Project Performance Mea

surement and Evaluation

Presented by: Shraddha Sadegaonkar
Introduction
Performance measurement and program evaluation can b
oth help identify areas of programs that need improveme
nt and determine whether the program is achieving its go
als or objectives. They serve different but complimentary f
unctions:
Performance measurement is an ongoing process that mo
nitors and reports on a program's progress and accomplis
hments by using pre-selected performance measures.
Program evaluation, however, uses measurement and ana
lysis to answer specific questions about how well a progra
m is achieving its outcomes and why.
How is performance measurement dif
ferent from program evaluation?
• A program sets performance measures as a series o
f goals to meet over time. Measurement data can b
e used to identify/flag areas of increasing or decrea
sing performance that may warrant further investig
ation or evaluation.
• Program evaluations assess whether the program is
meeting those performance measures but also look
at why they are or are not meeting them.
What is performance measure
ment?
• Performance measurement is a way to continuously
monitor and report a program's progress and acco
mplishments, using pre-selected performance meas
ures.
• By establishing program measures, offices can gaug
e whether their program is meeting their goals and
objectives. Performance measures help programs u
nderstand "what" level of performance is achieved.
How do we determine good me
asures?
• Measurement is essential to making cost-effective decisions. W
e strive to meet three key criteria in our measurement work:
• Is it meaningful?
• Measurement should be consistent and comparable to help su
stain learning.
• Is it credible?
• Effective measurement should withstand reasonable scrutiny.
• Is it practical?
• Measurement should be scaled to an agency's needs and budg
etary constraints.
What is Program Evaluation?
• Program evaluations are individual systematic studi
es conducted to assess how well a program is worki
ng and why. EPA has used program evaluation to:
• Support new and innovative approaches and emerg
ing practices
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and eff
ectiness
• Continuously improve existing programs
• Subsequently, improve human health and the envir
onment
What Types of Program Evalu
ations are there?
• Program evaluations can assess the performance of
a program at all stages of a program's development.
The type of program evaluation conducted aligns wi
th the program's maturity (e.g., developmental, imp
lementation, or completion) and is driven by the pu
rpose for conducting the evaluation and the questio
ns that it seeks to answer. The purpose of the progr
am evaluation determines which type of evaluation
is needed.
Design Evaluation

• A design evaluation is conducted early in the planni

ng stages or implementation of a program. It helps t
o define the scope of a program or project and to id
entify appropriate goals and objectives. Design eval
uations can also be used to pre-test ideas and strat
egies.
Process Evaluation

• A process evaluation assesses whether a program o

r process is implemented as designed or operating
as intended and identifies opportunities for improv
ement. Process evaluations often begin with an ana
lysis of how a program currently operates. Process
evaluations may also assess whether program activi
ties and outputs conform to statutory and regulator
y requirements, EPA policies, program design or cus
tomer expectations.
Outcome Evaluations

• Outcome evaluations examine the results of a progr

am (intended or unintended) to determine the reas
ons why there are differences between the outcom
es and the program's stated goals and objectives (e.
g., why the number and quality of permits issued ex
ceeded or fell short of the established goal?). Outco
me evaluations sometimes examine program proce
sses and activities to better understand how outco
mes are achieved and how quality and productivity
could be improved.
Impact Evaluation

• An impact evaluation is a subset of an outcome eval

uation. It assesses the causal links between progra
m activities and outcomes. This is achieved by com
paring the observed outcomes with an estimate of
what would have happened if the program had not
existed (e.g., would the water be swimmable if the
program had not been instituted).
Cost-Effectiveness Evaluati
on
• Cost-effectiveness evaluations identify program ben
efits, outputs or outcomes and compare them with
the internal and external costs of the program.
Benefits of Performance Mea
surement and Evaluation
• It can increase the productivity of individuals and te
ams.
• It can identify under-performing individuals and te
ams.
• It can improve communication.
• It provides the opportunity to recognize top perfor
mers.
• It provides a clear chain of command.
Productivity Measurement
• Productivity growth is frequently lauded by the busi
ness community, media commentators and politicia
ns as the solution to improving living standards, yet
there is little agreement on what productivity actua
lly is.
Firms can improve their productive efficien
cy in three ways:

• Improvements in technical efficiency — increases in out

put can be achieved, at a given level of input, from mor
e efficient use of the existing technologies.
• Technological progress and organisational change — as
firms adopt technologies or organisational structures th
at are new to the firm, or develop and apply new techn
ologies or approaches, they can expand output by more
than any additional inputs that might be required.
• Increasing returns to scale — as the size of the firm exp
ands, its unit cost of production can fall as it becomes fi
nancially advantageous to adopt existing technologies.
Project Controlling
• Project Controls are the dat
a gathering, data managem
ent and analytical processes
used to predict, understand
and constructively influence
the time and cost outcomes
of a project or programme;
through the communication
of information in formats th
at assist effective managem
ent and decision making.