Utilization-Focused Evaluation
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.
It isn’t about a particular method or approach – it’s a philosophy and a process for helping those who will use the results of any evaluation choose the best combination of evaluation models or theories for their situation.
Utilization-focused evaluations involve key stakeholders from the very start to build buy-in and ensure the product or results of the evaluation can be used by stakeholders in a way that is relevant and helpful.
This approach was coined by evaluation thought leader, professor, and author Michael Quinn Patton and is one of the standards for high-quality evaluations.
