Evaluative thinking is the way we think when we’re evaluating something. It’s thinking about what kinds of information are most needed for learning and improvement and then reflecting on that information (the evaluation findings), learning lessons, and applying those lessons in future decisions. Evaluative thinking becomes most meaningful when it is embedded in an organization’s culture.

Generally speaking, program evaluations fall into two complementary buckets: formative and summative. Summative evaluations look at the impact and effectiveness of a program (think testing, validating, etc.), while formative evaluations focus on improving the program’s design and performance. It’s considered good evaluation practice to use both, though in my opinion, formative should come before summative. In this context, an implementation evaluation (sometimes called process evaluation) falls into the formative category and is essential for understanding your program’s model and quality.

Utilization-focused evaluation begins with the premise that evaluations should be judged by their utility and actual use; therefore, evaluators should facilitate the evaluation process and design an evaluation with careful consideration of how everything, from beginning to end, will affect use.

Evaluation work has historically marginalized, minimized, and even disrespected Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC). Therefore, special effort must be made by experienced and equity-focused evaluators to conduct evaluations in service of equity – to examine all aspects of an evaluation through an equity lens. Not only must an evaluation be useful, but it must also be equitable. We could even argue that if an evaluation does not work towards advancing equity, it is not useful.