120315P - EVALUATION AS A MANAGEMENT TOOL

Presented at the National Neurosciences Institute Leadership Program by Dr Omar Hasan Kasule Sr. Faculty of Medicine

OVERVIEW

·         We assume the concept of performance gap which is the difference between the ideal and the actual in organizational performance.

·         The performance gap is the difference between the potential and actual performance of organizations and individuals.

·         The practical achievements fall far short of the potential.

·         The gap between aspirations and achievements is due to a relative deficiency of practical skills in leadership and management.

·         Skills are not in-born; they can be taught or developed through experience on the job.

·         Individuals and organizations pay a high price in terms of lost opportunities for the continued existence of the performance gap.

OBJECTIVES OF EVALUATION

·         Assessing whether objectives were achieved

·         Assessing efficiency of execution

·         Assessing effectiveness of projects

·         Learning from experience

BENEFITS/USES OF EVALUATION

·         Identifying success and reinforcement

·         Helping the management see areas of weakness so that corrective measures can be taken to improve

·         Reassure workers that they are moving well

·         Reassure stake-holders that the organization is being run well

·         Gain confidence of supporters and donors

BASIS FOR EVALUATION IN THE QUR'AN AND SUNNAH:

·         Accountability for all actions small or big

·         Reward and punishment.

·         The law of causality: no results without effort

·         Good effort will show good results on evaluation

·         Bad effort will show poor results on evaluation

·         Credit for good work goes to those who did the work and it is wrong for anyone else to claim it

·         Nascent Muslim community in Madina learned many lessons from the setback at Uhud that made future efforts better.

TYPES OF EVALUATION:

·         What is evaluated: process or the end-results

·         Who undertakes the evaluation: internal or external

·         When the evaluation is carried out: during or at the end of the project.

PROJECT EVALUATION

·         Project evaluation starts with making a research design. The design could be experimental or quasi experimental.

·         Data collection could take any of the following forms: direct observation, Questionnaire, Interview, Records review, and Performance/knowledge tests. It is important to judge by what you can see and not infer because biases and mistakes are likely

·         The following criteria are used to judge project success: keeping the schedule, finishing within budget, meeting all project objectives, and meeting stakeholder expectations

·         The results of the evaluation are presented in a project final report which should consist of the following headings: objectives, project schedule, review of project process, problems encountered and how they were resolved, and recommendations for future projects.

SELF EVALUATION

·         Self-evaluation is very difficult but yet very important

·         Only the most mature, most self-confident, and most sincere people are capable of looking at themselves in mirror and deal objectively with their performance, negative or positive.

·         Ask yourself the following questions: What have you done well? What could you have done better?, What further training do you need?, What can you do to improve the project processes?

EVALUATION OF INDIVIDUAL WORKERS: BENEFITS

·         Managers are called upon to evaluate those working under them. The purposes of evaluation are:  determining rewards, improving future performance, identifying high potential employees, and identify problems & addressing them 

·         Workers benefit from evaluation in the following ways: knowing their progress, identifying areas of improvement, and rewards for good performance

·         Managers benefit from evaluation in knowing worker abilities and putting them in the right places or giving them the right jobs.

EVALUATION OF INDIVIDUAL WORKERS: METHODS

·         Methods of evaluation may be formal or informal. Informal evaluation is less stressful to both the manager and the worker.

·         Preparation for evaluation involves reviewing goals of the organization or the project, reviewing performance criteria/targets, and getting all the needed background data to make sure the evaluation is objective.

·         The following tips for evaluation of an individual worker are needed: giving advance warning, explaining the purpose of evaluation, sticking to facts, listening to the employee, avoiding direct criticism, giving feedback, pinpoint areas of improvement, and concluding on a positive note

LIMITATIONS OF EVALUATION: TIMING

·         Evaluation is post action. It answers the question whether the objectives of the plan are achieved.

·         Evaluation is too late to be of use to the current project. Its findings are however useful for future projects that are of a similar nature

·         Evaluation tends to be affected a lot by the activities towards the end of the project.

·         A project that has been performing badly may get a good evaluation when it ends well; all is well that ends well.

·         A project that was performing well throughout its life may get a bad evaluation when it fails towards the end (9).

LIMITATIONS OF EVALUATION: THE UNSEEN

·         Evaluation is judgment by what you see. The inner intentions and motivation can never be known.

·         The outward results may not reflect all the intentions, sincerity, and commitment of the worker.

·         There is little that can be done to alleviate this unfairness because the factors involved cannot measured objectively by humans.

DISCUSSION #2: EVALUATION OF GHAZWAT UHUD

                        Answer the following questions about Uhud:

(a)       What went wrong?

(b)      How was it identified?

(c)       When was it identified?

(d)      What was the corrective action taken?

(e)       How could the results of this evaluation benefit planning of similar events in the future?

DISCUSSION #3: EVALUATION OF YOUR ORGANIZATION

Think of a successful program or project in your organization that you know well or were intimately involved with and make an evaluation using the following criteria:

(a)       What went wrong?

(b)      How was it identified?

(c)       When was it identified?

(d)      What was the corrective action taken?

(e)       How could the results of this evaluation benefit planning of similar events in the future?

DISCUSSION #4: EVALUATION OF A CRITICAL INCIDENT

Think of a critical incidence you know or have read about and answer the following questions:

(a)       What happened?

(b)      What were the consequences?

(c)       Why did it happen?

(d)      Could it have been anticipated?

(e)       What early signals were ignored?

(f)       When the problem was first recognized?

(g)      Who should have reacted?

(h)      Why did he/she not react as needed?

(i)        What did we learn from the incident?

DISCUSSION #5: STAKEHOLDER EVALUATION

Think of a project you read or know about and answer the following questions:

(a)       Who are the stakeholders?

(b)      Did stakeholders change during the project?

(c)       Did the project fulfill expectations?

(d)      Did the project address needs?

(e)       Did the project satisfy benefits?

(f)       Did the project produce results needed?

DISCUSSION #6: PROJECT LIFE CYCLE

Answer the following questions about a project you know or read about. For each criterion indicate yes or no

·         Feasibility study present

·         Timetables realistic

·         Responsibility and authority clear

·         Objectives clarified

·         Milestones fixed

·         Tasks identified and allocated

·         Resources estimated correctly

·         Documented control system

·         Lines of communication

·         Monitoring cost

·         Termination

DISCUSSION #7: PROJECT TEAM

Answer the following questions about a project team that you know or read about. For each criterion indicate satisfactory/unsatisfactory

·         Team working together

·         Conflict resolution

·         Team leadership

·         Team motivation

DISCUSSION #8: PROJECT SUCCESS

Think of a project that you know or read about and indicate (satisfactory/unsatisfactory) for each of the following factors of success

·         Project base

·         Planning

·         Organization

·         Control

·         Monitoring

·         Tracking

·         Stakeholders

·         Project leader

·         Team performance

DISCUSSION #9: PROCESS FACTORS

Think of a project that you know or read about and indicate (satisfactory/unsatisfactory) for each of the following process factors

·         Setting objectives

·         Support of senior management

·         Stakeholder consultation

·         Project team

·         Project plans

·         Control system

·         Tasking/work breakdown

·         Stakeholder approval

·         Monitoring

·         Communication