ‘investment’?
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4. From Chapter 1:
Three decades ago ‘quality’ was measured at the end of the production line. If a product
came off a line faulty, nit was rejected. Now the focus on quality has moved to the
beginning of the line. We expect smarter planning and implementation. We look for
quality indicators to prevent faults, and to provide the basis for continuous
improvement……………………………………………too many organisations are ignoring the
evidence that collecting, reviewing and carefully analysing data about performance,
rather than simply exchanging descriptions and anecdotes about it, leads to better
planning, better decisions and improved results.
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5. From Chapter 3:
We find the most value in Theory of Change as a means of developing the demand‐led
objectives that can generate good data. Others see it as a complete evaluation model,
valuing it for the discursive and descriptive approach that it encourages. The
disadvantage of using it in this way is that, because the focus is more discursive, it will
not provide the strong chain of impact that both shows why results have been achieved
and,. Thus, provides s clear basis on which future improvements or innovations can be
framed.
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6. Chapter 4:
Understanding the baseline from which an improvement or achievement is being sought
is just as important for those who are carrying through a project or activity as it is for an
evaluator trying to make sense of it.
Chapter 5:
In our working lives companies and organisations routinely place us into interdependent
structures: teams extended organisations, partnerships, less‐structured networks. These
may well include a mix of colleagues, managers, associates, clients, funders and even
regulators. When we look at these through the perspective of the processes, projects,
programmes or activities we want to evaluate we can see them all as potential
stakeholders.
Chapter 10:
….when data is collected throughout the chain, it becomes possible to see the results of
an investment or project in something approaching real time………disappointing early
results may be due to weak know‐how, nor unexpected barriers at Level 3. But it might
also be worth investigating whether the assumptions about connections between
performance change and task implementation were correct and/ or our timing
expectations were over‐optimistic.
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7. Chapter 2:
Analysis of the feedback that we collect from participants in our evaluation competency‐
building workshops suggests that the most critical problem many of them face it that
they were not included in the planning of the projects they are expected to evaluate.
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8. Chapter 2:
Our disciplined and logical approach can produce robust outcome data even for the most
complex activities. But it is demanding to apply, and that deters many. They fear it may
prove too difficulty This is partly because it brings evaluation into the initial project
planning stage, rather than starting it later as an afterthought.
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9. Chapter 12:
An evaluator’s highest priirity and greatest test is achieving credibility………it is not
possible to show direct causality: no one can. Building credibility starts with the
recognition that attributing improvement nto one or more ‘causes’ is not and never will
be an exact science.
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10. Chapter 2:
We are not setting out to present final proof of cause and effect. We know that is never
going to be possible. We are seeking to establish an agreement about the amount of
change or improvement that all parties will accept as having been achieved. We are
looking for the common ground from which all parties can safely draw conclusions and
determine next steps.
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